This study aimed to describe ground reaction forces' profiles during toddler's gait at the first months of the acquisition phase of independent walking, in order to identify whether there are changes in the ability to propel and balance the body in this dynamic condition. Ten thirteen-month old toddlers volunteered to the study and were evaluated three times in a three-month interval. The toddlers walked over a 5 m long walkway with two force plates fixed at ground level. Vertical and horizontal peak reaction forces and variability coefficients were selected for analysis. To compare the results of the three evaluations ANOVA Friedman's tests were used at 5% level of significance. The walking experience achieved by the toddlers month after month was not sufficient to significantly change the biomechanical selected variables and statistically significant differences were not found for the selected variables along three months. However, a reduction in the variability coefficient for the vertical reaction forces suggests development towards an increasingly mature gait pattern.
biomechanics; gait; toddlers; kinetics
