When will my baby start walking?

I have been asking in Online Forums and also whenever I meet up with any young parents or speak to any on the phone - How old was your child when he/she started walking without support?

So far the earliest I heard was about 8 months old and this lady told me that her friend bragged about it to her when her daughter was only able to walk by the time she was about 12 months old. She however told me that once when she consulted the Paediatrician, he told her that it is no use forcing a child to walk. The leg muscles may not be strong enough to hold their own body weight and this can cause more harm than good.

Once I asked another friend of mine on the phone. He immediately claimed that his son was a late bloomer as he only started walking without support by the time he was 17 months old. However, he then recognized my concern and mentioned that he was not even worried when his son was only able to turn himself at about 7 months old, which was also quite late. What a great father he is, I could sense it. He advised to be patient and when babies are ready to walk, they will and soon, you will be running after them. "No need to ask any other people and compare cause every baby is special."

He told me that his wife had a colleague who had always checked with his wife whenever the baby started to achieve something new. It seemed like a frequent reminder of how slow his baby was. The lady was telling her that her son was able to eat this by this age and crawl by the time he was 4 months old and walk by the time he was 7 months old. It sounds so much like a miracle that you can expect the Mummy to tell you next time that the son is already flying!

After speaking to some parents, well, my Little Jen is not slow at all. He is just being very very cautious not to fall down = Smart boy! (*Laugh*). 11 months  old already able to walk 3-4 steps without support.. what else can I ask for (*smile*).