California baby delights internet with cool dance moves as he learns to walk

A tiny dance star in the making is apparently lighting up social media.

Little Declan Russell of Chino, California, just 14 months old, was in the process of learning to walk when he surprised everyone around him by dancing instead — showing off some impressive wiggles and jiggles and delighting himself in the process, too.

In a video posted by his mom, Amanda Russell, on her TikTok account — “amanduhlovesyou” on Sept. 15, 2022 — baby Declan can be seen taking some hesitant steps before wiggling his shoulders and bouncing along to the music that was playing.

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Russell captioned her video, “Learning how to walk can be tough sometimes,” along with a winking-with-tongue-sticking-out emoji.

“Go! Go, buddy!” people can be heard saying in the background as little Declan’s family cheered him on as he stepped forward. 

Little Declan of Chino, California, had a blast showing off his dance skills as he took some of his first steps to the huge delight of his family.
(Amanda Russell)

Grinning, he then showed off his sweet dance skills.

Little Declan then grabbed onto a nearby freezer door for balance as he continued to bop along to the beat of the song. 

The original video has been liked more than 1.8 million times on TikTok and has been shared nearly 60,000 times. 

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On Instagram, the post has more than 150,000 likes and has been shared by numerous large accounts.

Mom Amanda Russell said that this was not Declan’s first foray into dance. She said she has video of her son “doing the tummy roll” even before he learned to sit up.  
(Amanda Russell)

Mom Amanda Russell said this was not Declan’s first foray into dance.

“Declan is 14 months old and has actually been dancing since he was six months old,” she told Fox News Digital. 

“I have a video of him doing the tummy roll when he couldn’t even sit up yet.”

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She said it was “amazing” to see Declan’s dance moves go viral. 

“We all know how cool he is, but for the world to see it and to read all these sweet comments was so awesome,” she said. 

Declan Russell delighted even himself as he danced for his family — and kept smiling and moving even after he grabbed onto a refrigerator nearby to steady himself. 
(Amanda Russell)

Declan’s dancing days are far from over, according to Russell. 

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“We plan to keep the music alive in him, and we will be putting him in dance class as soon as we can,” she said. 

Babies typically begin crawling between six and 10 months of age, notes Parents.com, and begin to walk a few weeks after crawling. 

“We plan to keep the music alive in him, and we will be putting him in dance class as soon as we can,” said Declan’s mom Amanda Russell of California.
(iStock)

At 48 weeks after birth, “Your baby may not be walking yet” — but that baby is “trying to get around,” Laura Asmundsson, a parenting content contributor, wrote for the site.

“They may cruise on furniture or hold your hands while taking steps,” she added of very young children. 

“Attempting to walk is a significant milestone, though babies may take that first unassisted step anywhere from 8 to 15 months.”

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“You can help their walking skills by giving them a sturdy push-pull toy and placing furniture in strategic areas to encourage their cruising,” she also said.

Dancing, however, is not considered a milestone activity by experts.

So it may be safe to say that Declan’s dancing ability shows that he is already pretty advanced for his age.