You can say they're "taking baby steps" but what they're really doing is tippytoeing.  Tippytoeing with trepidation, hoping to sneak past that half-dozing, fat old ehu-haired cur tied to the mango tree in the neighbor's front yard.  The cur that barks and snarls at them every time he lays eyes on 'em.  Hey, you want that mutt coming after 𝒚𝒐𝒖? 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒅 tippytoe too!