When standing with hand support at a high step the hips are flexed and the base of support is large in the A-P direction. In this position he is able to explore different ways of adjusting the feet and hands on the support surfaces (floor and step) to allow him to reach for toys.
Once a typically developing infant has learned to balance and reach to the side, they will usually start to take a single step, and later multiple steps sideways when reaching for toys that is out of reach.