17 months - Not walking yet

[KIRST003]

My son is now 17 months and still not walking - everyone else's kids have been doing it forever! Everyone keeps saying that he is probably making up for it in other areas, but to be honest he is pretty "slow" in speech as well- although is now starting to say partial words. He will use the walker, or hold my hand (wobbly though) but has no balance at all. He simply cruises or crawls everywhere. Sorry - just getting frustrated by so many people commenting on the fact he is not walking yet! When do I go to the health visitor?

[bobsmum]

Hi Kirst

As far as I understand the average age for walking is between 10-18 months. My ds didn't walk until 17 months and the HV wasn't concerned. If he can pull himself up and take his own weight when standing then that's all good. Mention it though because there might be something else you could do to encourage him along.

I'm sure others will be along soon with their experiences - some don't walk until 2 and then catch up with their peers very quickly.

hth

[expatinscotland]

I walked on my knees till I was 18 months old.

DD1 walked on her knees for months before she walked. She even jumped on her knees.

[Marina]

Dd only walked independently at 18 months and tbh was also virtually mute at that age. She remained prone to stumbling and tripping for long enough for the HVs to mention it at her 2 year check.
She was three last week and now talks 19 to the dozen and runs and climbs like a little goat.
I think as long as your ds can be upright and is trying to talk, I'd give him a while longer before querying it with the HV. IMO more children are "late" walkers than you would ever believe from the so-called average.

[expatinscotland]

Marina
DD1 is also like this. We were out today and she climbed what I thought was a fairly steep step ladder in a kiddy playground and made it down w/o a hitch.

That Tumble Tots paid off - we cant' stop her jumping, either.

She started playing w/two 5-year-old children and now speaks much, much more clearly.

Here's hoping she'll be inspired to potty train after starting nursery week after next!

[Nemo1977]

no personal experience but my friends little girl did not walk until she was 22months old. It was partially just not having the confidence and partially not having the inclination. She is now nearly 3 and has no probs and is at the average for physical development.

[KIRST003]

Thanks for the reassurance - just me starting to get a bit panicky. I think it was the Mother in Law whining about her grandson not developing properly that triggered it!

[chipmonkey]

Kirst, First Commandment of Parenting. Ignore Thy Mother-In-Law.

[mistersmum]

My ds has only just started walking independantly this week and is 17and a half mo and we had all of the comments. He also crawled late. He had been cruising and doing loads of squats up and down. I don't know if this really did help or if it was conincidence - but my mother in law gave us my husband's old trolley with the bricks in and he has had such fun pushing it up and down the garden and I suddenly realised he didn't have anything like that to play with, and it appears to have done the trick!

[Elibean]

DD's best friend didnt' walk until 18 months, and then only very slowly - but she's 2.7 now and runs, jumps, and talks everyone else's head off!

[BadMuther]

My daughter didn't walk until she was 17 months, and I had to put up with snide comments from the other mothers, and a lot of my own concerns too.

Your son sounds like my daughter was right before she walked independently! I got so fed up with her crawling and bottom~shuffling everywhere, I med her walk holding onto my hand, no matter how long it took us to get everywhere! In the end, on the very day some friends were due to be visiting with their 14MO and I was anticipating embarassment as I thought he was bound to be on his feet, I heard a shuffling behind me and it was my daughter walking around like she'd been doing it forever!

She never looked back and is now a talented sportswoman. If it's any comfort to you, late walkers tend to be the ones who won't do anything until they can do it perfectly, and are generally a lot steadier on their pins once they're away!

[Annner]

I'd echo Badmutha: my DD only launched off on her own about two weeks ago - at the elderly age of 20.5 months. She just didn't want to let go of the hand until she was certain that she would be able to do it. She showed very little interest until she was 17 months, and really bypassed cruising. She had also been a late crawler (10.5 months) as she was happy sitting and using her hands.

Our Health Visitors took an interest at 19 months, when they sent round the 18-24 month check questionnaire. I didn't lie about it, and got one or two "just a quick call to see how things are" type calls, but I wasn't forced into seeing GP or paed. As far as I was concerned, she was making continuous progress, just rather slowly.

After only two weeks she is running already and hasn't crawled for days.

The problem is that many parents of early walkers seem to regard it as a sign of high IQ or early genius! Or so one would think, given the smug comments we used to get in the park with my giant crawler...

Annner

[JonesTheSteam]

I didn't walk until I was 18 months old.

[castlesintheair]

Kirst, my DS walked at 26 months! He was a bum-shuffler. Now 4.7 and you'd never know it. Also a late talker - no sentences until 3. Again, you'd never know it, now he never shuts up I got it in the neck constantly from the ILs too 'cos of course it was MY fault

[Uwila]

Glad to see this. DS is almost 15 months and not showing any signs of walking on his own. Crawls very fast and cruises. But, that's it.

Oh, he'll push the brick trolly across the room, but won't let go of it.

[wheelsonthebus]

my dd did not start walking until 20.5 months. was a bum shuffler. talks a lot now (22 months).

[ilovecaboose]

Just to echo what others have said about the talking - my ds is 22 months and has only jusst in the past couple of months started talking beyond 'mum' and a couple of other unintelligble words. Suddenly he has taken off and is picking up 2-3 new words a day (I still need to translate for most people though) and has begun stringing 2 words together. HV not worried at all, thinks he's perfectly normal.

Funnily enough the person who reassures me about all the walking/talking and all other markers is my mate whose dd (6 weeks older than my ds), walked at 9 months, was talking in sentances by 18 months etc. Definately not the rub it in your face kind- completely the opposite. Funny innit

[Clary]

kirst, if he uses the walker (do you mean a push-along kind?) then he is taking the weight on his feet.

17 mo is within normal parameters of 9-20 mths. If he is making progress I wouldn't be too bothered.

My ds1 didn't walk till 16.5 mths, IKWYM about all other children doing it ages ago.

However, do keep an eye on it, I have popsted before about a colleague whose ds was a very late walker (like, over 2) and tho he is OK now (he's 7) he's not the best and you do wonder if physio would've helped. Parameters are there for a reason. But saying that I'm sure DS will be OK.