18months and not walking (or anywhere near) reassurance please

[Lulurose]

Hi all, I'm sorry if this has been covered before. DD2 18months crawled at a year but shows no interest in walking at all. Several well meaning people have commented on how she turns her feet outwards when we hold her with her feet down (soles facing out to the side) and so just to check, and on the hv s advice I took her to the GP to check.

They refered her to paediatrics who, in turn referred her to physio. The physio rang me yesterday and said she won't be seen until Xmas as it isn't urgent and they only become concerned if a child isn't walking by 2.

Am very confused now, should I stop worrying and relax? She can pull up on the sofa (doesn't cruise) but protests if we try and hold her to walk with our support. Has anyone else had a very late walking child? I wasn't that worried initially but everyone I seem to encounter at the moment seems really surprised shes not mobile.

Thanks for listening x

[tassi]

i would,nt worry to much i work with children we have had babies that are 1 year old and arnt even sitting they will all develope in there own time. we had one child that took her first steps just a few days before his 2nd birthday or it may be that she needs to strenghten her muscels

[jellysmummy]

Please try not to worry, dd1 didn't get off her arse to crawl until 15 months then walked about 20 months. As for dd2 she crawled at 10 months and walked at 22months. Both highly accomplished at standing on own two feet now (5 and nearly 3).
Lazy buggers!

[Lulurose]

Oh thank you for posts. I'm sure she'll be ok, its just that everyone mentions it, even complete strangers feel they can comment on my "lazy baby"!!

Thankyou x

[uptomyeyes]

DS1 walked at 18 months - no cruising, no 1 step and fall down, he just got up one day and walked out the room leaving DH and I staring after him.

My good friends third and fourth children walked at 22 months and 23 months respectively - no cruising beforehand, though I think that number 4 did crawl.

[kolakube]

A GP friend of mine once commented that children tend to put all their energy into either the physical milestones or the mental ones. You may find yours is quicker to talk etc.

[strawberry2]

I'm so glad I came across this thread. I have twins of 13 months who don't crawl and are nowhere near walking.
It does get me down at the moment as everyone and anyone that I see asks if they are walking and when I say no and that they're not even crawling people seem to think they're unusually late developers.
They just seem happy to sit and play alot of the time although they do have their own ways of getting around. DT1 does a bottom shuffle ( although not very often ) and DT2 rolls over and over until she reaches what shes after ! I just keep hoping that 1 day they'll get up and walk but it seems so far away at the moment.
Its really reassuring to read the comments about other late walkers.

[Nativenewyorker]

My DD will be 2 on saturday but I remember her first birthday when she had not so much as bottom shuffled. All her peers were walking and crawling.

With hindsight how easy life was!! She crawled about 14 months and walked about 16 months and has had virtually no accidents and was always much more stable on her feet.

When she was ready she seemed to get up and go almost overnight.

[ivykaty44]

Hi

Hope you don't mind me butting in. My dd 2 didn't crawl or cruise. At 17 months she still wasn't moving and then my friend took her out one morning and got her a little pair of soft shoes from next. Within about a wek she decided to walk.

Tbh I just enjoyed the fact i could pop her down on the carpet and she would play and not move!

yet my dd 1 walked at 12 months and had been crawling since she was 9 months, they are all different.

[Naartjie]

My 16 month old only decided to walk 2 weeks ago. Before that, he would Refuse to walk, especially if we encouraged him. He only started walking because he had a ball to kick!

People were asking me if he was walking since he was 8 months old. I just ignored them. Kids will walk when they are ready.

[yelnats]

My friends dd is 20 months and is not fully walking either. She only recently started cruising and doesnt crawl either - she bum shuffles. My friend is worried about her but she has ahd her to the gp who referred her for a pelvic x-ray which showed no problems. She only took her first steps last week and still isnt fully walking. TBH I wouldnt worry (I know easy for everyone else to say) - they all develop at their own paces.

[Lulurose]

Thankyou everyone,

kola cube, thats interesting, she is very loud and vocal so perhaps she will talk early...

strawberry2, my dd1 never crawled, shuffled around the room with one leg tucked under her bum and one in front(looked very strange!) at about 14 months and then just started cruising/walking at about 17 months. They are all so different but it must be hard not to compare twins in their development. I know I compare my two, they are close in age (14mths between) x

[callmeovercautious]

Celebrate the good things about late movers - having a shower and knowing they won't have swallowed the contents of the cleaning cupboard etc! I know I do!
Having said that IF there is a problem with her muscles the Pysio should sort it out. Write to them and tell them you will take a cancellation etc. I did this when waiting for an appointment and got seen much earlier but with only a days notice.

[thehairybabysmum]

Hello Lulurose...I have aa 19 month old who is currently not walking either. Try not to worry, you ar eon the list for the physio and they have said themselves tis only a worry if they get to 2.

I get the lazy comments too...'boys are lazy arent they'...these really wind me up but i just say well if he's lazy how come he doesnt stop moving all day!!

[Rantmum]

Yeah, there may be truth in what kola said, my ds was an early walker (10 mths) and unbelievably active (people joke about his dexterity and say I have an olympic athlete on my hands), but he has been very slow to show an interest in talking - he is speaking in very short sentences now, but he definitely has peers that have much greater vocabularies than him at 2.5.

I have a friend whose daughter "bum shuffled" until her daughter was about 19 mths and then one day just stood up and walked out of the room - they were astounded - figured she must have been practicing when they weren't looking!

[Leati]

Mine all walked at different ages but 18 months is outside the "normal" range. It would not be unheard if your baby is happy with the way she is getting around now and will walk when she is ready. I would try baby massage. If you haven't heard of it before, there are several good books out there that can help. But at least this way her muscles are getting stronger and your stimulating blood flow in her legs. Besides it is extremely bonding and most babies love it.

Finally, don't worry to much. Even if your daughters legs are twisted a bit it will just slow the process down for her, but she will walk.

[Staceym11]

i forced my dd to walk at 18 months (put things in each of her hands and sent her off across the room to grandad)...she didnt show any signs of wanting to walk, crawling was too fast and walking too slow.....i was pg with ds tho so i needed her to walk.

i wouldnt worry they do it at their own pace!

[Staceym11]

oh and kola is right, my dd talked sentences by 15 months and held convos at 19 months.....she didnt crawl till she was 12 months and as i said she walked at 18 months, ds however doesnt even babble at 8 months but he crawled around 6/7 months....hes physical shes mental ()

[LilRedWG]

DD is 14 months and having physio as she doesn't walk, crawl, bum shuffle or even weight bear, but I'm not worrying.

Physio said there is nothing wrong with her and she'll do it when she's ready and has given DD has little boots, which help her to stand leaning against the sofa to play and we generally encourage her.

I agree though, it is disheartening when EVERYONE says, "Is she walking yet?"

[KITTENSOCKS]

I was a late walker at 16 mths, completely missing out the crawling stage. However I was quite an advanced talker!
Have you tried your dd with a walker ( the sort they push in front of them not the sit in kind) She might not want anyone to help her, but this is something she can do by herself! She can play with the toys on the front while sitting, but one day she will get to her feet.

[Reallytired]

My little boy didn't walk until he was nearly 20 months old. Even then he could only manage one or two steps. My son started physio at 25 months old. We had a programme of stretching exercises and he wore orthoric inserts. He was discharged from physio at the age of three and half

My son had his sports day on Friday and although he didn't win, he didn't look any different to the other children.

I remember our physio saying that she didn't get seriously worried about a child not walking until he or she was four years old! Our physio had more relaxed ideas about development than the "Birth to Five Book" or our health visitor.

[nimnom]

Me & my sister didn't walk until we were 2 or maybe even a bit over that. hang on in there.

[mawbroon]

Hi Lulurose. My ds only started walking in June at almost 20 months. He took his first steps one day and the following week he was running around everywhere. He had also been referred to the GP by the HV. His feet turned outwards as well, but apparently it's to give them a more steady base, and now ds's feet are forward facing.

DS's much younger cousin took his first steps just before ds but ds made much quicker progress, so you might find the same happens with your dd and it will avoid the months of having to hold her hands as she tries to walk which can be back breaking!