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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Children's health

Not Walking

28 replies

Ollydr11 · 16/01/2015 11:28

Hi Im new to Mumsnet. My LO is 18 months old he was born at 36 wks, and I am worried as he shows no sign of walking. He likes to stand up but only if I am holding him. He is not even talking yet but does lots of babaling. He dr has told me not to worry, but that is easier said than done. he is at the moment going for Phsio to help me. anyone else in the same boat

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Starlight9 · 16/01/2015 14:29

My daughter is now 2 years and 2months but wasn't walking at 18months, I think she decided at around 19/20months that it was safe and just got up and did it! Honestly, so not worry at all! She now runs around everywhere!! Nobody would think she hasn't been walking for long. He will surprise you one day x

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TeaPleaseBob · 16/01/2015 19:33

My lo is almost 20 months and not walking. She is a bum shuffler and has only attempted crawling in last few weeks. She started pulling herself up on furniture just before Christmas and now tried it all the time. Has cruised around furniture a little but still not confident. I'm sure one day she'll just decide to go.

I know it's hard not to worry but they all do things at their pace.

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queenofthepirates · 16/01/2015 19:37

Enjoy it, the chaos really starts when they get running!

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pilates · 16/01/2015 19:42

Can he weight bear, is he sitting independently, can he roll both ways and is he crawling? Sorry to bombard you with questions.

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Lambstales · 16/01/2015 19:59

How is your little one moving around? There may just be a point where they think it's worth seeing more ie higher up. He may be thinking about it and then just take off..... beware. The changes can happen very suddenly. Likewise, with speech. They seem to rehearse all the noises, then it suddenly turns into words.

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Ollydr11 · 17/01/2015 12:01

He gets about by bum shovelling, he can roll on the floor from side to side. He cant crawl as he has never liked being on his tummy, he hates it so much he gets himself worked up, he can stand on his own when he his holding on to something but not for long, he does like to stand but is wobbly on his legs.

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pilates · 17/01/2015 14:02

Have you seen a paediatric doctor or is it your GP that has referred for physio? How long has he been having physio, can you see any progress? What has the physio said?

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Ollydr11 · 17/01/2015 16:15

He goes to physio once a week to early to tell yet. His paediatric dr says he is not worried yet as my son has good muscle tone. His HV wants him to see a community paed dr. its just so upsetting when I see other kids his age walking

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pilates · 17/01/2015 19:00

Yes I know what you mean about how upsetting it is when you see other children running around. People say don't compare but it's hard not to. It might be a good idea to see the community paediatrician doctor for a second opinion just to put your mind at rest. Take care of yourself.

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TellmetogetonwithmyWork · 18/01/2015 07:55

All the bum shufflers I know have been later walking, I think because they can hold things and are more upright than crawling so less incentive to walk. Good thing about later walkers is they fall over a lot less, they are a lot more steady from the start

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DeWee · 19/01/2015 14:33

My dsis (GP) says that on average bum shufflers can be up 6 month later walking. They don't need to walk as much because they can carry things and see more than crawlers.

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Ollydr11 · 25/02/2015 19:11

he is doing phsio for nearly 3 months. His Phsio says that he needs to crawl I told her that one of my friends kid didn't walk went from bum shovelling to walking. His phsio didn't agree with this she told me that he needs to crawl and I told her that lo likes to stand up again she was not happy her reply was he may not walk. I was so upset by what she said we left. I want to ask for a different phsio.

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SoMuchForSubtlety · 25/02/2015 19:18

Is he around other babies a lot? DD really started to understand how to crawl once she went to nursery, and now a few of the babies in her group are also walking she is showing interest in that too. She's 14 months and I think quite a long way off actually walking (but who knows, they make such dramatic development leaps sometimes completely out of the blue).

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penny13610 · 25/02/2015 19:23

Some bum shufflers are real bastards. Can't think of a nicer way to put it.

Had a good friend with a bum shuffler, at 20 months, just as mum was going insane, child stood up and walked as if they had been practicing in private.

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Ollydr11 · 25/02/2015 20:27

I work so he has been going to nursery for almost a year. He is a very stubben little boy if he doesn't want to do something I have a battle on my hands. I do think he is going to be one of these kids that doesn't crawl as he hates being on his tummy always has, but his phsio is addement she wants him to learn to crawl before he walks. I feel like my views are not being heard. She may be an expert but I know my son better than
anyone

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CultureSucksDownWords · 25/02/2015 20:36

I'm not an expert at all, but I'm surprised at the physio being so adamant that he should crawl as well as walk. My friends baby was a bum shuffler and never crawled, just went straight to walking.

Can you ask the physio why she thinks crawling is so important i.e. what exactly crawling will do for him or help him with, rather than concentrating on moving from bum shuffling straight to walking?

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Footle · 25/02/2015 20:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SoMuchForSubtlety · 25/02/2015 22:05

I find it a bit strange that the physio says he cannot go from bum shuffling straight to walking when several people on here and that you know have said their child has done exactly that. Does his physio think these people are lying about their child not crawling? Or that their children were crawling in secret? Very odd.

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itsnothingoriginal · 27/02/2015 18:54

My dd has mild CP and has had physio from birth. We were told that crawling is important because it develops co-ordination and strengthens the muscles required for walking. BUT she told us that in itself crawling is not seen as a milestone that children 'must' go through before walking. We worked really hard to get my dd crawling through physio and she did do it in the end although she never found it easy.

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bonzo77 · 27/02/2015 18:59

DS2 born at 35 weeks. Crawled at 19 months, walking at 21. Me born at 42 weeks. Crawled at 22 and a half months, walked at 23 months.

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Esmum07 · 27/02/2015 19:09

Another bum shuffler's mummy here! DS was two years and five days old when he walked. He was with a physio as he has low upper muscle tone and found it hard to push himself into a sitting position when he was very young. Physio had twin daughters. One crawled and then walked at 11 months, the other bum shuffled until she was almost two. No difference between them now - they are 19 years old. Once the bum shuffler was up, that was it. Never looked back.

Back to DS. We got him to his feet by clearing the main sofa cushions off the base of the sofa, put his favourite little toys right at the back. That way he had something hard to lean on to steady him and had to get on his feet to reach the toys. The physio recommended that one. Three weeks later he was on his feet, cruising around the room, one week after that he let go and that was that.

DH was a bum shuffler too and walked when he was 19 months old.

Neither DH nor DS learned to crawl until they had been walking for a while. BUT, our physio did explain to us that it is important that a child learns to crawl or climb steps on their hands and feet/knees as the 'one hand forward, one foot forward' movement helps to develop the cross wiring in the brain which is needed for writing, ball games, balance etc later. So it is important but there are lots of ways of developing that other than forcing your baby to crawl. A better physio could tell you all of that.

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insanityscratching · 27/02/2015 19:11

Dd was a bum shuffler who never crawled, at eighteen months she finally got on her feet and within a month she was walking and running and climbing as well as her cousin who walked at 9 months. I think for dd there was no need for her to walk as she could move at speed and had both hands free for carrying.
Give him time, it will be no time at all until before you are run ragged chasing after him.

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insanityscratching · 27/02/2015 19:11

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ilikemysleep · 28/02/2015 09:22

they like babies to crawl because crawling uses both sides of the brain together (left arm moves with right leg)and this is important in development of lateralisation and the ability to cross the midline which will be important for drawing, writing etc later on. Bum shufflers can move to walking of course but if you can encourage crawling this will be good for a particular sort of brain development.

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TeaPleaseBob · 01/03/2015 10:02

I never crawled just went from bum shuffling to walking. As others have said crawling is not considered a developmental milestone as not all babies do it. I think it probably does help build strength if lo decides to do it but you can't force them. As I said previously my lo only really started trying to crawl a couple months ago. She can now crawl up the stairs (life was a lot less stressful before this particular development) and occasionally crawls about on the floor. She still chooses to bum shuffle although will now walk a fair bit holding someone's hands. She had just started standing up and letting go of furniture, she's pretty steady but must be worried about falling as quickly holds on again or sits down.

The physio you saw sounds unprofessional and I'm sorry you were worried/ upset. Hopefully lo will decide to walk soon.