22 month old not walking

[Thejoysof2boys]

Hi

DS is nearly 22 months and not yet walking, he can stand but doesn't have much balance and usually falls over. He also doesn't try very often to. He cruises fine and all other areas of his development are fine, he speaks very well.

We have bought some kickers boots for him as I read online that they are good for ankle support and whilst these have helped a little bit, not much. He's been seen at the child development clinic by a paediatrician who wasn't very worried other than suggesting the shape of one of his feet (something I noticed months ago)

They have referred him to the hospital now to see a specialist but told me they will not usually intervene until they are 2.

I have seen posts and friends of friends whose children have needed piedro boots/casting to straighten the feet etc and they have intervened much earlier. Does anyone have any experience of this and whether I should push or go private?

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Sorry OP I don’t have any experience but hopefully this will bump for you

[JK2012]

Hi, my daughter is now 3.5 and didn’t walk until she was 21/22 months and even after taking her first steps it took weeks for her to progress.

I took her to the health visitor who said they wouldn’t refer to anything else until 2, then at 2 she seen a paedtirican etc who said there was nothing wrong and she would catch up.

Finally last year when she was 3 she was refered to see a physio and we were told she has hypermobility and low muscle tone but she has made huge progress.

So my advice would be not to shrugged off if you feel something isn’t right.

Kickers are very supportive. My daughter wears them. She wasn’t eligible for Piedro boots. But I would say until you see a specialist bare foot is best. Kickers can be quite heavy.

How does his feet look to you? In my daughters case it always seemed like her left foot stuck out at an angle and she always dragged it behind when she started walking. This has improved but her ankles roll inward due to hypermobilty.

In the meantime, swimming is fantastic, as is soft play if he can climb on different levels.

He will get there eventually. 😃

[Thejoysof2boys]

Hi @JK2012 thank you so much for sharing your experience.

His feet definitely look as though they point inwards to me and sometimes his knees too, it's getting more noticeable the older he gets. He does find the kickers heavy but has got used to them now and it definitely helps him to keep his feet on the ground as before he was just tiptoeing. I find that instead of walking forwards he sort of sidesteps and go sideways.
Hoping the appointment will come through soon, it's just so frustrating watching him struggle. He's the only one in his room at nursery not walking so it's really sad to see him not able to do the things that the other children can 😢

I am pretty sure there is something wrong with his feet and/or legs but it's just how severe. I'm sure he will get there in the end. I have read up about hyper mobility and I can relate it so much so I guess I am just waiting for a diagnosis now and hoping for the best.

Thank you so much 🙏