No crawling or walking at 17 months - how can I help her?

[LaTrucha]

My dd is a bright and active little girl. She likes to cruise and be walked holding our hands all day long. She has just started pulling herself to kneeling in her cot (she wears a gro bag. I don't know what she'd do without it).

She can keep herself standing for a short while and has taken a very few steps if I really encourage her.

However, she has never crawled, shuffled or pulled herself up. she sometimes tries ATM to get herself into crawling position but immediately collapses on her tummy. If left lying on the fllor she only rolls 180 degrees and usually will not try anything more. If I'm aound she certainly won't try the crawling positionunless she knows I can't reach her (for example, if I'm in the shower).

She does not ever try to pull herself up on furniture, even if I try to teach her.

I promised myself not t o get stressy about this, but actually I am now. How can I enourage her?

[Bumperlicioso]

Hmm, I was a bit concerned when reading your post but then I remembered that crawling isn't a milestone, and not walking at 17 mo is not that unusual.

Not sure what you can do to encourage though, just keep walking her round. You say she has taken a few steps already so it sounds like she is on her way. IME the LOs I know who held on to their parent's hands just walking on their own really well one day, whereas my daughter who was walking at 12mo did the whole wobbly walking thing for a while.

[TheProvincialLady]

If she can take a few steps then I think you don't have too much to worry about at all.

There is a tumbletots class for babies who haven't started walking - or even crawling - yet (Gymbabes?) She would probably be the oldest child there but no one would care and it might stimulate her to try more moves.

[LaTrucha]

Thanks for that. I knew that crawling isn't a milestone and that not everyone is walking, even by 20 months. What worries me is that she won't try anything by herself.

[LaTrucha]

bump

[cookielove]

If it's any help, a few years ago i looked after a little girl, who sounds bery simalar to your child, i looked after her for three years, she only started walking just before she reached two, she would quite happily sit there and watch all the other children play and run around her, she made no effort to move, only a little bit of bum shuffling. She could stand holding onto hands and also walk holding hands but as soon as support was taken away she would sit down. She also loved to walk holding hands all day it got to the point that she was barely even holding are hands she just needed the security that we were there. Then one day she just stood up and walked, she literally started running around the room, and she has never loooked back from that day she is now a very active 5 year old.

I would say you have nothing to worry about, as she is walking holding hands and cruising, she's got the idea, and prob just needs more confidence. As long as she's got the strength to stand up i wouldn't be to worried, and also some children are just unable to crawl, so i wouldn't be to worried about that.

She'll get there in the end,

[ilovemydogandmrobama]

I was really worried about DD, and got her a walker push thing which really helped her confidence.

But don't worry.

[LaTrucha]

cookielove - that does sound exactly the same and thankyou very much. One of the things that bothers me is that I'd never heard of another child like her. Now I have! Thanks.

Ilovemydogandmrobama - DD will go on a walker if she wants to (which is very occasional). She will even pull herslef up on it if I'm holding it still and telling her to do it. However, if I try and put her on it, she sits down.

As you both say, it seems to me to be down to confidence. I just really don't know why she doesn't have the confidence.

[pud1]

am in a similar possition. my dd is 16 month and does not walk. she will walk holding both my hands and loves it but thats all. she just wont let go. she can crawl really well and get around like that. she will also walk with a walker but just not on her own. have tried cruising shoes but dont think they help.
am due to have number 2 in 8 weeks. so am hoping that she get going before then

[LaTrucha]

I sympathise! I'm getting a really bad back form all the lifting and stooping and we're trying for no.2.

She seems to be constantly round my ankles at the moment!

[wobbegong]

I might worry if your DD could not cruise or stand at all. But you say she does both. So physically she can do it!

FWIW my daughter suddenly got up and walked literally on the day that she turned 18 months. She went from zero to walking right across the room, and then next day from room to room!

I could point at a number of things which might have helped get her going- walkers, wheely toys (eg. baby pram to push), more playing outside in the park, her first proper cruising hoes from Clarks, playing with another baby (a little older and a confident walker). But who knows? Maybe it was just time. Maybe she just didn't fancy it!

If you are really worried I would pop along to the docs to check her hips etc. are alright. But that would be just for your peace of mind.

I didn't walk till I was 2 BTW.

[wobbegong]

cruising hoes? You know what I mean!

[Ambi]

I know how you feel, DD is 18 months and only started walking properly 2 weeks ago, we thought it would never happen. She bum shuffled everywhere from 12 months, rarely crawled and from about 14 months would walk holding 2 hands, then about 16months went down to 1 hand. I tried to increase her confidence to get her to walk between me and DH, slowly increasing the distance. I think it helped.

[LaTrucha]

I'm so relieved there are some others with similar DCs out there. It was getting a bit grim in the toddler groups. There's only so many times people can say, 'She'll do it in her own time.' The other day someone said, 'Don't worry. Mine didn't start walking until they were 13 months.' My daughter is also small for her age so I felt really great when I had to say she was 17 months.

She can actually walk almost the length of our street one-handed. I don't think there is anything physically wrong with her. She had her hips checked two or three times as she was breech. All fine.

[wobbegong]

Toddler groups are always a bit grim for one reason or another I find!
Sure she'll do it in her own time LaTrucha

[hester]

I was like this as a child - completely inert, just used to sit and smile like a happy slug. Didn't talk or walk till I was two. My mum used to tell me cheerfully that they thought I was probably brain damaged - not that they ever took me to see a doctor! - and then one day I just got on with it.

[LaTrucha]

Well that's nice to know, Hester - although DD is far from inert. She wants to BE walked from one end of the day to the next.

Well, to be fair, Wobbegong it wasn't just the toddler group. People are beginning to give me that, 'Oh dear' face now, instead of 'She'll do it in her own time.'

[hester]

Sorry, LaTrucha, didn't mean to imply that your dd is slug-like! She sounds lovely.

[LaTrucha]

No offense taken!

[jmontan27]

My middle son is 3 now and he didn't start walking until 20 months (didn't sit up till 9 months) and has only just started to jump. He is also a tall boy, so looked older than his age and more behind than he actually was. It never really worried me as he was an early talker. My youngest son is now 7 months and is nowhere near to sitting up and my eldest didn't walk till 15 months (neither of the elder 2 moved until they were a year old, and even then it was just shuffling). I think it's a genetic thing!

[HolidaysQueen]

Just wanted to give you some reassurance as I'm surrounded by late walkers:

My nephew would happily walk holding hands from about 15mo, but he didn't actually walk on his own until he was about 18-19mo. He just seemed to want to wait until he was really confident about walking before letting go of his parents' hands.

I have a friend whose son didn't walk until 18/19mo, a colleague whose daughter didn't until 17mo, and have my own nearly 14.5mo who won't yet walk except when completely supported under his arms. I'm expecting him to be another 2 months before he's ready to let go of hands!

She'll do it - she's almost there, really!

[LaTrucha]

Thanks jmontan and Holdaysqueen. It IS very reassuring to know that others have been in the same boat.

I have decided to give her two weeks with me pushing her on a little bit as I haven't really done that much to encourage her as I thought she just would. If she bum shuffles, sits up, crawls or walks in that time I'm happy. If not, I'm going to take her to the GP. The thing I'm most worried about really is her not being able to sit up by herself. I'm not quite ure how to encourage her to do this, but I'll do my best.

[jmontan27]

I don't think DS2 got himself into a sitting position until well over a year, and DS1 had this strange thing where he could pull himself up and cruise, but couldn't work out how to sit down again and would just let go of things and fall backwards. I think they all just do things differently and in their own time, but if you are concerned, maybe have a word with the health visitor or GP.

[BigusBumus]

My son started walking at 9.5 months, (a very sudden nightmare) but my friend's baby boy, born in the same week only started walking at 18 months! Like he never even attempted to move before that and if you held him up he almost had jelly legs, not pressing down with his feet at all. Then over the course of 2 weeks, he just got up and walked and by 2 weeks later he was running! Honestly, don't worry. x

[ilikeyoursleeves]

Hi LaTrucha, I just posted something similar about my DS so I can totally understand where you are coming from. My DS is nearly 20 months and not walking and I am getting fed up of the sympathetic looks from others and questions like 'are you not worried about him?' ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH. I know what you mean about these bloody toddler groups too. My DS is the only one not walking at his (a group for under 2's), all the rest join in and play with toys while he sits on his bum and watches. I try not to worry but then my mate usually asks her baby (who is younger than my DS) to go get the toys for my DS which frankly makes me feel even worse (I know she means well but it's like 'oooo my son can not only go and get himself a toy but he will go and get one for your DS who can't even walk!')

I'm letting off a bit of steam here (sorry) but I've just had a weekend surrounded by running babies and sympathetic looks off mummies so it's my hot topic LOL.

[LaTrucha]

jmontan27 - funnily enough, sitting down is something she does incredibly well, and very carefully. I think she thinks, 'If I have to get up, I want to know how to get down first.'

BigusBumus - that is really nice to hear, believe me!

ilikeyoursleeves - my toddler group comment was really a double whammy too - 'Oh, your little girl can't walk AND she's really small' - two preoccupations of mine at one blow! Does your DS move in other ways?