GP appointment for 18 month old not walking?

Start with health visitor. Their full time
job is child development in that age range. It’s one tiny aspect of the broad GP role. Theyll also have the option of seeing child in their own home which is more realistic than in a GP surgery.

You can find the ASQ screening sheets online. They’re a helpful sense check.

He could just be a cautious baby! DS was cruising fairly early but it took him 4 months to finally walk independently! He was quite ingenious at finding things to hold on to, including a week of edging along the walls before finally letting go!

Other babies, who you think are nowhere near ready to walk, just seem to let go with totally abandon!

Your DS sounds like he is almost there. I'd give it another month before going to the GP.

My 17 and half month old is exactly the same without the clear speech. I'm not too concerned at this point, but I do understand why you might be.

We had various concerns over mobility and we were advised that it was normal anytime until 18 months. If he reached 18 months and wasn’t walking, we were told to get in touch with the HV. It’s probably fine but I would have a chat with them.

I'd wait till 20 months. If there is a reason for delay picking it up a few months later is v unlikely to make a jot of difference. My money is on him walking by then anyway.

As a few others have said have a chat with your health visitor in the first instance and see what they say. Then escalate to the GP if needed.

Do you have baby swimming classes nearby? Movement in the water can feel easier for some, and helps to develop gross motor skills.

I would have zero worry about the situation. I would also take the next available non-emergency GP appointment. You don’t have to be extremely worried to go to the GP, it’s routine care. And as a PP mentioned, it’s good to start the referrals even if you probably won’t need them.

I'd contact the health visitor rather than gp

Gosh don’t worry. My DD walked on her knees until she was 2. Dr said it was fine, each child develops at different times.

It still completely within the range of normal, so no, I wouldn’t waste their time. Also it’s the HV you’d want to see, not the GP. I can’t imagine the GP would even know what to do.

My youngest didn’t walk til 18 months (older one at 15 months) and that was despite starting to crawl at 5.5 months. 🤷🏻‍♀️ He literally crawled for an entire year without walking. And then just got up and started walking. Dh didn’t walk til 2.5 (which is unusual and yes, he did see the GP because MIL was worried, but then one day he just started running around).

I’d give it a few more months and try not to worry. All sounds normal to me.

I bet he'll be walking this summer. Does he walk pushing stuff? My two brothers, they each walked at two yrs old.

I was a late walker and skipped the crawling stage completely!
My mum has said I was 18 months old before I wobbily walked my first steps.
She wept tears of joy!
I was a bottom shuffler for 18 months.
Like others have said, babies and toddlers develop at very different rates.

I can’t believe how much bad advice you are getting on this thread!

yes, it’s probably fine and they will walk in their own time but NHS guidance is to start the ball rolling at 18mths. Definitely get an appointment with GP / HV so they can get a referral in. You can always cancel if they start walking in the meantime. But if you wait a couple of months and then kick off the process it will mean an unnecessary delay

I also wouldn't worry just yet. Neither of mine were walking at 18 months but one day they just stood up and walked across the room, no tottering steps, and from that day forward would happily keep up with their peers who had been walking for 6+ months. Neither of them wanted to be rushed and just started walking in their own sweet time

Way too early to panic. Wait till he is 2. If he is cruising then he will get there. He may just have a more cautious personality.

Sounds the exact same as my boy, his first steps after 18 months. He was absolutely fine and now a healthy 6 year old who goes for long walks and runs everywhere!

My sister couldn't sit up on her own until she was 12 months and didn't walk until she was 20 months. Absolutely nothing wrong with her.

Mine started walking on their 2nd birthday! They were always behind physically but very advanced in terms of understanding and speaking. When we were eventually referred, the physio and paediatrician said any child not walking by 18 months should be referred - even if they do all these things. In reality, they may be walking by the time the appointment comes through but they should definitely be referred.

Have you gotten him a walking trolley? He hey have those wooden ones everywhere. Get him used to it and encourage it for him getting around.

I'd ask your health visitor first for reassurance and advice if its worrying you. Nursery would say if they were worried and it sounds like he's on track / making good progress. Sometimes DC focus on one skill first so to speak, so there's nothing actually wrong they've just been working so hard on one thing something else seems slightly "behind" but with a bit more time it gets there. Sounds like he'll be fine x

Absence of hand preference until now is a good thing

@oaktree79 this was us 12 months ago. 18 months old, cruising etc, but very good language. Also had a left preference and was later for crawling and rolling! I rang the HV service as we already knew that DC is hyper mobile and wanted referral to Physio. HV came to see us and did the referral.

When we had the first appointment at 19 ish months DC had started walking holding hands. Physio confirmed hyper mobility and gave good advice. DC started walking independently at 21 months. Literally got up one morning and started running 😀

I haven't come across many other children who have done all the talking first. I had other mums actually comment on his lack of walking when I wouldn't dream of telling someone their child wasn't really talking compared to mine...

Do you have a HV service near you? They’d be the first point of call.

However it sounds like he can hold it weight and has balance so I think you’re right that he’s developing language skills first. That’s quite common to develop mine before the other and also he’s a great crawler and that can mean they try and walk later as they can get to (as well as ask) what they want iyswim?

I wouldn’t be worried particularly but I would book a non urgent appointment as that is the NHS advice. It allows time for referrals as needed. The vast majority of toddlers will walk between the initial appointment and physio review but if you delay the initial appointment and they don’t then walk you’ve delayed intervention.

I took dd2 as she wasn't crawling either. She didn't roll until she was 1. The GP checked her hips, moved her limbs and looked for signs of pain or stiffness. He found nothing but I did feel better that he couldn't see any reason why she wasn't moving.

4 weeks later she got up and walked with barely no warning! Within 6 weeks she was scooting!

Now she's 9 and pretty active. She still takes her time to observe new skills rather than gung ho trying them out so I think it was her personality coming through early. (Plus she had an older sibling to get her toys if she pointed).

I would keep an eye on your DC but if they can move independently already and is doing all the right things like standing, wait a little longer.