Aibu to think that I don't need to teach my baby to walk?

[Babysafari]

12 month old is crawling, walking around the furniture, balancing with just one hand and he's just about starting to stand up letting go but goes all wobbly when he's realises he's let go. He's got push along toys that he plays with.

Certain irritating family members haven't stopped harping on about him walking since he was 6 months old and are now adamant that I should be teaching him to walk. They also keep trying to get him to walk along up and down holding hands which he gets annoyed by because he just wants to play.

They seem to think he'd walk if I just taught him to, I think he'll do it when he's ready and that he's coming along fine.

Yeah....hopefully you have an easier time than me.

My family have backed off. Told them, we will do it when she's ready! (She was 3 in March)

My MIL however has to mention it everytime we see her. She keeps teasing Dd about being a baby and not a big girl when then aggravates her and causes masses tantrums.

OP I've already got my DM banging on at me about toilet training my 1 yr old!

I was just about to post - the potty training bit will start once he's walking

If you're similarly relaxed about potty training it could be ... oooh ... 2 years of 'have you put him on the potty yet'? every time you see them (DM - looking at you)

Needaclever my older child was 3.3 before he came out of nappies, I got so much grief about it from family. The great thing was that once he was toilet trained he was dry within a week with very few accidents.

I'm not rushing it with ds2 and they can all sod off.

My mum rushed it with my brother

He is 4 in September and I think she just thought he will do it because I said so

Almost 2 months of him pooing his pants everyday, shaking it out of his trousers onto the floor and then carrying on playing.

Why on earth would you put yourself through that?

Oh and when struggling with toilet training my health visitor advised me to back off and leave him for a couple of months before trying again. It really worked for us. She said people pressuring them has the opposite effect.

Your family would go nuts if your ds was like mine. 11.5 months and can bum shuffle and only pull up to his knees. He sort of cruises. There's not gonna be any teaching him to walk anytime soon!

Exactly what I've been thinking. She tells me she's had a poo now, we go and flush it down the toilet and wave good bye to make it a game.

She will take herself to the potty, take her nappy off and sit down. Not reliably weeing yet but a huge praise if she does have a wee.

She will get there

at the bonkers MIL modelling crawling!

YANBU, the enforced walking would irritate me too if they were doing it all the time. Think I would keep repeating "he'll figure it out on his own when he's ready" (with a smile of course ) and start removing him every time they ignore you "come on DS, time for a new nappy", "I think someone's ready for a little snack aren't you DS?" Etc etc.

My DS took his first steps at 12 months, then learnt to crawl and didn't walk again until 16 months. He is already showing signs of being a perfectionist because he wont do thongs unless hd thinks he can do them well.

Don't listen to anyone who tries to tell you that your ds should be doing this or that. All babies develop in their own way and time and you don't need to worry I say that as a complete worrypot

Nothing is worse than a baby who walks too early (some of them are genetically programmed to do it themselves too) they crawl under tables then for some weird reason decide to stand up to walk and bash their heads..

Yes agree with the posters, don't listen to your daft family, they do it when they're ready.

Have you started teaching him the alphabet? And the times tables? You should probably get a move on with those too. And it's never too early to start researching universities.

DD was only getting to grips with sitting at 8 months. You'd sit her up and she's just slowly keel over every time. Was hilarious.

I saw a 6 month old baby walk (honestly, I was a student nurse in a HV clinic!). It was the most bizarre sight, he couldn't sit upright properly pulled himself up and walked across the room. In every other way he looked like a 6 month old. Weird.

My 2 Dc both walked at exactly 12 months and 3 weeks old, I believe precisely when they were genetically programmed to walk. Ignore the numpties.

My neighbours baby walked at 9 months he was a dinky dot was vsry strange seeing a baby walk blew my mind he is 6/7 now and still tiny looks about 4

Tell them that you haven't got time to teach him to walk as you are both too busy reading Ovid in the original Latin together

My ds walked around 15 months, I got fed up of EVERYONE asking is he walking yet? Like they were concerned. of course I always hear how advance all MIL's children, unfortunately that didn't carry on in to adulthood.
There's no hurry at this young age, they all meet their milestones when they are ready and not when someone says they should. Relax and enjoy every stage of their development.

Tell them that children taught to walk too early, end up bandy, when they say that their children didn't, just cock your head on one side, and give a knowing look.

When it comes to milestones my dad said to me (barring any other reason such as disability) you don't meet any grown adults that can't roll over, walk and use a toilet. So why get stressed about them. I live by that as it means I just enjoy my ds

As I always say - be careful what you wish for.
As you already know, when they can walk it's a nightmare running around after them.
They want to walk everywhere etc...
Don't rush anything.
Ignore your family.

I flipped and told my dad that if DD does have developmental problem what help exactly would it even do to start worrying about that so early on?! Just let kids and parents deal with issues IF they actually arise.

I wasn't particularly eloquent and my rant included the words 'I'm not going to try and swap her for a 'better' one' but I think the strength of feeling got through somewhat if nothing else.

Hadn't stopped them though. Now they just give me sad looks and head shakes and talk about it to other family members

So true about how difficult it is when they do walk very early. I remember another young mum from our post-natal group being driven to distraction by her 10mo DD, who could not only walk but could make it up the steps of a garden slide. Mum was always running after her with face on!

I was an observer myself. Apparently took it all in, knew how to do it and made my bid for freedom at 18mo, very fast and in the direction of the sea. Lived to tell the tale (luckily my dad was faster )

You sound like you're doing fine OP, and have a happy baby. My technique with unsolicited advice is smile, nod, say "ah" and "mm hm" occasionally (animated tone optional!) and then ignore.

Your ds is well within normal timescales. Ds was referred for physio at 15 months because he wasn't weight bearing and we were given specific things to do with him but the average baby does it without help when they are ready.

My second child wasn't even crawling by his first birthday. Didn't bother me. Knew he was fine. I'm lucky with my family. No one said anything. Mind you, my youngest brother didn't talk till he was 3. My mum taught me they develop at their own pace.

not many babies are walking at 6 months old, usually start cruising furniture around 11 months? I can remember very little about months as mine is now 12 yrs but I know he wasn't walking at Christmas (10 months) but he was on his 1st birthday. I only know because I have a video of Christmas LOL!