Toddler standing en pointe

[Sundance01]

My Granddaughter is nearly two and loves standing en pointe - balanced against a coffee table - I do not mean on tip toes but actually en pointe.

She has also started moving from this position to curling her toes under and standing on the top of her toes - the toes are in the opposite position to tip toe. She is now walking like this. She walks normally when doing something this is just something she does if watching TV or playing at the coffee table. She does it a couple of dozen times every day.

I am wondering if we should be discouraging this - her bones are still going to be soft and this does not seem like a good idea but I could be wrong? It could be completely harmless.

Has anyone ever been given clear medical advice from a physio or Dr about this?

*ASD sorry

Well i'm 48 now and have boney feet but no bunions. I do get a lot of cramp in my feet and calf muscles and they're always bloody cold.

I'm one of those with a big toe shorter than 2nd toe. That helps with points as well i was told. I do remember my best friend and i were so excited to graduate onto point work, but she found it agonising and gave up. I was :( and

Yes it always looked so beautiful with the tutus and the pink ribbons. I loved ballet because of that.

Laiste You're lucky to have avoided bunions, it's genetic I think, I don't have them either. Did you dance for a long time on pointe?

My niece did it from 3 to about 8, my sister did ask the HV as was worried and she said it was ok. Her feet are fine and she is 8 now,no problems.

Have you asked your GD's parents (your son or daughter ) about it,? they have probably already dealt with it and asked about it.

I'm assuming you mean she can put her feet flat on the ground OP? If not, this definitely needs checking out as she may need some physio or further action taken. My dd has CP so tight leg muscles and tiptoe walking was certainly something we were looking out for from birth onwards.

If it's a preference, this could simply be sensory seeking and/or as others have suggested might be flags for another condition.

Either way I'd suggest a GP or HV has a look at her and will hopefully reassure you.

I think there was a Supernanny episode where this came up. She recommended reducing use of the buggy and getting the DC to walk more as a way of strengthening the muscles / ligaments.

Also, distract her when she does this, so she's moving away from whatever she's holding on to and therefore can't stay en pointe.

I'd take her to the gp as it doesn't sound right.

She will be hyper mobile. I can do this. It was my party trick for years. I now have rheumatoid arthritis and have been told not to over extend my joints.

Thanks for the comments - Hypermobility was not something we had considered.

There is nothing else causing us any concerns whatsoever with her - she is very capable physically and has very strong legs - she walked at 7 1/2 months and my daughter did check with someone at a surestart centre then as we were concerned she was so young - they were more interested in googling the youngest child to ever walk!! She can jump and balance on one leg and do forward rolls, etc and she is still only 22 months, spends her whole time climbing and dancing and moving around - she is also potty trained. So I think she is simply just very lucky to have more than typical strength and control over her body for her age rather than this being a symptom of anything else.

She loves trying to balance in all sorts of ways so I really think she is just doing this for fun. None of her other activities worry us at all - just a bit unsure about this one as it looks so unnatural.

My daughter never sees a HV so thought we would try here to see if anyone else had had a child doing this and had had proper medical advice on this before we go to the trouble of making an appointment to see a professional.

My DD walked on tip toes (not pointe) from day one. I kept mentioning it to health professionals and was told she'd grow out of it. It was the school nurse who finally took it seriously and sent her to a podiatrist. They gave her some exercises and wanted to discharge her but I insisted we have another assessment to make sure the exercises were helping. Saw a different podiatrist who refered her to a consultant. She had a physical condition that may have needed surgery and she had years of physio and special footwear. As we were diligent with the exercises we avoided surgery.

I guess what I am trying to say is that you should go with your gut feeling and seek advice if you are worried.

As she walks normally when distracted I think it is unlikely that she has a physical problem that makes it easier to walk on her toes. I would just want reassurance that curling her toes back isn't going to cause an issue and watch very carefully so that you pick up if she starts doing it when she isn't thinking about it.

Yes, as the mother of a dancer with an asd who is hypermobile & who toe walked this should be discouraged.

It will put strain on her ankles & may also affect her hamstrings. My dd has to do special exercises because her hamstrings are tight.

My DS (11 months) used to do this with 1 foot or the other when cruising along the furniture, I used to gently move his feet to a normal tip toe or flat position. Luckily he seems to have got the hang of cruising on flat feet now.

DM and I both have hypermobility so it's something I'll have to keep an eye out as he gets older.

Inetersingly I never used to find being en pointe particularly painful when I danced.

Have you tried keeping her shoes on all day, even when just in the house? This discourages my DD from walking on tiptoes.

I could do this when younger and DS can do it. We are hypermobile.

I'm aware of at least two children who walked on tiptoes who had a shortened Achilles' tendon. Regular exercises from a physiotherapist helped to stretch it. There were no long term issues that I'm aware of.

I would suggest you seek advice if only to put your mind at rest.

I did this. My two nieces did it. Hypermobility diagnosed with them. I was never taken to doc but had balance issues etc just like they have.

I am hypermobile and apparently did it, in fact i'm in my 20's and will still stand en pointe regularly, as well as walking on my tiptoes. I've got no issues at all from it, just the normal issues that come from being extremely hypermobile!

ppeatfruit - yes i can remember wanting to do ballet to get all tutu and ribbonned up! The reality is less glam isn't it, lol, but even better nonetheless. I carried on dancing for a further 7 or 8 years after i went en point. Stopped because i hadn't enough time to devote to it.

she walked at 7 1/2 months and my daughter did check with someone at a surestart centre then as we were concerned she was so young - they were more interested in googling the youngest child to ever walk!! She can jump and balance on one leg and do forward rolls, etc and she is still only 22 months, spends her whole time climbing and dancing and moving around - she is also potty trained.

Only a slight stealth boast there..

Yes the reality is less glam and gave me a weight complex tbh! I was at the royal ballet associate classes until auditioning for White Lodge, I was told I was too athletic. At age 11 I was a bit more developed than other girls, the thing is I didn't grow much more! I continued at local classes which were not quite what I wanted. Though I didn't have the right shape body either.

Esp. the partnering classes (if you don't fancy your partner!) lack glamour.

You're lucky that your feet are alright though.!