To wonder how people get their babies to walk?

[chocolateroses]

All my DC have been late walkers. There are 10 month old babies everywhere walking around while my DC won't take their first steps till they are 1.5 year olds. Am I missing a big secret somewhere?

Our DS only started walking last week and he's 18 months old. Had been cruising confidentially since 10 months but didn't have the confidence to try taking steps until I was nearly pulling my hair out!! We tried helping and encouraging and in our experience it didn't make a blind bit of difference, he just waited until he was ready!

My 3 DC were all around 2, my DS didn’t move in any shape or form until he was 14 months. I was a late walker as were my siblings, so I’m sure it can run in families.
My MIL said “ Leave them with me for a weekend, I’ll get them walking”. Ummmm, no thanks. Life was much easier when I knew where they were and their efforts seemed to go towards speech which was generally ahead of most of their peers.

Mine both walked at 9 months (great fun that was) but DD was having conversations at 18 months, DS didn’t speak till 3. It’s really interesting to see how different they all are. Just amazing in their own little ways.

That's still normal. Every child is different and are interesting in different things. Some are more physical and focused in getting up and going. Others can be more focused in chatting away for example.
I wouldn't recommend walkers though. Better to let the child have lots of floor time and do their own thing.

This is a genuine question for the people saying that before they walk you know where they are, don't have to watch as much, etc - did yours not crawl? DS doesn't walk yet but yesterday I turned round to feed the cats and when I turned back he was halfway out the conservatory door to the garden and was eating leaves! He does seem to be quite a fast crawler... I was hoping walking would actually be nicer because I'll still have to chase but can stop carrying him so much, am I kidding myself?!

It is possible to train infants to walk early - I'm sure one of the attenborough documentaries featured a tribe where they all walk by 4 or 6 months - they did this by permanently leaving them to crawl on extremely uncomfortable ground so they learn to walk early.

For those not wanting a referral to social services, you just have to accept that they will learn in their own time. Of our seven, the earliest was 8 months and the latest was 16 months with an even spread between - all raised identically in the same environment.

Yanbu, I always wondered how people manage to grow their babies so enormous

They do it when they want. There is no advantage to early walking and it is not an indicator future abilities.
Our eldest walked at nearly 11 months having never crawled. Just stood up and walked about 30 steps. She was showing off to the extended family at my husband’s birthday picnic.
My youngest bottom shuffled and had older siblings who fetched all she wanted or carried her on demand. She just sat and pointed at things. She barely stood up and didn’t really do cruising around the furniture. She was nearer two than one when she decided she might like to see what this walking business was all about. She’s by far the most co-ordinated of them and went to steady walking very quickly with far fewer tumbles.

If you’re struggling with someone in particular “showing off” about their child that’s walking before yours then just retort back with something else random that yours can do! They’re all so different. One of mine walked at 16 months, but had been talking since 10 months - he used to tell us what he wanted. My other walked early, didn’t talk until much later and just got what he wanted himself

My younger twin cousins didn't walk until 19 months. 1 one them is now a footballer at a premier league club, the other nearly got selected for a top flight rugby team.

You'd never know, it's not a competition!

Mine walked at 18 months and 16 months respectable. You don't do anything, you just wait. They'll go when they're ready, there's nothing wrong with being a late walker :) My 18 month walker is now coming up on 6 and you couldn't tell that he didn't start walking long after his best friend. They level out :)

@NewAccount270219 I think even if they are fast crawlers that's nothing compared to how fast they are when they walk! Also I remember realising that walking is quite silent, whereas with crawling they make a bit more noise so you can sometimes hear if they're on the move!

Plus, when walking their hands are free for mischief, and they can reach things you thought were safe.

Good point about the silence and the hands! At the moment he can definitely crawl faster than the couple of babies his age (10 months) I know who walk are doing it, but obviously they're still quite unsteady and I guess will speed up soon. He can crawl fast enough that I can't catch him by walking and have to scurry along after him so god knows what he'll be like when he can run!

I guess you also have to worry about them falling more when they walk - since he started cruising he seems to be constantly banging himself and crying

They do it when they are ready, trust me, early walking isn't good! I had a nine month walker and climber, was into everything and by a year could get out of the cot by pulling herself up

My ds started walking at 12 months, whereas dd was 8 months, her feet were so small they didn't even have prewalker shoes small enough. I remember going to get her first shoes and the woman must have though I was making it up until I put her down and she ran off! I'm they were both very different builds and I think that had factored into when they walked.

Mine were different. ages and I did nothing different.

Dd1 crawled at 9 months, walked at 15 months. But once she'd walked, she never crawled again. She walked miles, with scarcely a tumble. She's still like that at 18yo: she'll be slow to start something, and will wait until she knows she can do it all without ay issues before she begins.

Dd2 crawled at 5 months and walked at 8 months which is a nightmare I wouldn't wish on anyone. She had a lot of falls, and also if she was ill/tired, she went back to crawling until she was nearly 2yo. She still tends to launch herself headlong without thinking of the consequences.

Ds crawled at 6 months and first walked at 10 months. He could walk anywhere by 11 months but generally chose not to as he far preferred to crawl as he could then push a toy car in each hand. He was about 18 months before he would choose to walk most of the time.
He now prefers planes to cars but still likes to take the easy way round anything.

With none of them I did anything special. Ditto talking: they were all good talkers, in full sentences by 18 months. Did nothing special to help.

I think generally you can't get them doing it earlier, but you can discourage them. I've a friend who had laminate flooring and no shoes rule in her house. It was a few years before she linked the slippery socks on laminate floor with her dc's late walking.

However if you are giving them things to pull up on, not crying out in panic if they try and stand on their own and hold hands and walk with them when they're ready, you're doing all anyone can do.