To be utterly sick of the concerned head tilts...

[MuffinMachine]

When I tell people that my 11 month old is neither walking or crawling. And yes they have asked.

They all do the tilt, tut, some have even said "oh dear" and then gone on to recount tales of babies they knew that practically tap danced out of the womb.

I wouldn't even be concerned if it wasn't for these reactions. 11 months is perhaps on the late side but surely it's well within normal, given crawling isn't even technically a milestone? What exactly are they trying to imply about my baby, that she has shit knees or something?

Mine 14 months and still doesn't crawl, doesn't bother me! Less things to worry about 😂

Wow. My DD didn't even pull up until she was 19 months (and bum shuffled, didn't crawl) and I didn't notice any head tilts (but maybe I was just oblivious!) They need to lay off. 11 months is not late, and even if it were they are who they are, there's nothing to "worry" about.

Wait till the potty training horror to come.
My mil was convinced ds1 had a 'problem 'because he wasn't out of nappies at 1! ( her two were of course! ) he took a long time to master it, but he did in the end.

Just nod and smile. People will put you down regardless of what you do when kids are involved. 11 months is nothing!

As your HV says perfectly within the normal range . And as others have said your sil is bonkers - a child that isn’t walking does not need shoes !

HRTFT but I thought my first baby was never going to walk Everyone else's baby was wandering around and talking while mine lay like a lump, and when other children were talking in sentences her only word was "mo'" to signify she wanted more food shovelled in her gaping maw. She grew up perfectly normal, with a professional career.

Well my DD is nearly 18 months and doesn't walk. She only started cruising about 2 weeks ago. I can honestly say no one has commented, so maybe you're overthinking it.

...and BTW the children who were potty trained extraordinarily early turned out not to have been trained at all, it was the mothers who were trained to know when the child was going to pee or poo. Once the children had to do it for themselves they were back in nappies far longer than my late-trained child.

I’d also like to chime in with the whole “stationary baby” thing!!
Both of mine were early walkers. Walked at 9 and 10 months, and life suddenly became much much harder IMO, the longer your baby stays stationary the better No chasing “toddlers” who still have the mental age of a 9 month old around!
I’m hoping DC3 when she arrives, holds off on the walking for a bit longer than her older sister and brother did just for my own sanity

My DD never crawled but did a bit of bum shuffling after about 12 months I think. Walked at 18 months. Now a fully functioning 12 year old with absolutely no issue from walking ‘late’!

No shoes at all until she walked either. Why would you wear shoes if you’re not walking?!

One of mine was a bum shuffler and it was so efficient that he walked really, really late, had visions of him shuffling his way to high school!

I'm a teacher - I have no idea when the children in my class started to walk, talk, when they were potty-trained...as long as HV is happy, and you and the wee one are too, that's all the matters. Hard to ignore daft folk though!

11 months is not late to be walking and in Aus (not sure about other countries) crawling is no longer a recognised milestone as not all babies do it. Some go from rolling to bum scooting to walking for example.

Tell them the basic facts then if they keep hassling you tell em to piss off

Oh look, lots of people doing the competitive humble bragging by complaining how hard it is to have an early mover (DS was also quite an early crawler and it can be a pain in some ways but those 'OH you should be GRATEFUL) comments are so smug, especially in the context of OP's thread)

Both my children started to walk at 11 months, holding onto furniture etc and people always told me this was early. I had them on the floor a lot with toys scattered this way they had to move to get the toy they wanted! TBH I wouldn't be any great rush to get them moving, once they are on the move they get everywhere!

My son didnt crawl either, went straight to walking at 13 months and then started running! He was also late sitting up on his own (because i used to hold him so much ) and late gettong first tooth, late weaning, late talker, etc. Hes a crazy five year old now who doesn't sit still x

Ignore!

My 4th bumshuffled at 12 months then crawled at 15 months and walked at 17.5 months...she is now 21 months and climbing and running around exactly like all her contemporaries...some walked at 9 months - you can’t tell the difference between her and them!

I'm afraid Milicent is right. It's all a big race for some parents. The next biggie is being able to read.
Then getting into top sets then comparing gcse results . it is never ending and utterly pointless. Please try and ignore

DS1 never crawled, only bum shuffled until 14mo when he stood and was off like a rocket. He’s 7 now and in a local football team, and achieved his 1mile swim badge in April. Means nowt if you’re an early walker or late. His brother stood and walked at 9mo and frankly that was a bloody nightmare!

I'm sorry but how on earth are you, as a 30 year old, having enough conversations about when you walked for this to come up?!

Two instances. Baby showers. My mum being all smug about my early walking when my poor little nephew hasn't yet cracked on with it at the grand old age of 9m.

Mind you, she also seems to have a problem with him being blond and blue eyed, which I was too!

Ignore them all! My six year old for what it's worth didn't crawl until 13 months, didn't walk until 19 months, had speech and language at 3 due to delay, has had hearing tests off the back of it etc. Made me feel pretty rubbish by everyone sticking their nose in how their child was doing algebra by 8 months old (you get my drift). Anyway, now, just turned 6, she is the top reader in her class, in the top few for maths and doesn't stop talking in a really grown up way. They all get there at their own pace- like flowers waiting for the right conditions in which to bloom as my late gran used to say.

I was late crawling and only walked when my baby brother was given a hammer and peg set and decided that everything and everyone was a hammer. I was just under two when I stopped crawling.

Am I the only person who wouldn't even have imagined raising this with the health visitor?

Am I so old that I didn't even realsie there were such things as Health Visitors other than in the immediate period after the birth? In the military environment we had a visit from SSAFA when we went home, mine drank sherry with me for a couple of hours!

Our DS was a bum shuffler. He took his first steps 5 days after his 2nd birthday!

The only issue we've had is that his core muscles are quite poor. He couldn't hop when he began school and his balance was pants.

His physio, who also had a bum shuffler baby so understands the issues, said that crawling helps to get that 'left hand, right knee movement' which exercises the core muscles which in turn help with balance (which you need in order to hop, for example). So she set up exercises where he'd have to reach around and across from side to side in front of his body or swing on monkey bars to replicate that 'crawling' motion. We'd set up some step ladders in the kitchen and get him climbing them (with us holding him obviously) as climbing is the same as crawling but vertical. Same muscles being used. We were also told to put things on the sofa, slightly out of his reach so he had to stretch to get to them as he was so late walking. Within a few months he was on his feet and he was hopping within a few months of the physio for that issues.

So yes, crawling is important for the core muscle development but not every child crawls and, if there are weaknesses later they can usually be exercised out.

Just keep in touch with your HV OP - there are milestones and he/she can help you if DC is slipping too far (not an issue at the moment so I wouldn't worry). Just put things slightly out of your DD reach on the floor so she has to move to get them. She'll find a way without resorting to being manhandled by grandparents etc.!

DD didn't crawl until 13 months and even then she couldn't really be arsed 😂 she started walking at 19 months. She was talking in full sentences though at a year so I put it down to her focusing on that first.
Then DS came along and did F all til he turned 1, then he crawled and walked within a couple of months.
They're 9 and 6 now and vaguely normal human beings. Wouldn't have a clue out of their school mates who was the first to do what so I'd head tilt the fuckers back and take pity on them for having nothing better to do with their lives 😬

My child had only just learnt to sit up at 11 months, but was crawling a month later and walking 4-5 months later. I was worried, but no HCP batted an eyelid.

I didn’t walk until I was 2 years old .... im fine .. 56 years worth of walking and still going strong lol