Worried baby isn’t walking

[babywprries]

Ds is 14 months (just) and seems nowhere near walking. He can stand but usually holding something, though he can stand alone and has done a few times. He will scale round the playpen and climb at soft play etc but has zero interest in walking at all. Should I be concerned? It says online the average is 12 months, does this mean he’s not going to be very bright? Or any other things? First time mum with not much partner support, worrying a lot.

I know you mean well but you really need to nip this type of attitude in the bud asap. I was raised by a parent who was always looking for negatives and, trust me, it is absolutely soul destroying and affects your confidence for life. I find myself doing the same with my DD and am making conscious effort to be optimistic about her abilities.

Btw at my DD's 1 year health check they said only at 18 months does it get flagged as being of concern if they can't walk. My DD started walking at 15 months.

Purely anecdotal, but all the 'late' walking babies I know - including one of mine, are brighter than average!

My DD walked at 9 months. She’s 18 now and just asked me how many hours she’s worked this week if she’s done three 8 hour shifts 🤦‍♀️. Early walking definitely doesn’t indicate future intelligence 🤣

In fairness, she may have been dossing rather than working for part of the shifts. Although how you should know how many hours she actually worked, I'm not sure.

Ours walked at 12 months, 15 months and DS2 at 11 months then he sat down and bum shuffled for about 2 months and then started to walk again.

DD was a late walker, just as everyone was starting to worry and about to refer us to physio or something (during pandemic though so help was reluctant). She was 21 months I think. She's now 5, she is finally under a physio as her gross motor generally is a little behind but she can walk and run and jump. She isn't 'thick' though I don't think she's one of the brightest either. Her teacher tells us she's good with numbers so far and phonics so I'm happy with that (reception so it's all very basic still).

17 months here and is now 5 and a traditional dancer, in with children two years older and doing really well.

The age a baby walks, has nothing to do with how bright they are, it's simply a physical development and everyone develops at a different rate. It isn't important and doesn't signify anything just like the age the child is potty trained, dry at night etc is unimportant.
It's hard with your first child but try and relax and just enjoy your child and let them develop at their own pace

I have four kids. Three walked before a year. One walked at 20 months. He is by far the most highly strung, brightest and dynamic of all of them. Children do things at their own pace. Try to relax and enjoy your baby.

DD1 was 15 months. I can assure you that it wasn't a hint of her future intelligence.

Dd2 was 8 months. That was a nightmare, especially as she was a little Houdini, a climber and had no fear now common sense. She also neither slept nor ate. She's similarly intelligent to dd1, but still at times has no common sense.

Enjoy the peace while you can.

Upto 18/19 months is normal. My niece was 19 mths. Ironically my son who has severe dyspraxia was 12 mths

DS1 was 16m. He'd looked ready to walk at any moment since his 1st birthday, but between crawling like a rocket, standing and cruising, he was getting around rather functionally anyway. One day he just strode of across the room at toddler group, and was a competent walker.

DD2 was similar, but was a bit earlier at 14m. He decided to take his first steps in order to dramatically hurl himself into a swimming pool. Sometimes they like to save and pick their moment for maximum effect!

Mine was a late walker, a late talker.. hell he was even late to get any teeth (over a year!).

He's now in reception, and despite being a summer born boy is well on track in all areas apart from his fine motor skills.. which is simply down to interest. Its coming along as he's getting more interested in puzzles games and writing.
Don't worry!

My mum didn’t walk until 18 months. She has a degree from Harvard,

Apparently I was nearly 2 when I first walked but nobody is really sure. My mum left the room for a few minutes and when she came back I was walking confidently to get something on a table. She thinks I just liked being carried. I'd only been crawling and standing while holding things before she saw me walk.

I bottom-shuffled until 17 months and I went to Cambridge.

I'm pretty physically lazy, tho'😁

In my experience they walk later if they're good at crawling or some other method of getting around (bum shuffling, etc). Since crawling in itself is NOT a "milestone" that developmental specialists consider important, this tends to mean that there's a wide normal range of age at walking.

Also in my experience, the ones who start walking earlier start out less steady on their feet and by about 18 months are about as steady as the ones who suddenly get up one day at 18 months and walk like that from day one. Maybe some smart babies are more cautious? Who knows?

Oh, and by the way, the time between standing unsupported and walking is much shorter than the time between not standing and standing.

Boys are usually a bit lazier, can be between 18 and 24 months.

100% agree re the caution.

Ds1, who was an extremely cautious child, was 15 months before he walked. However, he was running within a week.

Lots of positive encouragement here for you OP. I came to say cherish the days that you don't have to chase after them and worry about them falling over/hitting their heads on everything. You will soon be asking yourself why you thought you were tired before 😂

Three of my four were 15/16 months before they walked. The fourth walked the day before her first birthday and was also the first to get teeth and the youngest to start puberty. All are completely normal adults with no issues.

I worked for an educational foundation. One of our directors gave a lecture and mentioned how early walkers can develop poor handwriting and fine motor skills as they miss out on the arm strengthening stage that comes with crawling. It was fascinating. So don’t worry one little bit

Please don't worry, when they walk and talk really has little correlation to their future intelligence! I was late, past 18 months, I have 2 degrees. My ex walked early but very late talker, PhD, professional qualifications etc. ... really doesn't matter. My one tip though is to give your child a love of books, read to them daily. It's the best thing you can do

DC1 walked at 19 months
DC2 walked at 21 months
DC3 walked at 13 months.

By the time we got to DC3, we thought she would be some sort of child genius, given she'd started walking so "early" 😂.

I can confirm that now, at the age of 14, she shows no genius tendencies!

DC2, on the other hand, is incredibly bright and academic.

So, IME, there's no link. It's so easy to worry about stuff like this when they're little though.