2 years old and can’t walk

[FirstTimeMum0]

Hi my little one turns 2 in March, has only just started to walking inside the house. The second we go anywhere outside he will just drop to the floor refuses to even stand up or take a single step outside. I have mentioned this to health visitors who don’t seem so concerned. Am I in the wrong to be worrying about this?

If he goes to nursery they can do both referrals so you can always ask them if you don't think you're getting anywhere with the HV.

I would be very worried. My son walked at 11 months and ran with ease in different directions by 18 months, refusing to sit in a pram (hard work).

What have the HV said about the language and speech @FirstTimeMum0?

What does your little one do if taken to soft play etc - do they climb etc?

Id definitely be pushing for referrals at this stage 😊 Could be absolutely no issue and just doing things in their own time (which they all do!) but if there is any mobility issues it’s good to get the help as early as possible 😊

I don't know if this would make a difference but I would have thought the pre-walker shoes might be too thin to wear outside*. I think he might need the more hard-wearing but still flexible toddler shoes. Might he be finding the ground outside a bit too hard on his feet?

*ETA: now that he's actually walking

If your worried book a GP appointment and discuss your concerns around d development

My DD was a bum shuffler and didn't walk until 2. Shes 9 now and has no additional needs.
The understanding would be more of a concern to me. I would expect a 2 year old to be able to point to his nose etc. I think see your GP and push for a referral.

My toddler first walked holding hands at 19 months and then unaided at 21 months. He is hyper mobile and no one was really interested as walking at 2 is still within the realms of "normal". I persuaded the HV to refer to Physio at 18 months. Physio were very helpful and we were advised to get proper little trainers or boots for walking outside, not just the first walkers shoes, as he needs a lot of support for his ankles. They also said he would get more tired when first walking than other children, as his muscles are working harder.

I couldn't move for mums telling how unusual it was for him to not be walking. That's really unhelpful when you're already worried.

@CarrotsAndCheese Yeah I would absolutely agree with this. He might well need something sturdier now.
I know a lot of people love Clark’s but I actually have never found our local one great - and they measured DS wrongly the last time I popped in there! DS got some Bobux shoes and StartRite shoes as his first ones and they were great.

He’s not really pre walking if you want him to walk outside. My DC had StartRite shoes and I’d definitely get outside shoes for outside walking. Cannot comment on much else but do you read to him? That’s great for language acquisition. Point to pictures and say the words.

This sounds more important to me than the late walking / refusal to walk. I would definitely ask the GP for a referral to a paediatrician for these reasons.

@FirstTimeMum0 I would push for referral to a developmental paediatrician simply because his receptive language seems delayed. My dc was the same at that age, he had language processing disorder (co-morbid with ASD).

Doctors often take a "wait and see" approach but I wouldn't do this when you suspect language impairments. The brain is developing rapidly in the infant years and early intervention and therapies are really important. Don't let them fob you off. If it's nothing and he's just a little behind, the extra support won't do any harm.

The issues with walking and cutlery etc may signify other difficulties but it's the lack of language and understanding that would concern me the most.

Has anyone looked in his ears regarding his speech? My friend's little boy spoke late and seemed to sometimes ignore people or not understand. Turned out he had glue ear which is tricky because it means the ear is clogged intermittently. It can look clear sometimes but it was seriously interfering with his hearing.
I would go to your gp for all of these concerns and as a pp suggested rule out physical problems first.

One of mine started walking not long before this age, at 21 months. She was diagnosed with global development delay and later autism but is now doing very well. Push for referral to physio. Even if it doesn't get him walking, it opens up other avenues for you to go down for support if he does have a condition.

This was one of my DC, he finally started walking at 24 months, talking was a lot later. He was developmentally behind in all major milestones.

He was diagnosed with ASD at 7 years old.

He’s 15 now, at mainstream school, should get a decent set of grades at GCSE and is planning to do an apprenticeship in one of the trades. The only outside cue to his autism these days is his lack of eye contact and you’d never know he was developmentally delayed as a baby.

The understanding would worry me a bit Tbh. At this age mine would be choosing there clothes and trying (badly) to get dressed, sweeping the floor and loading the washer was great fun to them. If I said let's go out they'd be going to get their shoes and putting on a hat etc.
My eldest never 'performed' by clapping hands, waving, pointing to nose etc when asked but this is a common autistic thing. He definitely knew what they were though. So if he had a runny nose I'd hand him a tissue and he'd wipe it then put the tissue in the bin etc.
Does yours know where things go and look for them/put away? It's more down they understand what is happening around them or due they just drift along/careen alongabt high speed?
It may be a language development or general development thing but it's absolutely within your right as a parent to ask these questions and seel support.

The walking isn't a major thing now that he's walking indoors - he just needs to feel a bit more confident. The lack of language and understanding however is a pretty major concern tbh. Focus on that.

It’s good that he’s walking indoors. It could be a confidence issue regarding being unwilling to walk outside.

I agree with those saying get him checked. Not saying many words is common, but if you have doubts about the level of his understanding , then it’s definitely wise to look into this. There’s a huge range when it comes to ‘normal’, but we also need to listen to our gut feelings at times.

Yes he climbs when taken to soft play and runs off always trying to leave the toddler section to go with the older children ect. The same at toddler groups happy to run around inside there.

Yes I read to him he often picks up a book and walks towards me with it. He’s also just had a yoto player for Christmas and showing a little interest in this as well.

Have the health visitors said anything about him not talking much or his understanding? It may be worth getting referred for some support, it can take some time so getting on the lists early is a good thing.

@FirstTimeMum0 Ive not used a yoto but it’s not a book. With a book you can point to pictures. Say the words that describe the pictures. Get him to tell you characters. You correct him and reinforce language. You cannot outsource this to a machine. Poetry books for the very young are wonderful. Rhyme and rhythm really help with language. Look at books like “Each Peach Pear Plum” and similar. You should get involved and use picture books - nothing wrong with nursery rhyme books. Using a machine just is not the same.

They did try and refer us to speech and language I believe but this was when he was around 16months and we were told he had to be 18 months for a referral but nothing since. She asked him to point to his nose but obviously he didn’t do that as he didn’t understand. To be honest it’s really starting to upset me as they don’t seem to be taking me seriously at all he sticks out when I take him to toddler groups with children his age but it only seems to be me who sees it.

When you say ‘they’ do you mean the Health Visitors? When did you last contact them? It may be a case of contacting them over and over until you get a response. And trying other agencies like your GP.

Have you got any baby signing classes near you? A friend used these and it helped her baby’s communication a lot. Sounds like it was action songs.

Op - hound them. When something is delayed with my DC I call every day and write to them once a week. It works.

This sounds a bit obvious OP but - have you taught him where his nose is? Sung heads shoulders knees and toes and all that?

Did he have his development assessment from the health visitor at a year old?