What age did your child start walking ?

[WSM]

My DD will be 14 months old on Wednesday and is still not walking yet. I'm not exactly worried as she seems to have no problems weight bearing but it is really getting me down that almost all of the other babies we know who were born around the same time are on their feet (not to mention those on MN ).

She was a late crawler, not starting until 10 months and now that she is so proficient at crawling she is reluctant to attempt to walk (she knows that she will get there much faster if she crawls). She takes steps if you hold one hand but only manages 2 or 3 before she loses her balance, she is fine if you hold both hands and will walk forever. She will also take steps using furniture and her little walker toys.

Deep down I know that she will probably be a late walker and I don't expect her to be toddling until about 18 months but I suppose I just want a bit of reassurance. If she is late crawling and walking will be behind developmentally for ever ? She was not a prem baby, born at 37+3 after a 3 hour non-intervention labour. She needed no oxygen or other medical support post birth. She has 2 half brothers (same father), one of whom was walking at 10 months and the other at 15 months.

'Will SHE be behind developmentally' !

Dd1 took AGES. 18 months or so.
xxxx

WSM, you know what we're going to say, don't you?

My dd bum-shuffled till 14 months, crawled till 16 months, then walked over to me at the end of a day at nursery as if it was the most natural thing in the world! She will walk when she's ready, and not a moment sooner. She won't be behind developmentally- my dd can already climb so well it's scary, goes out for very long walks with dad and doesn't tire and can jump and hop. Her speech is better than most other children in her room at nursery and she can sing really well.

Cheer up!

Thanks, I needed to hear that

WSM my dd is 13 months now and not walking. She can take 8 or 10 steps very shakily but most of the time can't be bothered as she crawls so fast (up on all fours like Mowgli!) that it is much faster for her. I shouldn't worry, she will be up and about before you know it and then you'll wish she wasn't!!

WSM - I'm in the same boat - my dd is 14 months and definitely not walking yet. She is a great crawler and loves cruising around the furniture and just in the last week has learned to totter about holding onto our hands. But is some way off launching herself into space.

I'm not worried - my only frustration is that it's tricky taking her out and about because she wants to crawl everywhere. Not a problem in summer when it was nice and dry, but now the autumn is setting in and the playground is all puddles, and mud it's a big pain! So like you I can't wait for her to learn. But I know she'll do it in her own good time. She's been focussing all her efforts on being the chattiest baby I know!

My DD is the same, she chatters away (nonsense of course) and is always desperate to get out and investigate the floor. DD also has more teeth than most 18 month olds I know !

WSM maybe there is a link between teeth and not walking - my DD has 11 teeth (had 8 at 7 months!) We should do a survey

My four were all about the 14/15mths mark before they walked, even dd1, who sat and crawled at around 5mths. Ds1's first attempt at walking ended in a hospital visit. He fell and cut his eye open and had to have three stitches!!!

OH GOD

DD was 16 months, DN (nephew) was 18 and DH was 21 !
so..... no worries !

Sorry CD to buck that theory ! dd had 12 teeth at 12 months, stood at 10 months and took 4 steps 3 days before her 1st birthday. 2 weeks later she was running everywhere! ds stood himself up and walked on the same day at 13 months, having got fed up that his friends were running off with his toys - he only had 5 teeth at a year. Both teethed earlyish though, by 5 months and were really small, under 9 kg at 1 year.

Just under 11 months. At 20 months ds could not only walk but run, ride a bike and a scooter....but he hardly said a word (now we can't shut him up!). It's all swings and roundabouts - they just concentrate on one thing at a time, so his contemporaries who crawled/walked late are mostly the same ones who talked early. Now at 25 months it's hard to tell much difference between them as things have evened out.

I know it seems a big issue when yours is crawling and others the same age are walking, but in 6 months time you really won't know the difference.

My ds was 14 months when he started walking. And even then he only took his 1st steps when we put the baby-walker away. He didn't crawl before then either and developmentally he is just perfect for his age (2.3 yrs). Don't worry.

Do you have a babywalker for her? If so... ditch it now, she'll be walking in no time. And also once they start...MY GOODNESS... there is no stopping them.

Ds is 13 months this week and just in the last fortnight has started regularly using 9 or 10 recognisable words, but will NOT walk. He's been cruising round the furniture at increasing speeds since 10.5 months, but didn't crawl "properly" till 11 months. He can also walk using a brick trolley thing, but it usually scoots so far ahead of him that he jars his teeth (8 of 'em!) on the handle.

For the first year he was huge 98th centile boy for height and weight but is coming down rapidly to Mr Average baby. So I can't blame his weight any more

It won't be long for any of our lot are off - I hope it's soon though cos my back's killing me!

The babywalker that they sit in ? We had one but gave it to a friend when DD started crawling.

WSM - my DS was 13 months so no help there but his uncle (my brother) was 23 months!!!

He couldn't sit until he was 11 months either and still wobbled (when sitting) till well after his first birthday, we have the photos of him surrounded by cushions to prove it. He was pretty inactive really (according to my mother).

He's now a fit 40 something who runs every night and has done several marathons and has shown no signs of developmental delay. He was my mum's second child and was a docile, laidback baby so she wasn't worried. Plus this was in the 1960s where it sounds like everything was less timetabled than it is now.

Please don't worry. She'll do it when she's ready... and then you'll wonder where your baby's gone

Dd started walking at about 14.5 months - it came really suddenly! (two steps here and there one day, walking accross the room the next)

14 months isn't late though.

Were you late walking yourself? I think it runs in the family. My sisters and I were all around the 17/18 month mark and sure enough, sos and his cousins all waited til this time as well. Agree with other posters who say that in a few months it all evens out

I was fairly late walking 15/16 months but then I was 8 weeks premature.

WSM dont worry I think the average nowadays is 16months anyway. My dd is developmentally delayed and she only started to crawl at 16 months and didnt walk until 23 months. It is quite obvious when a child is delayed. If she is pulling herself up and crusing round the furniture then she is taking the first steps to walking anyway.

I dont agree with all that 'family' rubbish either they are all induvidual and will walk when they are ready. My ds was an early sitter/crawler/walker and yet everyone else in the family tended to be later or just average. How early or late a child walks has no effect on their intelligence at all - so dont worry.

But if you are still worried just talk to your health visitor who will put your mind at rest

14months isn't late IMO. Most books suggest around 16months as an average - which means many will be later and also normal. It's got nothing to do with intelligence either.

DS2 walked at 15 months (I think - hazy memory) and I thought that was early - and I thinke he crawled at 10 or 11 months which I also thought was pretty early (it was compared to ds1 who was 17 months and crawled at 13 months).

She's not behind developmentally, she's average.

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