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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

What age did your child start walking ?

121 replies

WSM · 06/10/2003 10:54

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.

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
lilibet · 06/10/2003 12:26

dd and ds1 were 11 months. Ds2 was 8 months! It was awful, he was my baby and seemed to become a toddler far too soon.

lilibet · 06/10/2003 12:26

dd and ds1 were 11 months. Ds2 was 8 months! It was awful, he was my baby and seemed to become a toddler far too soon.

lilibet · 06/10/2003 12:26

dd and ds1 were 11 months. Ds2 was 8 months! It was awful, he was my baby and seemed to become a toddler far too soon.

lilibet · 06/10/2003 12:27

oops - only have three children not nine! sorry!!

CnR · 06/10/2003 12:28

DD walked at 10 months but never really crawled at all; always was on her feet from being tiny and was taking her first steps holding my hands at just 5 months.

My friend's little boy on the other hand was a super crawler and didn't walk until just over 15 months. At 2 years old he is now just as mobile and into everything as anyone.

janh · 06/10/2003 13:06

WSM, my very earliest one was past 13 months when she walked - the boys were around 15 months, and the slowcoach was 19 months (her socks were always filthy on the tops and her first shoes were enormous!)

futurity · 06/10/2003 13:11

Crawled at 10 1/2 months..walked at 15 1/2 months. I thought it would never happen but one day he just did!

bobsmum · 06/10/2003 13:19

So how does it actually happen then? Lots of people have said "and one day s/he just walked." Do you mean they let go of the furniture and took some steps or got up from sitting to standing without help and walked from there? Ds can't/won't stand unaided. Does he need to be able to do that first? I hear so much about 'learning to walk", should I be actively helping ds, leading him by the hand etc, or will he just do it by himself? Should I have been making him practise for the last few months or just letting him get on with it? I've already had the obligitory "When are you going to get that boy walking?" from two different friends. Does that mean there's something I should have been helping with?

I know he'll walk, he's never had any other weight bearing problems, but I'm forever defending him to friends and family whose children all walked between 9 and 12 months (including me and dh!).

SoupDragon · 06/10/2003 13:25

Both DS1 and 2 were just over 14 months when they walked. After about a month or so, there was no difference between them and the peers who walked earlier.

Bobsmum, they both went from standing up holding on to something, let go and toddled forwards a few steps towards me before falling over. As for helping them, jsut get a pushalong trolley of some description. I knew DS1 could walk earlier than he took his first proper steps because, on one occasion, he appeared to be walking pushing along a toy shopping trolley that was actually not touching the floor!

futurity · 06/10/2003 13:36

DS had a push along (the one with bricks in he prefered to plastic one) which he used for a while. Then one day my hubby was sat infront of the sofa with ds and I sat a little bit away and held my hands out and he took 2 steps. We were amazed and thought "is that it..is that the first step moment?" I think he then did 3 steps and we knew it was something special. We kept up with doing that sort of thing over the next couple of days and he just improved a step at a time. I then had him walking between the two sofas which was about 9 steps. It was giving him little "challenges" like that that helped. For the next few weeks he went between crawling and walking but then almost without us noticing he was walking all the time.

Sorry for going on but it was so special to me as all his friends walked about 13 months and he was the last to do it..but now they are all 20 months you cannot tell the difference.

Big factor i think was that neither dh or I walked until 15 months +

LIZS · 06/10/2003 14:01

Bobs mum, I think each kid is different. I think some actually walk because they can't balance and stand still. dd could certainly balance standing for weeks before she bothered to take a step without holding on. ds could not but cruised around for ages, taking the odd step between hand holds. One day he literally stood himself up from sitting and then walked the length of the hall. Just provide opportunities for your ds to cruise with some small gaps, some bigger, and something stable to push along. He'll be motivated by trying to reach , say, a favourite toy. ds was never that keen to walk holding hands but dd was, and he was really sweet when he helped her along.

fio2 · 06/10/2003 14:06

Bobsmum both of mine could stand alone in the middle of the room before they took steps. If he is walking holding your hand and pushing a brick trolley he is getting enough 'practice'.

What is it with people as soon as your child is one people go into over drive asking you if they can walk yet - what is it to them anyway?

prufrock · 06/10/2003 14:15

My dd started walking at 13 months. She had been crawling and cruising brilliantly, and loved walking holding onto both our hands. I encouraged her to stand on her own by just letting go, but she would always teeter and fall over. Then one day I was sat on the floor with her standing between my spreadeagled legs and when I let go she launched herself toward me and took 2 steps before collapsing into my arms. (I'm getting all teary just thinking about it!)
If he's happy cruising then let him carry on bobsmum - one day he will just decide to be brave and let go.

(Oh and dd is now 17 months and can only say 4 words but can draw - swings and roundabouts)

sarah46 · 06/10/2003 15:26

triplet 1 is still not walking,triplet 2 is walking for a week triplet 3 is walking about 3 weeks,15 months and 4 days old

hermykne · 06/10/2003 15:45

wsm
my dd was 11mths 1 wk and i think it was because i gave her an empty pampers box from 7mths and she pushed it, turned it over, put stuff in it and eventually she started walking with it and it gave her a boost.

i wouldnt fret my friends dd is older and she isnt making any moves towards walking.

sunchowder · 06/10/2003 15:52

My dd starting walking at almost exactly 12 months to the day. She was walking around holding onto the furniture and everything else for about 5 weeks prior to that. She got her teeth pretty late also and I remember every single one! It is so hard to see them fall out after what you go through to live and sleeep through getting them to come in! Don't worry WSM, it is all perfect. I understand that many neuropaths are formed in the brain from the cross-crawl movement as opposed to the walking movement. They have found that babies that walk early can be more prone to have dyslexia, trouble with math, etc. I forget what this theory is - I remember Brain Gym neurolinguistic programming or some such. Crawling is a GOOD Thing (as Martha would say...) Your DD is so gorgeoussqueeze her and enjoy the crawling for now--I hope this thread makes you feel better.

sunchowder · 06/10/2003 15:55

I forgot to add this, about two weeks before she walked, she did this crawl in which she pushed off with her right leg--it was really cute!

ThomCat · 06/10/2003 16:02

Bobsmum - 2 our your "friends" have said 'when are you going to get that boy walking?'- ?!! That's disgusting and they should be knocked out for saying pathetic things like that. When will people realise each child is different and will walk in their own time? Can you imagine the 2 of us having a conversation about what we do for a living and discussing how old we were when we walked?!! What the does it matter? Lottie isn't weight-bearing or crawling - a bit of belly shufflying/commando style going on - she will be 2 at Xmas and so what?? It's a bit tricky not being able to put her down at christenings and weddings etc but she'll get there in her own time.

scoobysnax · 06/10/2003 16:02

WSM - my daughter was 15 months before she walked. I think you can have either a "walker" or a "talker". One is advanced for her age with walking, the other with talking - but not both.

I bet your daughter is a very good talker! I think this is the best for parents, since better communication means better moods all round, and no walking before she has time to develop a bit of sense!!! Enjoy
Scoobysnax
xxx

WSM · 06/10/2003 16:06

Thanks everyone. It looks like my question has upset you a little Thomcat, it wasn't meant as an inflammatory thread. I was just looking for some reassurance that my DD will get off her chubby little bottom and walk in the near future !

OP posts:
motherinferior · 06/10/2003 16:08

Yep, my dd1 - the one who didn't walk for ages, quite embarrassing it was when people would say airily 'I bet you're dashing around everywhere after her' - can't half go on. And on, and on, and on; I get really surprised when I come across other two-year-olds who don't talk fluently.

No idea where she gets it from of course

ThomCat · 06/10/2003 16:19

It wasn't you that upset me WSM - it was comments from Bobsmums friends that I thought were outrageous - saying when are you going to get this boy walking!!! We all worry about our kids development - most of the time completely needlessly - but that's our job - we're mums. So no you didn't upset me at all.

WSM · 06/10/2003 16:33

thank goodness

OP posts:
ThomCat · 06/10/2003 16:42

xx

bobsmum · 06/10/2003 17:05

Wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of Thomcat Fancy coming to my M & T group?