17 month old still not walking

[CJ2010]

How can I get DD to start walking? Can anyone please offer advice?

Should I speak to the HV, is DD out of the normal range?

She'll walk when she walks. Mine were all wildly varying in everything they did. Does she walk around furniture? DD1 walked at 11m, DD2 at 9m, DS at 18m and DD3 at 14m. I really would not be concerned at this stage. A friend's DD walked the day before her 2nd birthday if that helps.

Thank you, it does help. It's difficult though when the people around us in RL, keep asking if she is walking yet, like it's a problem. DP and I are trying to not make an issue of it, but we getting a bit concerned.

I think if babies are not walking by 18mo its worth talking to the hv just to rule out any hip, joint, co-ordination problems. Does she stand independently, crawl, is she meeting her other milestones??

Are there any baby gym classes near by?!

Get used to that! People always ask have they done this and have they done that. Bloody tiresome to say the least. But honestly, if you know that there's nothing wrong with her, then she will do it when SHE is ready. Trust me - the longer she's NOT walking the better

Yes she can stand independently, she can climb up the stairs and she can climb onto the sofa. She moves around furniture, no problems.

When she stands up on her own (without holding onto anything) she will only stand for a couple of seconds and then she drops back down onto her bum. She has very strong legs and she is a big girl for her age (90th on centile chart for length and weight)

Could it be a lack of confidence or maybe she is just a bit lazy?

Yes she does crawl. What is baby gym?

DD never crawled & only walked at 18 months - only if I stood her up. If she fell, she couldn't get up until 22 months.

She is almost 6 now and totally fine.

My nephew didn't walk until 19 months, but you'd never believe it to watch him now the way he bounds about!

My DD walked at 20 months. I was worried at the time because she seemed to be doing everything slowly - she didn't crawl till she was 13 months. All the others in her playgroup were walking way before her. I took her to the GP at 18 months and she did some physical checks and she said all seemed fine. Apparantly within 2 years is still within normal range which is difficult to pick up from the books you read. I think my DD is just a cautious/chilled out little girl. My DS walked at 10 and a half months so it's nothing we did or didn't do. They are just very different! Hope this reassures you.

All of your replies are really helping thank you. I just feel that DD is missing out on fun because she can't walk about, other Kids her age are walking about, discovering their worlds and my DD just sits on her bum! I feel a bit sorry for her!

My dd didn't walk until 19/20 months and there was nothing wrong with her, so clearly this is still in the normal range.

However, take her to the GP if you're at all bothered by it. I took dd to the GP at about 18 months because the HV insisted on it and he said to leave it another few weeks and see what happens, by which time she had started to walk. But I think they would have referred on at that point if she hadn't been because if there is something it's better to find out as early as possible.

The spoon trick works for some - where you hold a wooden spoon and they hold the other end and enventually you let go of the spoon.

Don't feel sorry for her, she is probably developing in lots of other ways that all the walkers haven't done yet! That's what I thought for my DD anyway!

She didn't walk until 18 months. 19 months is the guideline to get it checked out with the HV by the way. Give it 6 months or certainly a year and you won't be able to tell who walked at 10 months and who walked at 18 months.

It's other people's expectations that are the tedious thing, but again in a few months time it will all be water under the bridge. Somehow noone makes a fuss about 15/16/17 months olds who don't say anything- I guess it is less obvious. My daughter was quite chatty at this age by the way, she clearly was prioritising talking over walking!

My DS3 is 17 months and not walking yet.

He's recetly been diagnosed as having moderate locomotive delay and has low tone in his hips, knees and ankles. He's about to start a course of physio/occupational therapy, and has just in the last week started to sit up unaided, and he crawled properly for the first time yesterday too, instead of commando crawling.

Another one with a DS who took his first steps at 18mo. He went from crawling everywhere to running in 3 weeks. I know what you mean about the fun but believe me, she'll catch up with it all in her own sweet time. As long as she is weight-bearing and cruising etc REALLY don't worry.

if she is standing on her own she may be not that far off from walking?
my 18 months old is not really walking, he is just starting now a little bit. it is late but you do hear of quite a few children that dont walk til around this age. if there is a specific thing thats worrying you about her walking then would speak to health visitor, but if she seems fine but just a bit late with it then wouldn't worry too much? you can get referal for physio if you suspect an issue causing late walking but they seem to take ages and ages before you will get an appointment

Tgger - yes, my dd also was very verbal by 18 months so could sit on her bum giving me directions. What would she need to walk for? DH says she gets this from me.

dee - glad your ds is making progress.

My ds started walking at 20 months. I was very worried and constantly obsessed about it despite the fact that his nursery constantly reassured me that he would walk in his own time - if they can weight bear and cruise there is very unlikely to be anything wrong. My ds is very chatty and I do think he was just concentrating on other things. Now he is walking I couldn't be more delighted and it does convince me that children just do it in their own time. I too got fed up with people constantly asking about it. I think walking is just particularly visible - other parents might well be worring about something else.

Normal range is 18 months, so she is still normal. If she's weightbearing then she's probably like my first who waited until she could do it perfectly before she walked and then walked everywhere unaided within a week.