After someone's comment to me, please reassure me about late walking

[bigyellowsun]

Hi

I'm new here. My DS is nearly 14 months and not walking. He's not pulling up either. The HV isn't worried as he's weight bearing and can stand for some time, but obviously as a first time mum I'd love him to start walking though I accept he'll do it in his own time. he's very lovely and alert and contented which is the main thing.

To put things and myself in context, I have had, and am still experiencing PND anxiety. In the park yesterday someone asked me about him - a stranger - and then made a comment about a friend of hers whose two sons were late walkers and they've been recently diagnosed on the autistic spectrum. She said she hadn't realised but there was some connection, sometimes, especially with aspergers.

It was all vague and glib but it stayed with me. Is this right? Or are some babies just late walkers? Or am I now going to worry that there's other reasons looming in the future?

Hence, I try not to google at times like this because I did during pregnancy and found google was my enemy

I'm pretty sure 14 months doesn't count as late walking, normal in many families iirc.

Disclaimer: I have no medical knowledge on ASD!

14 months isn't even late walking. DD1 walked at 14 months and it was bang on average. Many of her friends started walking in the 13-15 month bracket.

Some babies also just pay attention for a long time and then get it straight off. Babies who walk early often seem to do a lot of wobbly tottering for quite a while. A fortnight after DD1 started to walk, we have video footage of me chasing her down a path at quite a clip!

Try not to worry. Strangers say the oddest things .

Some babies are just late walkers! What an unhelpful comment.

My DS was about 16months IIRC, certainly a lot later than some of his peers - but when he did get it he was very quick to start running around!

Please don't worry about your son or the idiotic comments of strangers.

My Ds walked at 15 mo or so and was pulling up and cruising just a month before that, so yours in not far behind! Mine took ages to crawl (almost at 11 mo!) and I was really worried too. Turns out, he was quite happy and no bothered!
If you are really worried, I'd speak to a doctor but I would not read too much into the ASD thing. Some HV speak a lot of bullocks.

i thought ds2 would never find his feet, he stuck to standing and cruising till he was about 16 months, ...but he was the third child and the others would do everything for him! So I suppose he had no real incentive.

Dd was late walker - nearly 17 months. Have never heard asd link (there is a link to being lazy and trying to get a lot of carries though )

DD walked at 10 months, DS at 14 months. Nothing wrong with either of them. What an insensitive and strange thing for a stranger to say to you.

You are right not to google and worry yourself!

PND is awful so sympathies, you sound like a lovely mum and don't you just HATE know-it-all strangers...... not MN-ers I hasten to add!

I looked on it as an advantage, the longer they sat the less breakages & running around bent over for me ....

DD1 didn't walk until she was 1 months, she just loved to sit and read. She'd bum shuffle in a very odd way but at great speed so she'd get where she wanted and then cruise around the furniture like a little ape!

DD2 startled us all by pulling up at 13 months but then cruising for another 3!!

They are all gorgeously different, enjoy your little man, he'll get there in his own time.

My dd started walking at 22 months. That was considered fairly late by my hv. But she has no problems

Most babies walk by about 18 months but if they are proficient crawlers or bottom shufflers they may be a little later. Children develop so quickly at that age - in a months time he may be toddling. If your LO doesn't get on his feet by 18m I would go to your GP for reassurance but am not saying there will be something wrong. Development is not an exact science.

I walked at 24 months, and my DC walked at 18 months and 19 months. Nothing else of note to report, no other 'problems', just late walkers, the lazy lot of us!

DD1 only started crawling at 11 months and didn't walk till she was nearly 18 months, however she could sit up straight at 6 months and talked very early. My best friend's DD1, who was exactly the same age, crawled at 6 months and walked at 11 months, but was a late talked. Both now 8.5, lovely girls who could both talk the hind legs of the proverbial donkey and are very active.

It's easy for me to say, and particularly hard when you have suffered with PND and anxiety, but please try to ignore what this insensitive stranger said to you.

Thank you all for your lovely reassurance. PND anxiety is awful. I've never experienced anything like it. So no, stranger comments don't help. For the past twelve hours, it made me completely reanalyse him and everything he was doing until I thought my head would explode. And he's so gorgeous, so then I hate myself for doing it. .

My ds didn't crawl until 15 months, and then became such an expert that he didn't bother to walk until he was 2 years and 2 months (do I win a prize?!). He had a hospital appointment to check everything out at 2 years and 1 month, but the paediatrician wasn't worried. He is now 6 and absolutely fine.

My 13.5 month old son still isn't pulling up or walking. I've never heard of this link. I wish I hadn't!

DD was non-mobile until 14 months, and didn't weight-bear. She decided to crawl and pull in the same week, then walked (beautifully) at 16 months. I had lots of reassurance in the non-mobile months of 'oh, they either walk or talk early!' She didn't talk early ... gave me a lot of worry, at least when I wasn't watching in horror other people's mobile 9mos and actually being quite glad she hadn't done THAT. She is now nearly 8 (good grief) and has to be told to keep still and stop talking PLEASE on a regular basis.

Links between certain characteristics and conditions can be really misleading. IIRC there's supposed to be a possible link between not-crawling for instance - but even if there is, and a high proportion of children with autism didn't crawl as babies, that's a small number, and the vast majority of non-crawling babies will go on NOT to have autism ... it's a link that's only apparent with hindsight and means nothing for the parents of a non-crawling baby.

14 months is the average age for starting to walk, I thought?

That's when DD1 walked and she was not standing before she started.

DD2 didn't walk until 18 months, and showed pretty much no inclination to even try it until 17.5 months. Lazy wagon :o

I know how frustrating it can be. I wasn't the least bit worried about DD2 but having a toddler-age child who can't walk yet can be quite limiting - they're past the baby stage, but not ready for the next stage yet.

Try not to worry, if your HV is not worried there's no reason for you to be. You're way off having a late walker yet anyway :)

Up to 2 years is fine for learning to walk. You say he's weight bearing so really don't worry. Being a mum is a sure way to be anxious anyway, the PND probably magnifies it which must be exhausting. Listen to your HV who sounds good. And ignore ignorant strangers!

My DS didn't walk until he was nearly 2. He is now 5 and a half and utterly 'normal'. Late walking was fab IMO. By the time he was mobile and could reach things he thought looked interesting he understood the words 'no don't touch'.

My nephews didn't walk till they were 22 months! They are now perfectly normal 5 year olds

DD didn't crawl until she was 10 months, and didn't walk until she was almost 19 months.

She's 6 now and doesn't stop running! Oh how I long for those early days...

(she talked bloody early though, something else I wish she'd never learnt)

My second didn't walk properly until her second birthday. She went around in her knees for sometime. She is fine, not as physical as her sister so please try not to worry. Fortunately She was small so didn't get too many comments.

both of mine started walking independently at around 16 months old. You're LO will walk in her own time, OP. Don't let other pressure you, ignore any comments (I had to put up with several comments from family which were ignored).