20month old little boy won't walk!

[Jojojones]

Hiya just wondered if there was any others parents with a 20 month old that isn't walking? As every other parent I speak to is saying that their child is walking/running and jumping by this age n it's starting to get me down n question if I'm doing things right. My little boy will walk round the furniture n walk holding on to my hand but just doesn't seem to have the balance/confidence to do it on his own. Any suggestions as to how to build up his confidence would be great as I'm running out of ideas and feel that he is missing out by not being able to walk around. Thank u

[Diamond1703]

My dd, now 12 didn't walk or crawl or move at all til 18 months... not a thing wrong with her, just a lazy bones!

[Nastasia88]

Hi. No she only gets up on her knees!
I have an appointment with the children’s hospital again next week. I’m going to demand an mri early. She just isn’t interested in standing. At all. I can’t understand why.. if she was standing I wouldn’t care about the walking. I’m very concerned.

[Dontbuymesocks]

My niece is 20 months and not walking. She has followed the normal stages in terms of sitting, crawling, standing etc, but just done them later. She has been seen by two paediatricians and they are both completely happy with her development and say she’ll walk when she’s ready. We suspect she’ll start walking soon as she’s suddenly a lot more stable but we’re still waiting.
Have your children been seen by a paediatrician?

Nastasia - is your DC crushing, or pulling to stand and using furniture etc?

[Nastasia88]

Hi all. My daughter is a 20
Month old bumshuffler. She is crawling sometimes too but goes back to the bum shuffle. She will not stand. Even if I force her. She just whines. I am very concerned. I have had every test done on her possible. Besides mri which they won’t do until she is 2. I have her in physio. Just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat as me and if you can help me with ideas for her??

[Nadou2475]

Hi jojojones, I saw ur msg dated 5 years ago, I have the same case here with my little baby 20 months.. please let me know ur child walked at what age at the end?

[Jojojones]

He says a few words strongly but does baby talk at lot of the time but doesn't stop babbling. Also he is very good at working the iPad/iPhone and can recognise all the different names for his toys.
He has defiantly been getting braver the last few days and has been looking like he is just going to let go of the sofa and run lol
I've just come to the conclusion that he will do it when he is ready and I just need to stop worrying about it :)

[Margie32]

Hi Jojo, my DS1 didn't walk until 20 months and like others have said he just got up one day and did it! He then didn't do it again for a good few days which made me wonder if I'd imagined it. Our doctor said she thought it could be genetic and I didn't walk until I was 24 months and obviously totally lazy so did you or you DH walk late? Does your DS talk a lot? Mine seemed much more interesting in talking rather than walking, maybe they just have to deal with one milestone at a time at that age.

[RozzieR]

My DD didn't move at all till she was 16 months old, then bum-shuffled very happily for a few months, then walked for a couple of months holding onto my little finger, and finally walked unaided at 21 months. I was worried, but throughout it all, a paediatrician friend said "she'll be fine, she'll just be late riding a bike." Now she's 4.3, and already riding a bike unaided without stabilisers.
So don't worry, he'll be fine.

[redundant]

my DS has only just this week started walking, and he's nearly 20 months. I was getting worried too, think is only natural. Doctor told me bum shufflers nearly always walk later. Am sure yours will get there, don't worry!

[Jojojones]

Well hopefully won't be long before he is off. I had a doctors appointment yesterday while I was there I mentioned it to him n he said to give another couple of months n we can send him for a check up. He didn't seem to think it would be long before he will be off so wasn't overly concerned

[MeAndTheBoys]

Another one here saying not to worry. My DS1 walked at 11 months, my DS2 is nearly 15 months and still just commando crawling everywhere. We have had him at doctors and paediatrician, checked his legs, had xray on hips. Everything is fine. He's just not in a hurry. Just shows how different they all are. If he's cruising round furniture he probably just hasn't got the courage to let go and walk as there isn't much of an incentive. He's is getting around in the way he knows but he will let go of the sofa eventually and probably sooner than you think.

[scarlettsmummy2]

My best friends little boy didn't walk until about this age. We were talking about it last week and she said that he only let go of the furniture when she bought him proper shoes- I know it isn't recommended but she was adamant that they really helped.

[Molehillmountain]

Bum shuffling is less frustrating for them I think because they can see forward well and carry things. So less incentive to walk.

[Molehillmountain]

Dd is 20 months old and until this weekend was a confirmed bum shuffler. On Friday she decided to walk with hand holding and on Saturday took to walking unaided. Before then there was pushing of pushchair by her (for about a month) and cruising a bit round furniture but woe betide anyone who tried to get her to put one foot in front of the other. I'm guessing progress will now be swift. Apparently I was the same but two months older! If doc says not to worry, I wouldn't.

[Hersetta]

SHould add that DS is a confirmed bum shuffler and has never crawler. I worry though as if he falls over he can't get himself back to a sitting position, just lays on the floor and whinges until one of us sits him up again.

[Hersetta]

I have a 19 month old who's not walking - not even standing/cruising by himself. The HV has checked him over but I think if we see no progress soon (and it seems unlikely) that I should go and see a dr. I've no idea when I should begin to worry as DD was distintly average and walked at 14 months.

[peachypips]

DS2 was 22 months when he walked unaided. He is now 2.6 and is just as able as his peers, though reluctant to try new things! My eldest was also cautious and he is now 5- always the one to climb the highest in the trees or throw himself on the floor in goal.

[Jojojones]

He is constantly taking me on walks around the house. N loves taking me up stairs to bounce on the bed so I'm defo not thinking it's anything physical. Think he jus needs to get his confidence up n he will be off. Thank you all for your reply :)

[ellesabe]

My dd1 didn't walk until 20mo and the day after she took her first steps she walked all the way round Sainsburys pulling things off the shelves

[Bouncey]

I quite like the gymbabes classes (part of the tumble tots franchise) as they are fun and have lots of baby sized climbing equipment to encourage babies to stand and walk.

Some friends in a similar situation took their little boy to a physio and had ok results, though when I asked the consultant if it was worth doing he didn't think so, on the grounds that dd would get there when she's ready. I think it's possible to get physio referrals on the nhs if you're interested and they might suggest some exercises. But to be honest, I think late walking is more common than most people think, and I'm sure our babies will get there when they are ready.

[mashpot]

Checking in with a 16 monther who has only recently started to pull up to standing. He doesn't like to walk holding hands and doesn't much cruise either. He's a bum shuffler too and just likes to get around on his bum. I think we will be at least a couple of months to walking yet

[Bouncey]

I have a 15 month who is nowhere near walking. She won't even pull up and if I support her will only stand for a few seconds. We've had her checked out and her hips X-rayed and apparently she's just lazy. The consultant told us that many babies don't walk until they are 2, and it's not particularly unusual. There's another baby at nursery who's a few months older and is same boat.

[babySophieRose]

You could walk with him, holding his hand more to build his confidence and use a push along toys.

[mumeeee]

DD1 didn't walk until she was 21 momths. Like your DS OP she walked round furniture and when she held our hands. She just didn't want to walk on her own and then one day she just got up off her litle chair and walked across the rom. She was a bum shuffler and also an early talker.

[ilovevenice]

Our boys were all late walkers, and lingered for ages on the pushing things around stage. We bought DS1 a buggy from the Early Learning Centre (cost about £8). It was so wobbly that it wasn't actually giving him any support, so then he just set off on his own, and DS2 did exactly the same!