OK late walking it's been 'done' before but any one have any reassurances for us?

[iclaudius]

Our son is almost 21 months and although he 'can' walk up to 20-25 steps he isn't walking as such
He crawled late and after much encouraging and almost physiotherapy

I noticed tonight his feet roll inwards which I know is normal ish for this age

He's very fat and has quite small feet

It's not a genetic thing as his siblings all walked a lot earlier

Please don't offer 'I've heard of a child didn't walk till 2' or 'maybe his siblings do everything for him do he doesn't need to'

I've met a lot of babies and never known one so late walking and his siblings do naff all for him!!

It's quite frustrating for all concerned and I'm beginning to worry that it's actually an indication of bigger issues

Thanks so much I'd love any input

fat, not fast.

My now almost nine year old dd didn't walk until 22 months. She is perfectly fine now, no other problems (she'll never be a sporty type but that just isn't her personality). She never crawled but instead bum shuffled everywhere. Once she walked, that was it, she was off, no wobbling, falling every few steps etc she could just walk. I always felt confident that she would just do it when she was ready. If you don't feel that and are worried then get it checked out, if nothing else than to put your mind at ease.

MiaowTheCat- yes that sounds like my dd too. I always said it was as if she wasn't going to do it unless she knew had got it just right!

Both my dc walked at 23 months and bum shuffled before that. Health visitor referred to physio as a precaution but didn't think anything was wrong. Actually they are both hypermobile throughout their bodies, weight bearing is hard for them hence late walking and stAnding. They've had physio and dd had special boots for a while....which were lovely btw.
Physio has been great in terms of educating us about what we should be encouraging in terms of exercise and building strength. Apparently probs with hypermobility occur when children don't get diagnosed so parents don't make extra efforts to exercise and strengthen their muscles.....then as teenagers when they do exert themselves they get pains.

Dc are both well and happy, swimming , climbing etc etc.

My biggest issue about them not walking were the smart comments from competitive parents !

Having a stress 'wow!' I thought you were joking with that sad face!!! Apparently not he's described as fat by his 'own mother' because ... He IS !!!
As others have said this is possibly because he's 21 months and not walking

Miaow see - it almost worries me that he can walk but doesn't- I'd like to think he was waiting until he was good at it as you say but I'm not sure

Re the stubborn ness .. Yes he is VERY stubborn which I think is an issue!

Krisskross I am wondering about those boots tbh. Did it take AGES to get anywhere with it?

HV is coming out to 'assess' him in the morning but I'm worried even if she says she'll refer it'll still be months and months

Wow, my sad face stands, He's 21 months and fat. Stop overfeeding him then!

Havingastress - did you mean to be so rude? Where in the post does it mention that the OP is over feeding her child? Like others have said, weight may be above average because of there not being the mobility to be able to work off calories consumed. I suppose your next suggestion will be to starve the poor child until he is able to walk at a rate fast enough to bring his bmi down!

OP, our hv was very clear that it is common for late walkers to look a little chunkier than their peers that are already running about. Any excess weight will soon drop off when he starts to run about, and if it was an issue I'm sure a hv or other hcp would have mentioned it by now as it seems you're very on the ball and have had a lot of contact with people over your concerns.

havingastress - Do you actually have any knowledge or useful advice on the subject being discussed? No? Do trot along then dear...

Badly done, stress.

Your response to the OP's post suggests to me that you don't have any direct experience of raising a child who doesn't develop according to the usual schedule. For reference: it's awful. By turns frightening, irritating, unbearably sad, makes you doubt your abilities as a parent, wonder if there's something you've done to make it (not) happen and you often seek reassurance from your peers. A lack of common experience doesn't preclude you from responding to the OP but it does mean you should think carefully about what you write - blaming the op's parenting for her son's delayed walking isn't helpful. In fact it's cruel.

This is within normal developmental parameters I think. My DS didn't walk until around 21 months, didn't crawl until 14 months. When I asked the HV about the walking she said that she wouldn't refer to anyone until 2 years as it wasn't considered a problem until then. The fact is your son can walk so try and encourage that more maybe? All kids are different but I found bribery worked with mine, I used yo hold out something he liked to eat, like a grape and make him walk towards me to get it, after a few weeks of that he was walking around well.

eyeroll at stress

gotta love it when clueless folk try to wade in with arsey and stupid comments.

even basic weightwatchers for adults takes into account activity levels for working out points allowance

it isnt bloody rocket science! what a bloody stupid comment

Yes, possibly he is 'very fat' (mother's words, not mine!) because he's not mobile.

However, sorry, but there is the possibility he is 'very fat' because he's consuming too much. It is possible to overfeed a baby you know!

If you describe anyone (adult, child or baby) as 'very fat', then you are not describing them as a little chunky (which you would assume of a non mobile baby!!) or a bit chubby.

"Very fat" implies off the charts! And, yes, as a mother myself, I would be extremely concerned if my child was 'very fat' (in my own words) Could he possibly have hypometabolism for eg?

I only asked the question - jeeezzz. Wind your necks in people! I wondered if there was a medical reason for this, that's all, which could explain his other delays at the same time.

If she'd merely said he was a little chunky, then obviously this will drop off once he's toddling about. Very fat to me is a whole different description sadly. :( and could definitely indicate bigger issues which need investigating.

OP I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

Obese Toddlers

havingastress you seem very knowledgable about babies with your 'you know' comments. Are you a health professional? I have reared a fair few of them myself. Many of them have been 'very fat' babies and none of them fat teens nor indeed young adults. Language is a very subjective thing as is obesity. One mans fat is another mans chunky

Oatcake craving - that is good to hear and yes we have done half hour sessions every evening where we dangle little treats and try to encourage him to walk and he WILL and he is getting better! They sound very similar - ds crawled at 15 months and is about to walk at 21 months!

kidinasweetshop that is very optimistic. I do think hyper mobility is an issue here too - it looks hilarious what ds can do with his legs but we are slighlty losing our sense of humour as time wears on

havingastress thankyou for the link on obese toddlers. I wont read it as I dont have a toddler so its not applicable

havingastress you are just being mean, cut it out. You are being woefully judgemental. Stoppit. You should apologise really
OP I hope your LO starts sprinting for you soon