Will he ever walk?

[Lookingforadvice123]

Sorry to start another thread about walking, I've had a look at the other one but my ds is quite different so wanted to get some advice.

DS will be 17 months next week. He has never been particularly early with his gross motor skills, sat up about 7.5 months, commando crawled at 10 months, traditional crawling from 11 months and pulling to stand and wobbly walking holding two hands/cruising at just 14 months.

Almost 3 months later and he's shown no progress other than cruising more confidently. He has no balance and can't stand alone for even a second, and won't even try and walk holding one hand (sits down straight away). He's not particularly early with any other milestones (e.g. I know some babies concentrate on talking) although he's got enough "words" to not worry about a delay and he points, claps, waves etc, follows commands and seems to understand everything!

I'm just so worried he's going to be really behind with his gross motor if he walks at say 22 months. He loves to explore and crawls very fast but he's a bit of a scaredy cat and isn't physically confident.

Mine walked at 19 months. He's 7 now, not the best at PE (he gets that from me!) but no actual motor problems.

17 months is perfectly normal, as long as they walk before 2 physio aren't worried, if the child is cruising and can get up and down from the floor then that's fine, don't worry too much, they do it when they're ready.

You couldn't tell mine walked at 20 months, mainly as he now just runs, everywhere!

DS2 was similar with his other milestones. Rolled at 10 months. Crawled at 12 months. He finally walked 3 days before 18 months.

Again, not the sportiest child now, but runs, rides a bike, swims etc with no problems.

I'm sure it's fine - what does your HV say?

DS didn't walk until nearly 19/20 months, HV said I was to take him to my GP if he wasn't walking by 18 months but I held on a bit longer and eventually he got there.

He's not really a climber or particularly physically 'adventurous' but I think that's just not who he is. He too lacks a bit of confidence with movement and has never tried to climb out of his cot or over a stair gate - but I don't think that's a bad thing!

Try not to fret, he'll get there!

Thank you all, it's so hard not to worry especially when a couple of friends' babies who were later crawling (after 12 months and one was a bottom shuffler) were still walking by now, or at least well on their way. It's the lack of progress that worries me, although I know I should be less harsh on him and view building confidence as progress.

HV said at 15 months she thought he'd be walking within a month and def by 18 months so don't trust her opinion haha. He has been referred to a physio gait clinic as he tends to stand on the inside of his left foot but I don't think that's the sole reason he's not got any balance so although I'm glad we've got an appointment I don't have high hopes!

I walked at 12 months and wasn't a sporty child at all come to think of it

My friends twins didn't walk until after they were 2 - they were referred by the GP to physio at 18 months but nothing was found.
At nearly 11 they both do loads of dance and are doing great - as soon as they walked you'd have never known

My son crawled at 10 months and walked at 17 months. He had extra toes and extra digits on his hands, so I put it down to that.
But that's a fine age to walk. Now he whizzes round at high speeds, you'd never know he's only been walking a couple of months

My dd didn't sit up until she was 11 months and didn't walk until 18 months (and then was really unsteady) I was told there was nothing wrong by HV's when she was a baby but she was assessed at 18 months by a physio and told she was hyper mobile, meaning her joints were very lax and she needed a course of physio to strengthen everything up. She's 9 now, is absolutely fine but she is very bendy and has a certain 'style' of running.

Could it be something like this? You could request a physio referral (I found that the HV's fobbed me off a bit)

I see your latest update- yes, the physio is the expert in these type of things, they will be able to guide you. Good luck.

Thank you miaow I do feel like crying sometimes as DS is also very tall for his age so looks way too old to be crawling! And to make matters worse DH's nephew has just started walking, he's 3 months younger so not even a particularly early walker at almost 14 months but still way earlier than DS!

He's not a talker either, has a few simple words so not behind as such but not early for sure.

Did your DD even look as if she was trying to walk until she did it one day? Poor DS really does have no balance and can't stand unsupported at all so I worry it'll be months and months before he's walking...