Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Flip

Original poster

18 months and not walking

23 replies

MamaMaiasaura · 20/06/2007 14:33

My friend has a 18 month ds who is not yet walking. He ois cruising and is hjappy health and thriving. She is getting aot of pressure from her mum about this and I am introducing her to the wonderful world of mumsnet for some adive and support if possible xx

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Songbird · 20/06/2007 15:26

Dd was walking 2 weeks before her 1st birthday, but my friends dd (now 2.4) has only been walking ?properly? for about 4-5 months, and is just getting confident enough to trot around. Did your friend?s ds crawl? I?ve heard this can make a difference. My friends dd never liked being on her tummy and never crawled. She was bum-shuffling around at about 9 months or so, but I think crawling is important to develop their hip-muscles for walking. Or something .

My point is (I have one??) that they?re all different! My dd is a nosy little madam and is ?into? everything, my friends dd has always been more cautious, just sitting there taking everything in. Her vocabulary and conversational skills (such as they are!) are much better developed than dd?s.

Tell her not to worry

wrinklytum · 20/06/2007 15:29

Mine is a late developer,18.5 months and still shuffling around on her behind.HV says it is nothing to worry about.

LilRedWG · 20/06/2007 15:33

My DD is 13 months and not inclined to move at all. She sees a physio (HV was stressing) but physio is happy that she'll do it in her own time. I was also stressed by family saying, "Isn't she walking yet?" constantly and it has been nice to be able to say, "No, she's not ready, her physio says so, so yar-boo-sucks" to the ILs

wrinklytum · 20/06/2007 15:37

LILI,dd sat on her bottom and didnot start shuffling for 15.5 months if this is any consolation.She is off like a shot now,its really comical.

Am also getting MIL hassle re dds lack of walking.It really pees me off.

DS was walking at a year but was a crawler not a shuffler.Shufflers take longer ,I reckon

bellaandolliesmum · 20/06/2007 23:11

I am soooo happy to read this!! I was coming on here to post myself about the same issue. My ds is almost 19 months old and not walking. He did not really crawl properly until 11 months and I was not at all worried. Now, I am starting to feel a bit stressed about it. HV says don't worry...so what to do but not worry I suppose!
He gets around brilliantly with the crawling/holding on to furniture, he just doesn't want to try it on his own.
MIL is coming for the weekend and I guess I will get more aggro over this issue. My dh's sister is the most wonderful mother alive (potty trained dd at 18 months, etc), while I am the freakshow who could not get my dd potty trained until almost 3 years. I probably would be blissfully happy with my little family if I (and my kids!!) were not made to feel so inadequate.
My lovely sister calmed my tears the other day and told me that it is almost a blessing he is not walking because they never slow down ever again once they start. I just held him in my lap and we had a cuddle.
I feel so much better reading this. It is easy to think that some things are not normal, but they really are.
Relax mummy and have a cuppa

nappyaddict · 20/06/2007 23:51

i know a girl who was 26 months before she walked.

Lentils · 20/06/2007 23:55

Don't want to alarm you, but neighbour's little boy was not walking at 16 months. He got checked out by drs and had to wear leg braces and do PT. Can't remember what it was that he specifically had--nothing serious, and the braces and PT did correct it. I remember him being brace free at 2yo so it can't have been that serious. Plus they were small plastic ones that looked more like ankle supports.

bellaandolliesmum · 21/06/2007 00:01

um, thanks for that!
kinda sorry i posted now

VeryBigCake · 21/06/2007 00:13

dd1 didnt walk till 16months. she is so fast now at age 7, very flexiable little girl who wants to do gymnastics.

dd2 on the other hand, walked at 10months. she is clumsey as hell.

all kids are different.

colander · 21/06/2007 00:18

DD1 walked at 19.5 months (and v bright btw, even if I say so myself!! - reading before she was 3). DD2 currently 18 months and can take a few steps but showing no desire to do any more. Both were bum shufflers and I think they often walk later. If people kept going on at me about DD1's late walking I just said "Oh well, puppies walk very early, and they aren't exactly intelligent, are they?" That usually shut them up. Late walkers are often early talkers too.

bellaandolliesmum · 21/06/2007 08:37

My ds is a big talker. He can say many words and "uh-oh!". He can point out all of the parts of his face and he seems quite clever. When I sing the song from his little toy train, he goes to find it and brings it to me. When he sings a song, it actually sounds like the words. Maybe his not walking is compensation for him being the most wonderful baby in the world
I just wanted to see if their is anyone else out there like us.

Lentils · 21/06/2007 08:40

BellaanddolliesmumI should add a caveat, this was in the US, where they tend to believe that earlier intervention into developmental issues is better. Seems to me, since living in the UK, Brits are much more hands offsomething to be said for that!

RedTartanLass · 21/06/2007 08:56

I didn't walk until I was 18 months!! Don't think it's that unsual to be honest, one of the ladies on my ante-natal thread had this worry. I'll give her an email and ask her to post!!

LilRedWG · 21/06/2007 09:02

Thanks Wrinkly.

Bella - the only reason DD has seen a physio is that the HV was flapping and insisting on following protocols. The physio has reassured me that they all walk when they are ready! If there were any problems at all, your HV would have picked up on them and had DS checked out.

jellybellie · 21/06/2007 09:16

My ds didn't walk until 18/19 mths but once he started there was no stopping him! - I got really fed up with everybody asking "is he walking yet?" but I never got the feeling that it was a problem and it certainly didn't seem to bother him! I think ds was just a bit cautious - even now when we go to soft play or anything similar he will hang back and check out the situation rather than charging straight in so maybe it is just another part of his personality.

If your friend's ds is cruising etc OK then there probably isn't anything physically wrong - he is just being a bit cautious.

TheApprentice · 21/06/2007 09:22

I myself didnt walk until 22 months apparently .

Early talker though.

lucyellensmum · 21/06/2007 09:22

my HV said to me when my bottom shuffling girl was looking like she might be a late walker (she was) that bum shufflers tend to walk late, one of the theories being that they are already in the position to play once they have got from a - b, whereas a crawler has to get up.

bakedpotato · 21/06/2007 09:30

neither dd nor ds walked until 18 mths+. I barely remember them moving until about 15 mths. They didn't really bother with bumshuffling or cruising.

It's as if all their energies went into talking -- this really has some benefits

Original poster

MamaMaiasaura · 21/06/2007 09:57

My friend is at work today but I will phone her tonight to tell her all about this thread. So much support and also she will hopefully feel less pressured. Her hv said that her ds has an extra crease on his hip so has referred him to peadeatrician but he is cruising well and walking holding onto hands. His speech is doing very well tho and he communcates really well (cheeky monkey).

Really feel for friend as her mother is verbally giving her a heck of a lot of pressure and is being quite unkind. Dont want to say anymore as if my friend does join mumsnet I wouldnt want to discuss her personal stuff. She is on dial up and had problems doing the join page yesterday.

I am pretty sure it wont be long before her ds is walking independently. He left crawling till the last minute too

OP posts:

mawbroon · 21/06/2007 11:27

Sorry, haven't read the whole thread, but my ds is now 20 months (Just realised it's 20 months today!!) and he only started walking a fortnight ago.
He didn't crawl until 11months and he didn't pull up until 15 months. The HV referred us to the GP as ds was breech and she wanted the legs and hips checked. I didn't think there was anything wrong, but thought that there was no harm in having him checked. As I expected, the GP said that all was fine.
DS took two tiny steps on 8th June, just when we were moving house and now on 21st June he is virtually running everywhere.
If there are no underlying problems then your friend's ds will walk when he is ready, and no amount of pressure from the MiL will make him go any quicker.

HTH

LilRedWG · 21/06/2007 11:40

Awen, DD also had odd creases. She had an x-ray to check there was no dislocation or problems and there wasn't! Tell your friend that this is really common and to ignore her mother!

SunshineOnARainyDay · 21/06/2007 11:55

My DD did't walk until she was 18 months (crawled from 14 months) but like others have mentioned on here she talked early. By 18 months her speech was really good and by 2 she was talking clearly in sentences. I must admit I did worry at the time about her not walking but she did it in her own good time. Please tell your friend not to worry!

jackie2kids · 21/06/2007 12:55

I think we still have the record.

DD is 2yrs and 4 mnths and not yet walking alone.

Flip