17 month old still not walking

[Rushu1]

How can I encourage my little one to walk? He's 17 months and walks when holding your hand etc and cruises all day long. But as soon as you let go of his hands he falls to the ground and laughs. Im sure he thinks it's a game 😅 he can 100% do it and I think it's just a confidence thing but how can I help him build that confidence? I try and encourage him from going from my hands to the sofa and have tried giving him a toy in each hand to try and trick him into thinking he's holding onto something still but he still falls straight to the ground.

I'm waiting for a call back from our health visitor about it but has anybody else had a 'late' walker?

I honestly don’t think there’s much else you can do- they just do it in their own time, the little rascals. It sounds like you’re being very encouraging and one day he’ll just get it, don’t worry. One advantage of having a later walker is that when they do start toddling around they seem to be a bit less prone to bumps and falls (that’s been my experience anyway!) There’s such a huge parameter of what’s normal and it’s quite common for babies to not be walking at 17 months. Don’t worry.

Sounds like you’re doing everything you can to help him! My DD took her first steps at 15 months but didn’t fully walk until 16.5 months (she’s almost 17 months). I also tried everything you were doing but she got it in the end! I was a late walker myself - almost 18 months so it’s still normal for your son not to be walking yet

Can he stand himself up yet independently without pulling up? I think that was the key for my ds. He had been pulling up and cruising from 9 months and taking a few short walks between pieces of furniture from 12 months but he didn't walk fully until 14 months when he started standing up from my lap without hands. I think as soon as he knew he could get up if he fell over he had the confidence to go for it! He walked steadily from that day as he'd clearly had tonnes of balancing practise over those few months..