"Late" Walkers?

[futurity]

My ds is 15 months and not walking. Crawls for England and crusies alot and will push his walker if persuaded but still seems along way off walking. Apparently me and my dh both walked at 15 months (what a coinicedence!) so I sort of expected that ds would be along those lines but all his baby friends have been walking for months now and I wonder will he ever get there!!

Just wanted to hear from other Mums of later walkers as I only ever hear from people who say "oh my cousins friend walked at 2 years but my child walked at 10 months!" and that really annoys me!!

Jimjams - thanks for the reassurance. I do try not to worry, but you know how it is!

chinchilla I think the problem with your first child is that you tend to have friends you've picked up at antenatal groups with children of exactly the same age so every little thing is compared. It's horrible, and having had the ds1 problems I purposely avoided anything like that with ds2. I knew it would ruin my time with him. Now that he's 15 months and I am totally confident that he's "normal" I am thinking of joining tumble tots or something, but I couldn't have done it until he was well and truly pointing.

Hi - I,m new to mumsnet but I am pulling my hair out with my five month old so if anyone has any tips on how I can get him to begin to go through the night please pass them on!! At the moment he goes down at 7ish - wakes about 10ish for a feed, then 2am then 6 - not really going back down between times unless he comes in to our bed....

Is it too early for him to go in to his own room? What do you think about controlled crying?

Gini - controlled crying is not recommended before six months, as this is the earliest that a baby can go through the night without food. Some babies do it anyway, but most don't.

I know that it is exhausting, but your ds will eventually sleep through. If it helps for him to be in the bed with you, and you don't mind, then it won't hurt. I really feel for you, as my ds was 8 months before he went through the night. Before that, he was waking up for a feed at least two times a night.

Have you started weaning yet?

Gini- do you really not want him in your bed? Ds1 was very good at staying in his cot. Ds2 - not a chance- he used to come in all the time. Now at 15 months though he is quite happy to go from 7pm-7pm in his cot.

I really don't mind him being in our bed - its a king and he's only little! But my other half is not so good at nights (terrible and no help at all, gets very ratty if woken before 6am!) and so at the moment he's in the spare room most nights...
I spoke with the health visitor yesterday and she said to leave him crying for 1/2 an hour - which seems mad to me as young babies don't cry for no reason??!!!
As for weaning, yea I have started, he's having 3 small meals a day as well as milk (which he seems to have gone off).
I guess its just patience and time eh!

Gini- dh also moved to the spare room we even began calling it his room. I quite enjoyed having ds2 next to me rather than dh snoring away. Anyway now ds2 is happily in his cot each night and dh is back in the marital bed being kicked by me for snoring.

I wouldn't leave a baby to cry for half an hour either. DS1 responded well to controlled crying- text book case- no problems at all. DS2 just wouldn't. After 20 minutes he would be screaming his head off (whereas after 20 minutes ds1 would have been moaning and almost asleep) and then he would poo, and I'd have to change his nappy and then he would take ages to calm down and sob. I decided it wouldn't work. So in the end I just brought him into bed with me and let him feed. When I decided I wanted to work towards getting him back into his cot (he was about a year by now) I first of all refused any bfeeds at night but took him into bed. He soon accepted that (within about 2 days I think). Carried on taking him into bed for a few more weeks. Then would hold his hand in his cot but not bring him into bed. gradually- over a couple of weeks weaned him off needing me in the room. Now I put him in his cot awake, he drops off to sleep by himslef and sleeps the whole night. Totally different method to ds1 but it did work eventually.

If you don't feel your HV advice is right for your baby don't follow it. Just try and find a way that suits your family.

Neither of my two slept through until 8 months but as they were in the bed with me, it wasn't really a problem in terms of sleep deprivation. They both went into cots on their own from around 12 months without any difficulty.

I agree - I enjoy DH not being there - infact I woke up last night with DS in bed and heard DH snoring through the wall - I know what I prefer!

I think we will carry on as we are until we move (hopefully in about 3 months) - Then see where we are

i would like to commiserate with belles2.my son is 23months and not walking.he bum shuffles everywhere,and i must have thrown about 6 pairs of trousers/shorts away since the nice weather.if they are not black with dirt,they are full of holes-what a nightmare!!!.you would think some one would have invented some sort of bottom patch!?.i know you can now get knee pads for crawlers.i have just been to primark and just picked up 1 of every pair of shorts,at £1.50-£2.00 a pair its not so bad,and i've also been getting a few bits from the charity shops.just hope he starts walking soon.!

kathyleeO,I somehow think that my DD will be still shuffling at 23 months too as she won't even stand or try and pull herself up. What does you HV say out of interest?. I went to Woolworths last week and bought her 3 pairs of cheap joggers to put over her clothes but she is still destroying an awful lot of her outfits.

Bells2,what does my hv say??-how long have you got!!!!!.Joking aside ds has had problems that were picked up at an early age,long story,see my thread "mild cerebal palsy or delayed" under special need.PLEASE don't let this wory you because i know everything i read gets me wondering that there all these things that could be wrong with him.As i said ds problems were picked up at an early age and i am sure if there was any problems with your dd they would have also been picked up earlier.
I have been told by my pead that once a child learns to bum shuffle,it reduces there urge to walk,and there fore most are very late walkers!.
I was a bum shuffler and did not walk til 19 months and my eldest ds(4.5yrs)only ever commando crawled and did dot walk til 17months.I am sure dd will be up and about in no time.

I'm new to mumsnet and was relieved to see others have worried about the time their babies were taking to walk on their own. My little boy has just started walking of his own accord at 18 months and now he absolutely loves it and his little face lights up every time he gets across the room on his own.

He's been walking around the furniture and by holding peoples hands for about 6 months so it was wonderful when he went for it and did it on his own. Just bear with them cos I know people who's children have been much older and younger and they all get there in the end.

Kim

kathyleeO, sorry to hear of your son's difficulties. My DD is rather slow (i.e. not talking either) but at this stage, I have no reason to think there is anything wrong with her. Best of luck to you both.

Well it happened this weekend! DS (16 1/2 months) took 5 steps by himself. Today he did 8! Definetely got the bug! So excited!!