14 month old not walking and not really saying recognisable words - when should I get worried?

[whattheheck]

Hello DC is 14 months old this week and still no sign of walking. She sat up at 6 months, but didn't crawl til late into 10 months, cruises ok but just isn't standing independently or walking.
All of her other little friends are, and quite a few seem to have started walking around 10 months.
Kind people have suggested that she may be concentrating on other type of development but she's not really talking. Still only says mummummum when she is crying, occasionally says daddy (sort of), and says 'baba' for byebye.
DP and I have kidded ourselves she has said other stuff eg row row for row row row the boat, but I think we are kidding ourselves.
What can I do? And when should I get really worried and see the HV? Am working so she hasn't been for ages.
Sorry if this sounds stupid but wd never forgive myself if I was missing some big problem for months

I'm pretty sure my dd1 wasn't walking at 14 months and my ds couldn't say ANY words until at least 19 months.

I think your dd is still very firmly within normal limits of development.

Babies / toddlers can just suddenly steam ahead when you least expect it. When dd1 finally started walking, she took 3 steps in the morning and then walked from one end of the room to the other in the afternoon.

Take her to the HV if it will make you feel better, but it really doesn';t sound like there is anything much to worry about.

It's good that she is crawling and cruising - it's quite normal for some babies not to walk until age 18 months - I know one little boy who was 23 months before he walked - he had physio therapy but there wasn't anything wrong.

All parents kid themselves when it comes to the number of words there babies can say.

I have one friend who tried to convince me her six month old was saying practically whole sentences

FWIW I would consider 'row' to be your dd's first word.

agree with neolara if she responds to her name (by looking at you) and interacts in other ways she sounds completely "normal" to me.

Each of mine got progressively older at the age they started to walk and talk!

I wouldn't necessarily worry at 14 months at all but you could ask your HV what she thinks re: when she might refer you to SALT and maybe a Paediatrician. Not because there's necessarily anything going to be wrong long-term at all (might all click next month, who knows?) but because your HV can explain your local system and will know, say, if a referral needs to be made early because there are long waiting lists in your area. Will prevent you worrying about the 'what if' of missing something.

I'm a SALT and I would say that the HV probably won't suggest a referral before 18 months if waiting lists are short, and even then, if your dc is seen at that early age, the initial stages will be 'watchful waiting', just giving you some very basic advice (if dc still needs it!). However, a HV seeing your dc in person will be able to provide you with more specific reassurance/tips.

Good luck!

Stop looking at other kids and just look at your baby.

Can she communicate with you? Do you think she can hear you? Are you seeing some progress as she gets older?

Walking - I've known babies walk at 9 months and 19 months (the child of a physio btw!) 14 months and not walking is entirely normal.

Speaking - dd1 said practically nothing for years. She is now incredibly eloquent and expressive.

Just keep talking to your dd and give her opportunity to move around without hovering too much. She'll get there.

DD1 didn't start to walk until at least 16months

What To Expect The Toddler Years has a good month by month guide to what is dead average/normal range/out of normal range - try borrowing that from your library, and I'll think you'll find it reassures you.

But HV will give you a wider, more professional view.

On the walking you have nothing to worry about. There are loads of threads on here about late walkers. I had 3, the last took the longest and was 21 months before he got off his fat little butt.

Re talking again I would say it is a bit early to start worrying. Of course I am no expert and as DS1 has learning difficulties and barely talked at all until he was 5+ I can understand your concern. IME the most important thing to look for is for signs that she understands what you are saying. If you talk about say her shoes will she look at them or even go and find them, that kind of thing. DS3 was not a particularly early talker either but I never worried the way I did with DS1 because the understanding was there.

mrsbean what is SALT?

Northernlurker and Cargirl she does turn if I say her name. I know that all children develop at different times but she just seems to be the tail end of her group so not sure. Also DP and I both talked early so i guess i thought she might.

belgo just waiting to bump into fond parent who insists child reciting shakespeare at 14 months

Sounds totally within normal range.

Walking at 10 months is early IMO! none of mine walked till 14 - 15 months. They just progress quicker if start slightly later. No problem. She is still V young.

SALT- speech and and language therapist

SALT - speech and language therapy

I am sure you feel reassured by the others but in case it helps, the AVERAGE age to walk unaided is 13.5 months (so obviously half of children will walk later than that) and as for talking, lots of children don't make recognisable words until they are nearly 2.

Try not to worry!

I am guessing this is your first?

My DS1 & 2 didn't start walking or talking til 18 months. My DS3 is 17 months now and started walking about a month ago. He has no recognizable words, just says "gnar" for everything!!!
Some are just later at picking these things up, but IMO it doesn't necessarily have any bearing on how they learn when they are older.

The thing with speech is can be down to poor hearing due to something simple as glue ear (I've had 2 dc with hearing problems and therefore speech problems) but I would say that 14 months is very very young for the HV to even take notice of lack of speech so I would just watch for her reactions to noises to see if you think her hearing may be compromised. They generally don't seem to be concerned until they are 2 as long as they are babbling with some words IYSWIM.

My first was an extremely early talker so I've def experienced the 2 extremes amongst siblings!

ooops.. sorry for the acronym .
PS don't worry that I said to talk to HV, I work with teenagers so it's just that my understanding of developmental norms for that age group isn't what it was! I think first true word is between 8 and 15 months or something like that, have personally seen lots of kids who didn't talk til 2 who were fine (although I'd always get it checked if no words after 18m, just to be on safe side!).

I'm all in favour of getting checks if worried but I really can't see anything wrong in what you describe. These kind people sound a bit odd if they think mummum and baba are not within normal range for 14 months.

Sounds fine to me, dd didn't walk until 17m, was despairing! Started to make more and more regognisable words from 15m onwards then they came in a "flood" so to speak.

I think babies often do this, have sudden leaps in development rather than gradual progress. Talk to the hv tho, hopefully she can reassure you

jafina how did you guess

thanks mrsbean and everyone who explained acronym - maybe it's me who needs my development checked as I didn't know what it was

will talk to HV to be on safe side but thanks for all the reassurance....much appreciated

Ds walked at a year, but at 2 only had about 5 or 6 recognisable words. At 26 months he was talking in complete sentences, and now, at 3 (next week), never shuts up, and actually talks a lot clearer/has a wider vocab than a lot of his peers.

Worry not.

DS is 13 months and not crawling but bumshuffles, he doesn't pull up or cruise or have any words apart from mama and dada but not necessarily said to the right people!
HV was not unduly concerned and by chance was chatting to a paediatrician today who couldn't have been less worried!

Anything between 9 months and 2 years is considered normal for walking. As others have said, if your dd can hear ok, seems to understand you and makes some attempts at communication then she sounds fine.

Honestly the range for "normal" development is huge! I work in a nursery and we have 9 month old walkers, 14 month olds who don't even crawl, 18 month olds you can hold sensible conversations with and 24 month olds who babble nonsense - by the time they're heading off to school you generally can't identify who was a late and who was an early developer.

DD is 13 months old, still hasn't learnt to roll, pulls herself up but can't cruise and has the weirdest crawl ever. She sort of says the same things as your DC (we were very proud of her singing along to row row row the boat!) but we really don't feel that she has said any 'proper' words yet. All her friends are walking and some are saying quite a few words but we're not worried about her yet - I'm sure it will all come together soon! Please don't worry as I'm sure it will all be ok...

dd2 is 13.5 months, and doesn't walk or talk

but she stands and cruises and makes loads of different noises, it wouldn't even occur to me to be worried tbh

she is just purely gorgeous

dd1 walked at 14-15 months and talked at 17 months

enjoy your dd and stop worrying