How do you teach your toddler to walk?!

[Timeforanothernewone]

Might sound like a stupid question. DS1 has taken ages to be steady on his feet. Cruising at 8 months, first steps at 12 months and walking at 16 months, steady ish by 18 months.

He's now 19 months and a good ish walker but my question is, how do you teach them to walk anywhere with you?

So many of my friends little ones will be able to walk holding hands around the supermarket, go for 'a walk' and bits like that.

Ds1 will happily walk in his own direction but literally won't walk next to me, hold my hand, follow me. Nothing. He's almost always in the pram, which is fine because i have his younger brother in there too but I just don't know how to get him there.

His peers just seemed to do it.

I'm not trying to pressure him or hurry him along but don't really know what to do. So how did you get your child to walk?

Dd was fine, walked nicely beside me and followed instructions. DS is determined to get run over. He delights in running as fast as he can into every driveway and road. My advice is to get him used to reins as soon as possible, my DS walks fine with them on.

I have DS who always was and still is a nightmare to walk and not run off and DD who is pretty good most of the time.

19 months is still pretty young but I would say practising helps a lot. Small walks in safe areas to start with, maybe buy some reins for near roads etc. He will get better as he gets older!

Reins aren't great. He'll happily wear them but won't adhere to the fact that they stop him from going anywhere he'll either pull against them with all his strength or sit down and refuse to budge until he's allowed to do his own thing. It cracks me up really and I'm not wholly bothered but he's definitely behind in his little peer group. He doesn't go to nursery and is the only one of his friends who doesn't. Not sure if that has a major impact

Seems entirely normal!

We just made sure DD always held our hand right from the off, non negotiable. What happens when you ask him to hold your hand?

We got reins. He hated them, which was perfect because we could then say “hold my hands or go in the reins?” And usually hold hands was the chosen option.

It takes time. Take him to safe places holding hands and build on it.

I don’t think he’s “behind” because “being compliant” isn’t a developmental step. It’s quite possible that he’s very advanced and getting the terrible twos early.

You're only noticing the toddlers who walk nicely! The majority of 19 months old toddlers are either strapped into the buggy or running off.
Go places where he can safely run around. A large park maybe? Right now it's a good game for him to run off and you to chase him. He'll grow out of this phase but in the meantime keep him in the buggy if you need to and let him run free when appropriate.
Reins never worked for anyone in our family.

My second child has an iron will and was determined that he would not hold my hand. I got used to putting him in the buggy for longer walks, and where necessary (like car parks) I carried him, struggling the whole way. Every time I offered him the choice - hold my hand or be carried - and eventually, probably at around 21/22 months, he just decided that it was ok to hold my hand. He's been at nursery since he was 1, so I doubt that has anything to do with it. He's just very independent, and very, very stubborn. He's still a frustratingly slow walker - I'm sure I had his older brother going on walks in the woods at this age. But he....meanders. Just a different child!

reins are your friend...:)
he is not 'behind' that is just his personality.

Ds was the same as yours, he seemed to hate holding hands. Small walks in areas that are safe have made the world of difference. So lots of prompts to hold hands. He's also better on his reins now,m. He does have a habit of trying to make a bid for freedom every so often, but will happily walk in roughly the right direction.
I think the running of bit is the excitement of being 'free'. Ds is now 2 and the novelty has worn off so, he will walk next to me.... occasionally

My middle child was the same. Oh what a bugger he was he was everywhere! Sometimes (very very occasionally) he would hold my hand if I stopped and said we can’t go to the park (for example) unless we are holding hands... but even that was short lived! Having a meal was a BARREL of laughs ha.
It’s normal though. And they settle down

Just to correct myself - I don't think he's developmental behind, just this one thing literally all his friends are streets ahead.

If I try to get him to hold hands he'll literally shake me off. We mostly stick to the buggy unless in the park or the farm or something. Mostly because of his little brother distracts me,I don't want him loose to cause havoc

We went for short walks. There's a river with ducks and swans up the road, we'd been in the pram then the smart trike thing a lot so he knew the way. He likes going there, so then we went for a walk. He wanted to go there and had reins on. It was walk nicely or pushchair. He chose walking nicely.

I think that's ds1's problem. He'd rather be in the pushchair with ds2 last time we walked around the duck ponds he managed to somehow sneak a foot into the water despite me holding on to him

Some good ideas all round though, thankyou. I guess much of it will come with age. I might end up teaching both boys at the same time at this rate as ds2 is nearly 8m already

Oh god - DS1 refused to hold hands. He was independent and didn't need to be controlled (in his opinion) reins were OK, until he figured out the 'launch yourself to the ground and mum has to catch you and it's like a swing' - at which point they became dangerous too...

Honestly the best thing was like you, his little brother walking, he loved being the big brother showing his little brother how to do things, or showing off about how much better behaved he was, holding my hand nicely to cross the road while DS2 tried to wriggle away.