No desire to stand / walk independently

[BethanyJ]

So my daughter has been pulling herself to standing since she was 8.5 months old and confidently cruising around furniture and racing along with her push along walker since 9-10 months.

She's now 14 months and super confident and will climb over anything, get up stairs etc. If she's stood she'll happily be barely holding on and will even stand and just lean on something so she can clap hands or wave, however if I try to encourage her to stand independently she won't. If I try to encourage her to walk holding my hands she won't. She cries and drops to the floor snd crawls.

I know not walking at 14 months isn't a worry in itself but I keep seeing other people's babies who've been cruising for nowhere near as long who are now confident solo walkers, and I've been hearing "oh she's so close to walking" and "not long now and she'll be off" for literally 4 months now.

Should I be worried? Did anyone else's baby/toddler go through an extended crawling & cruising phase? I keep telling myself one day it'll just click for her but she has no interest in even trying to stand without support and hates if I try to encourage her to 😩

This sounds exactly like my daughter except she is 15.5 months old! It's a cliché but they will both get there on their own time. I think it's a confidence thing for my daughter.

Mine had zero intrest in walking and she hardly even tried to stand or cruise much. Suddenly at 16 months she took my hand and walked without any pre warning she was about to do it.

Mine was the first in our antenatal group to crawl and one of the last to walk - 8 months of proper, speedy crawling (and cruising for a fair bit of that too) whereas some of them had more like 1! I think either quite a short period or long one is totally normal. (And I've read that there are physical development benefits to a long crawling phase - helps them build muscles in the back etc)

This was DS. He cruised from about 7 months and everyone used to comment oh he will be walking soon etc. He finally took his first unaided step at 16 months old.

No rhyme or reason to it in my experience as we know some who never cruised and just got up and walked and others who cruised for about 5 minutes before walking.

My DS learned how to pull himself up only 5 days away from his 1st birthday. He eventually started to cruise around furniture and holding walls but properly didn’t walk until he’s now 16m.
But he also was late crawler and learner that skill only at 11m.

This was literally my DD. I was quite worried. It was like you in that she learnt to cruise and bare weight etc at normal age. Wouldn't hold our hands to walk would just fold her arms or cry and sit down or crawl. I knew she COULD do it if she tried... it seemed more like stubbornness 😂. Any way she suddenly started when she turned 18 months and now I can barely remember when she didn't! I feel your pain because I remember the worry but there's nothing to worry about. If they didn't cruise or bare weight that would be different!

It was a pain though, she's so much happier now and content on days out and we can spend hours at the park now, whereas before she'd get bored. Or frustrated that ahe had to be in the pushchair because I wouldn't let her crawl along the wet pavements when we were out and about! So I hope for your sake, your DC doesn't wait as long as mine did!!

DS crawled at 8mo, cruising from a few days after, walked just before 18mo.

Thankyou all you've really eased my concerns!!
It's like she knew I was worried as just this morning she pulled herself up grabbed her drink and started drinking it with both hands meaning she was stood independently!

When she was cruising so confidently at 10 months I was sure she'd be walking in time for being a flower girl at the end of July, guess I need to make peace with the fact its likely I'll be carrying her down the aisle or letting her crawl in her beautiful dress 😅

My daughter was exactly the same - cruising from 10 months old and then absolutely zero progress until she was 18 months old! I was just about to make an appointment at the GP to have her checked as she took her first steps a week shy of being 18 months old exactly. I was going mad with frustration and hearing "you're lucky she's a late walker - it's a nightmare once they start walking." No Karen, it's a nightmare when you're lugging around an 18 month old! All the pretty dresses I bought her for age 12-18 months were unworn and I could have cried! Luckily I have another daughter on the way so maybe she'll be different - as they all are!

Oh lord yes all of this! She's really big for her age too so it's getting really difficult 🙈

I don't like putting her in dresses as they're difficult to crawl in and I don't particularly like seeing a nappy hanging out the bottom 😅 plus her poor knees! There'll definitely be some still with tags on getting donated 🥺

Neither of my DC walked independently until 18 months. As long as she is happy to weight bear on both legs, you just need to let her get on with it.

I was really anxious about DC1 but then when DC2 got to that age I didn't stress about it.

My son crawled at about 8 months and cruised from 12 months until he was about 18 months. He was the same as your DD OP - happy to hold our hands and walk. He would walk independently if he didn't realise we'd let go of his reins etc...
A really effective tool we used to bring him on was suggested by the nursery he'd just started. He has a favourite comforter that he carries everywhere. We'd walk with us holding his hand and that between us. Gradually we let go of his hand so we were walking holding one end of the comforter and him the other. In time we just let go and he was walking independently.
I know how worrying it can be but she really will get there!

My daughter is tall for her age too so I think it may have been something to do with a higher centre of gravity and being a bit unsteady? She's also extremely cautious as a rule so I just think she was scared of falling! Climbing on things and up and down the stairs not so much...😃

@BethanyJ

plus her poor knees! There'll definitely be some still with tags on getting donated

could I please buy a pair!! Mine are shot!

🤣🤣🤣

I understand the worry & frustration, but it's not at all uncommon!

My baby is the same- crawling at 7 months, pulling herself up and cruising furniture not long after, she’s now 13.5 months and will walk if we hold one or both of her hands, can stand independently for ages, but just won’t walk. If she’s stood and can’t reach something she will crawl rather than attempt to walk even a couple of steps. I know it’s still normal at this age but she loves exploring so I think she’d be much happier walking rather than crawling/ being carried all the time. I try to encourage her to walk as much as I can but I’m at a bit of a loss really.