My daughter was walking at 11 months but my son is 14 months and shows no interest. He crawls really fast. I was just wondering if anyone else had a baby that was slow getting to his or her feet?
Hello Kim,
Sometimes I see that when a 14 month does not walk he has a lot of siblings carrying him around and so he may take his time learning to walk, then sometimes because there are a lot of sibs around they learn faster because they want to catch up. I really don't know the normal time range for a child to start walking it would do you good to talk with your family pediatrician and ask him/her what to do. Some children are slower doing things than others then you have children that supersede all things, talking getting teeth, and walking. Be patient, pray and talk to your pediatrician. There may be nothing wrong, he may be enjoying the ride on your hip.
Kim, when my son was little the AVERAGE age for a child to start walking was 13 months. So 14 months is probably well within a normal range. I would not sweat it, boys are sometimes slower than girls at these things, and every child is an individual. When he finally learns to run, you will wish he were back crawling where it was easier to catch up with him!
My son did not walk until he was 15 months old. He felt he just didnt have too. He will walk when he is ready. Just keep giving him the self confidence that he can do it on his own.
If, by 18 months, he is not walking, that is when doctors start worrying. Until then, just be thankful you don't have to chase him as much as when he is walking.
Kim,
Sometimes when you have a fast crawler they walk latter, if you have any concerns I would just set an appointment with your Pediatrician just to make sure that it is not anything else. It's always best to have a doctor tell you everything is fine. Does he attemt to walk along funiture or between furniture independantly?
Katherine
My oldest daughter is now 18 years old. She didn't walk until she was almost 18 months old. In fact, she didn't crawl until she was a year old. It didn't affect her negatively at all. My dr had said that if she wasn't walking by 18 months then they may want to do some tests on her. But she started walking right before the deadline.
My daughter was 19 months before she started walking. She just got around so easily by crawling and she had a stubborn personality, so she felt no need for walking. I thought my son would be so much quicker, but he didn't start walking until he was 16 months. We did lots of cheering to convince him to start because he was so fast with crawling and again saw no need to walk. I know how easy it is to worry, our neighbors boy started walking at 9 months and I would wonder if there was something wrong with my son. But just remember that each child has their own unique personality and timetable.
Hi,
My son did not walk until he was fifteen months and believe me he is fine now. At twenty six months, he runs, climbs stairs and jumps like a mad man. He just took his time. He also never went through that awkward stage when he first started walking. Maybe because he took to it so late. Give it a little longer. I had a friend whose little girl didn't walk until 18 months and she is fine now.
Kim,
My younger daughter didnt walk until she was almost 18 mos old. She would cruise, but preferred to walk on her knees to getting on her feet. We had PT for her for other reasons and she explained that kids get on their feet, because they can't use their hands to hold and manipulate things at the same time that they are crawling. You can try to get his interest in getting on his feet by putting his favorite things up on low shelves where he can pull himself up and start to cruise for them. Maybe if he needs his hands free more for what he wants, he might consider freeing them up. My daughters prob was that her sister (only 10 mos older) liked to "sister tip" and it was harder to tip a kid on her knees. Once she freed up her hands by walking on her knees, she didn't seem to feel the need to move any further :o) She is now 23mos and does everything else a 23mo old baby does. Now we need to watch to keep her off the tables! Her insteps are a little behind in being formed because she didn't put weight on them as soon as other kids, but they are starting to form. Both the doc and PT told us that 18 mos is perfectly within normal range for a child to walk. Don't sweat yet.
Suzanne
Hi Kim,
From what I have seen with my children, in most cases, every child is different,with me my daugher started to walk at 10 months and my son at 16 months, I have been working with children for over 8 years as a daycare provider and I see it all the time they walk at different ages. I would not worry too much.
Eileen
www.LittleRocketeers.com
He is fine. My son could crawl really fast and that was his preferred way of getting around. We knew he could walk if he wanted to as he would pull himself up. He walked at 16 months. He actually walked 8 steps back and forth like 8 times. His pediatrician said that when most children start walking they stumble and walk really slowly and are unsure on their feet. He said other children like my son who walk later are perfecting themselves. When they start walking hey will soon be running. He was right. When Nicholas started walking you would have thought he was walking for months.
Don't worry about it - he is fine. I think I read that children can take as long as 18 months. If at 18 months he still hasn't started walking I would talk to his doctor.
Don't worry, this is perfectly normal. First, all kids do things at their own speed, so try not to compare the two - its like apples to oranges. Second, at his next pediatrician appt, have the Dr do a check on his hips and legs (if they haven't already).
My first DD (who is now 4) didn't crawl until she was 13 months and didn't walk until she was 16 months. After the doctor told me that physically she was fine, I just enjoyed that I didn't have to chase after her like all my friends were doing with their kids.
One advantage to walking later is that once she did start she had a much better sense of balance and almost never fell - didn't have to pad the edges of everything in the house. Also, while she was sitting, she had more time to look around and observe and listen, so I think it might have helped her in other areas as well - she was a very early talker and spoke very well, very quickly. If she was distracted by mobility, I don't think she would have picked it up so quickly.
Long story short, don't worry. As long as the Dr has said he's physically fine, it will happen eventually. Enjoy him staying put while you can!
Hi,
My name is Melissa. I have a 7 year old he did not walk till around 16 months. He was very top heavy at the time. We even took him to the Childrens Hosptial. They said sometime children are shaped different like if they are bigger at the top of their bodies it can take them longer to walk. He told me to bring my son back if he did not walk by 20 months. The next week he took off. Children even brothers and sister each have do things at their own pace. I would call you Doctor if you are truely concernd but he will most likley take off walking soon.
Hope this helps.
Melissa
Hello, Kim:
I have 2 sons. Neither of them walked until they were 15 months. I was freaking out! Once they started, though, everything was fine. They're now 5 and 7, and developmentally right on track.
I tried to encourage them by holding their hands and helping them walk. I'm not sure how much this helped, though. When he's ready, he'll walk. Sometime boys are developmentally slower than girls, so I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. If he's not walking by 16 months, contact your pediatrician.
Heidi M.
Hi Kim
I also had the same concern as you. No need to worry, kids develope at their own pace.
I have a 3 yr old that was walking before her first birthday and then I also have a set of boy/girl twins. My son was walking at around 10 months (in his walker & around furniture) and then he took off one week after his first birthday. Now, the twins are 16 months old and my twin daughter has just now showed some interest in walking. She can now get around on her own.
I'm sure your son will begin to take off real soon. Enjoy him while he is still crawling because when he takes off, you will be very busy trying to keep up with him.
My 19-month-old just started walking. I wasn't worried because her older sister was also 19 months when she started. Our middle daughter started walking at 13 months, but the other two just waited until they were ready. I know it will be OK because the oldest is now 5 and walks and runs just fine! Your son will walk in his own time.
My son did not start walking until 19 months and one week! It was just in time because I had my daughter a week later! He is now 2 and runs, jumps and is right up to speed with his peers. He was a super fast crawler too and I think he liked it better than trying to walk and falling down. He got to places easier crawling fast. Don't worry.
My son did not walk until he was 16 months old. He had a weird kind of seal walk/crawl. When he finally started he took off almost running. He is 18 now and things are just fine, I believe that sometimes boys can develop a little slower in alot of areas. He may just not have the need to walk since he is mobile with his crawling.
I had 2 children who did not walk until they were 18 months. Both had speech delays and my doctors said that their gross motor skills were most likely delayed because they were focusing on their language. My daughter however was seen by an orthopaedic because she has hypertonic joints. This was causing her delay because the tendons and ligaments weren't strong enough to support her. She is now getting ready to turn 2 and has completly caught up with her gross motor skills. I wouldn't worry. Each child develops differently and a their own pace.