Child STILL Not Walking

Okay, I AM a pediatric physical therapist and am a bit bothered (not in a personal way) that your husband thinks PT is ridicuous. Does he even know what pediatric PT is all about? Research supports early intervention as being key! And early intervention can be something as simple as consultation with those with "expertise" in any given area. I am sure you have already had a slew of the "he's fine, don't rush it, etc" responses. Anyway, with that said, no need to panic yet. Average independent walking is 12 months, with the average RANGE being about 10 to 15 months; most people consider 18 months the "upper end" of normal (even though the parents in that category are often very frustrated!). A late walker at 18 months, if scored on a developmental test (for GROSS MOTOR SKILLS) will typically have a 33% delay in gross motor skills. Now those who think all this testing is nonsense and that we push kids too much, please, let me finish. The reason for the "delay" then becomes that b/c the child is not yet walking, he/she cannot be acquiring the next "round" of skills (more mature stair climbing, jumping, running, kicking a ball, etc). Of course, most late walkers eventually catch up. With that said, those of us in pediatric PT do not "worry" AS LONG AS THERE IS PROGRESS. Most states/counties have a Birth to Three program for free screening or evaluations. Was your child premie at all? If so, you get to adjust his age until the age of 2! In the meantime, one of my favorite strategies is this: Have the child sit on your lap on the floor, facing the couch (your lap becomes like a bench). Be only a foot or so away to start. Put favorite toys or books on the couch and encourage him to push to standing (through a nice squatting pattern) and take "lunging" steps toward the couch (basically you need to be close enough so that as he leans forward his hands reach to catch himself and then he takes a couple steps forward to be more balanced). When he gets good at this (may take a few days or more), scoot back so that he has to take a couple independent steps before he can reach/lunge; keep scooting back until he is taking more and more steps. The idea is that the child has to control his "landing" rather than being "caught" by mom and dad (that is not a bad game either, but I've found using the couch to be pretty successful). The best approach is to do this several times per day for a few minutes at a time. If he is frustrated, try again a different time. It needs to be fun. Offer LOTS of praise and clapping and "you walked!" If you have further questions, please send me another message.

1 mom found this helpful

Don't worry about it at all. REALLY!

My 2nd son took his 1st step or two at 15 months. He would never go beyond that and preferred crawling. Then one day out of the blue at 17 months he took 10 steps. The next day,13, then 17, etc. Today at 2 he is not behind any other children in his walking or running ability.

Your doing everything right;) All kids develop at a different rate, my first walked at a year and my 2nd walked at the end of 8 months. My second had several older influences that she wanted to keep up with so that was her motivation. Keep takin your son to the park, mall playland and other places he can be encouraged by his peers. I know it's frustrating, but just ignore the comments from the other moms. One day soon he will just pick up and take off running and then you'll wish he was back down crawling;)I've known children who didnt crawl until 18-20 months and they are keeping up with there peers just fine now! So be encouraged and remember all kids progress differently! PS. I'm with your husband on the no physical thereapy, if the doc wasnt concerned and he isnt having any leg issues then let him be for now.
Good luck!

Your son sounds just like mine. :) He is very laid back, easy going and an all around calm kid. My son is now 2 years and 4 months old, but didn't walk until he was 1 year and 9 months old. He was the fastest crawler I have ever seen. Our pediatrician even told us that kids that crawl really fast usually walk later. Mainly because they can get places quick enough by just crawling and don't feel the need to walk. I know how you feel though with other kids. I remember getting together with family that had kids his age and they would be running around and here comes our little guy crawling after them. Kind of made me feel like I was doing something wrong, but they all walk at different times. Now we have a little girl that will be 1 the end of September and is taking about 8 steps at a time. So, I wouldn't worry about your little guy. Just keep that walk behind toy out and he will use it when he is ready. -- Good Luck :)

I wouldn't worry if I were you. He might just not want to walk in front of you, or maybe he thinks he'll get carried less if he walks. I have twin boys, and the first time they ever took one step by themselves was the first Sunday after they turned 18 months old. They were climbing out of their cribs at a yr. old, but I'm also a stay at home mom, and the first time I ever saw my boys take one step by themselves was when I went to pick them up from nursery for the first time. At the church I go to they start nursery at 18 months, and after church I went to pick them up, and they were running around the room, the minute they saw me though they fell down, and pretended they couldn't stand up unless I was holding both their hands. Within a week after taking their first steps they were walking, and running all over the place all the time.

N.,

I agree with your pediatrician, there is no need to worry. I have worked with young children for nearly 20 years and have seen early and late walkers all develop at their own speed.

The reason your son does not want to walk with you so much is because it is still so much more efficient (read faster) to crawl.

I don't know what the "average" age of walking is but from my anecdotal guess I think it is between 12 and 17 months. Just last week I was talking to a mom of 4. None of her children walked before 22 months. She was worried about the first child, they are now 8, 6, 4, and 18 months (not walking). All are very coordinated and bright children.

I know it is hard not to obsess, but try. Your son is developing perfectly normally.

The spectrum on the walking milestone is really quite wide. Unlike holding up their head and rolling over, etc. which seem to have tighter time frames. I have heard that the walking spectrum is something like 8 mons to 18 mons. And that walking at 18 mons does not at all reflect their physical ability or future potential. That said, remove the walker-type toys.

I know tons of moms have already told you not to worry, but I just had to tell you my story.
Our first son wasn't walking by 15 mths so I talked to our family doctor who told me to relax, that he will walk when he's ready. At 16mths I talked to him again and I think to just get me off of his back he sent me to a foot specialist. The doctor looked my son over and watched him walk around the office furniture. His answer was to go out and buy him "high top" Stride Rite shoes to support his ankles (this was 30 years ago and they were used back then). The only place you could buy them was at Daytons and they cost $30 which was a TON of $$ back then. The VERY next day he took off and has been running ever since. Now was it the shoes or was he just ready? We'll never know......The moral of my story, just relax, he'll do this at his own pace........

I was always told that it's more important for them to learn to crawl than for them to walk. Crawling takes more concentration than to walk----something like that. Some babies never do crawl, just go straight to walking at around 10 mos, & sometimes have learning disabilities later on. Oh geez, now I suppose I'm going to have mothers of early walkers jumping down my throat now. All I mean is that when our kids were little, our dr said it was more important to encourage them to crawl first before they walked, something like that.

Our oldest son didn't walk alone until he was 15 or 16 mos old either. He, like your son, would walk pushing a toy or holding something. Lol, he would/could walk holding a carpet rake up off the floor, but wouldn't walk alone! So we knew he could walk, while holding something heavy (for him) and long, he just felt he needed to hold onto something. He was just cautious. I was 7 mos pregnant with his brother at the time, and was really REALLY anxious for him to start walking!

You said your son will walk behind a push toy, so he can walk.

I know it's easier said than done, but try to ignore those mothers who are surprised your son isn't walking yet. Everyone has their own internal clock, he'll walk when he's ready.

N.... take a deep breath... calm down. Your son is fine. All children develop at different times. The stages of development are not written in stone. He will be walking before you realize it. Have patience.

I can sympathize with you. I had two late walkers, my first was 17 months and my second was 16 months. They were both happy crawlers and one day they just took off walking, with running soon following. Your son is still in the normal range so I wouldn't worry at all. If other moms express surprise that he's not walking, tell them he'll walk when he's ready!

You could try to sit a couple feet from the sofa and encourage him to walk to you to get a toy or cuddles. Toys they can push around like shopping carts, strollers, etc. are great if you have carpet so they won't roll too fast. They also have the small ride on toys that kids can walk behind. Any of those toys will show him he can get across the room and encourage him to explore from his feet. I'm sure he'll be walking soon.

Have you ever watched your child walk without shoes and socks on? My co-workers daughter has a son with a similar problem, however he's now 4 years old and still isn't walking. This child crawls and walks on his knees. Turns out that his mussels in his legs are so tight that it physically hurts him to walk because its almost as if he gets charlie horses when he walks. His toes aren't flat they curve up, so doctors put him in 4 sets of casts to slowly get his toes to lay flat and for the mussels to stretch.

I wouldn't be concerned about it. My 2nd starting walking at 14 months and my 3rd was 15 months before he started walking. He also wasn't crawling until he was 10 months. We would walk with him a lot and give him tons of encouragement and praise when he would take a step by himself. Keep giving him praise and walking with him holding his hand(s) and pretty soon he'll be running!

Normal. I know it is hard, try not to worry.
My middle daughter did not walk until she was 17 months.
My older daughter walked at 13 months, my son 11 months.
They are all different. I think 18 months is when doc's start to worry. Good luck!

N.,
Don't worry about it. He will do it in his time, probably the next month or two. If nothing else seems out of the ordinary I wouldn't give it another thought. He will be fine and walking soon. All kids excel at different things, and on different time schedules.

From everything I have heard and read it isn't concidered developementally behind until 20 months and by then I'm sure he will be running and you wishing he wasn't! My son started taking steps around 15/16 months and was fully walking around 17 months. My daughter was taking steps at 13/14 months and walking at 15 months. Every child is so different and he is taking strides in the right direction, I would be more concidered if he wasn't even trying to stand. He'll get there in his own time!!

If your Ped is not concerned, I would relax. Each child is so different! My son didn't walk until he was 15 months.

My little girl was 15-16 months when she began walking and she is now a vibrant 5 year old doing everything all the other kids are doing. Every child progresses at their own pace and you can't do anything to rush it along. Keep encouraging him and he'll get there ... before you know it you'll be chasing him around!

the little girl i take care of just recently started walking she is 18 months old. When she started in my care in may she didn't really crawl or walk. you can do your own "physical therapy" all you need to do is encourage his walking. when you want him to go from one room to another help him up and hold his hand he will walk on his own when he feels ready, and by then you will be wishing he would slow down. lol my son was walking early so now at 18 months he is into everything and he is an excellent climber. enjoy keeping track of him while you still can.

15 months is NOT late to start walking. My second daughter didn't walk until she was 17 months old and she is now an active 3 1/2 year old who loves to run and jump! Babies walk at all different ages. Some on the earlier end some later. Stop worrying. Your son sounds perfectly normal to me.

Have you tried having him walk back and forth between you and your husband? Or setting a favorite toy out of reach and have him walk toward it? Maybe worth a try...

N.,

I too remember feeling this way when my son was 15mo old and still not walking but doing all the other things you talked about. He just was a late walker... and to this day takes his time walking to where it is he has to go. (and he is now 15 yrs old lol) some kids just are in no hurry. The best advice I have for you is to enjoy the moment it will be gone and he will be off running in no time :)

Our daughter didn't really take off walking until she was about 14 months. Maybe it was the reason, or maybe it was a coincidence, but it was right after we got her some hard soled shoes. She also dragged one of her feet kind of funny and her ankles roll in, so we've been watching her for that and will be bringing her to an orthopedist to be sure nothing is wrong. She's 17 months now and her stance and form are improving. Also, she is the type that is very careful about everything she does, so she might have been waiting until she was sure she was more stable.

So take his personality into consideration - does he rush into things with gusto, or is he really cautious? And try a different shoe.

N. - None of my kids were early walkers. My first walked at 14 months, my second at 11 months, my third at 15 months and my fourth at 16 months. I didn't carry them around and they were given plenty of opportunity and encouragement to move around on their own. Older kids were never allowed to carry younger ones. My kids were just really cautious about falling and very efficient crawlers. I had one who was very content sitting and watching what was going on and not terribly interested in getting up and moving around.

I took child development in college and had a professor who did a study with twins. Parents were told to daily practice with and really encourage one twin to walk and to leave the other one alone and let them learn at their own speed. What was the result? It really didn't matter. Many of the sets of twins walked within days of each other and sometimes the "left alone" twin would walk faster than the "coached" twin. It had more to do with the child's personality than the parents' actions.

Even though my children were late walkers, they are very athletic now. My daughter has done track and my son is in football. Both are very good at gymnastics, swimming and bike riding. Late walking had no effect on their physical skills.

Studies have been done in the past with children in orphanages in Eastern Europe and found children who were 2-3 years old and not walking due to neglect and long periods of confinement. People have wrongly interpreted this and other studies to mean "Any parents with late walkers must be doing something wrong" or even "parents can completely control when their children hit developmental milestones by how much they work with their children" but it's simply just not the case. If your child is over 18 months and still not walking, bring it up with the pediatrician. Otherwise, just let him start when he is ready.

S.

My son is the same way. He is a fast crawler and walking seems to "slow him down". Also, my son has had alot of ear infections and my dr. told me that kids with ear problems may be late walkers. I have also read that skills like walking and crawling are based more on heredity and are much less an indication of intellectual ability. You sound like you have a pretty good handle on his other milestones, don't worry. Like someone else said, in a year or so you won't be worried about this anymore :).

Do worry chances are he is working on other developmental tasks right now. May be he is great at stacking blocks or is saying short sentences. I have found that some kids do things in a different order that most. If you are really worried it is worth getting his hearing tested to make sure his sense of balance isn't off. Giving him plenty of places to explore where he sees other kids walking and running is great. I loved taking my kids to the baby room at the Children's Museum it is where they learned to walk up and down stairs with out killing themselves!
Best of Luck!
A.

My kids were all on the late side when it came to walking. My middle child walked at 15.5 months, and my son was 14 months. I know other kids personally who were around 18 months when they first walked. Your child is still within the normal range so I wouldn't worry. Sounds like he is a quick crawler and is meeting other milestones which is important.
At my middle daughter's 15 month check-up I told her dr. that she still wasn't walking and was a little concerned. She said she wasn't worried and that if by 18 months she was still not walking then they would start some early testing, etc, but even then usually there's no cause for concern.
I know how you feel in that you want your child to reach that milestone but enjoy the pre-walking stage, once they walk it's a whole new game!

Please stop worrying, and please stop paying attention to what other moms say/do at the park. I was a late walker (16-17 months), and one of my sons walked at 15 and a half months. I have friends and cousins whose children didn't walk until 18 months. The normal range for learning to walk is 9-18 months.

Your son is developing well and doing other things. I agree with your husband that it's ridiculous to take a 15 month old to physical therapy just because he's not walking. If he were not even crawling or scooting at that age, that would be different.

I read somewhere that many good athletes were late walkers--the theory is, they were coordinated enough to get around very well crawling, so why walk?

Seriously, please stop stressing out. My friend whose daughter walked at 18 months regretted the time she spent worrying about it.

I think you need to relax a little bit. He will when he is ready. My daughter would walk all over the place, and as soon as she saw me, she would fall down and would not walk again untill I left the room :) She was 18 months... she just wanted Mamma to pick her up and carry her lol

I was in the same boat about a year ago. It is hard when you see other kids doing things and feel that your child is getting "left behind." My son was content to crawl around until he reached 16 months. Within 2 weeks of walking he was running and he caught up to his peers very quickly. I think they can feel our concern and frustration so just try to relax and let your child do it in his own time. Walkinhg doeasn't even have a milestone date because all kids do it on their own time. Something that gave me some peace of mind is research has shown that walking later may actually a good thing because they are using other skills and exploring instead of using energy to figure out walking. Be patient and enjoy the crawling while it lasts!!

Have you considered taking him to a chiropractor? He may be a bit out of line which is subsequently making it difficult for him to walk. I have heard of that happening with other kids- they get back from the chiro and start walking that day. That being said, try not to worry too much. He'll walk when he's ready:)

I wouldn't worry. My daughter didn't walk by herself until 18 months. She had walked hanging onto the wall or someone for months. A teacher from our district came out to the daycare once a month. She had referred us to the school for evaluation. They did come to evaluate her just days after she was walking on her own. They told me I had a "perfectionist" on my hands and that there was nothing physically wrong. Some kids do take longer. But if you are still concerned, it doesn't cost to have the schools evaluate. Just contact your local school for guidelines & information.

I had the same feelings N.. Our daughter didn't start actually walking until she was almost 18 months. She was walking along furniture, with us, etc just like it sounds your son is doing. The best thing to do is just continue to work with him a few times a day, having him walk between parents or from furniture to you. Then just relax (easier said than done, I know) and before you know it he will be walking and running. Our daughter barely starte walking and is already trying to run. I have spoken with specialists about this before with our son and was told that they don't consider it behind until they are at least 18 months old. Plus if he was early that would also factor into it.

Don't worry. My son did not walk until he was a little over 15 months. Boys are just a little slower. It's not uncommon. He'll walk when he "gets it." A year from now you will have forgotten all about this worrying.

I am sure most people on this site have told you already not to worry, you should not worry. My daughter who is now 21 months only and she did not start walking on her own until she was 18 1/2 months old. She was doing the same thing as your son, walking around furniture - but not wanting to take off on her own. Now she is walking all over the place. I got a bunch of rude comments from other mothers saying she was really far behind. Just ignore them. Each child grows at their own pace. The doctor will tell you when and if you should be concerned. Have fun!! You will be chasing after your son soon enough :)

Hi N.! My little boy is 33 now, and I don't remember all the details of what he did when, but it doesn't seem to me that what you describe is so out of the ordinary. I would presume he just doesn't feel like walking yet. Since he seems uncomfortable walking you might take him to a pediatric podiatrist (if there is such a thing) to make sure his feet are all right, but I expect that with no intervention from you he'll be off and running some fine day and then you'll look back on this era as The Good Old Days!

(A good friend of mine didn't say one single word til he was 3-1/2, at which time he said, "Mother, you know I don't like oatmeal. Please bring me something else." So there's just no telling sometimes.)

He sounds like a great kid! Enjoy!

My son was a fast crawler too and he didn't walk until he was 15 months. I don't think he felt the need; he was just so confident with his crawling! He pretty much just practiced taking a step here and there until he could walk better than he could crawl- at least a home. At his daycare, he was much to busy trying to keep up with the other kids to take the time to practice walking. He stunned his teachers when he suddenly took twenty steps across the gym to get to a ball- he had been refusing to even walk holding their hands up to that point. It wasn't until after he was walking that I was able to look back on it and realize how much of that was just his personality and there wasn't anything wrong after all. I'm sure you'll feel the same eventually, but I know it is hard now.

If it helps, my SIL is a physical therapy assistant and she did take a look at my son because of my concerns. After verifying there was nothing obviously wrong with him, she told me to relax and bring it up with the dr. at his 18 month appointment if he's still not walking. A 15-month-old whose not walking isn't all that unusual, though it may feel that way when you see other kids. Try not to stress and enjoy the last few weeks you may have of him not running all over! Its hard enough to keep up with them when they're crawling!

Hi,
I just have to tell you I had just turned 2 years old when I started to walk and there was absolutely nothing wrong with me. I just simply had no motivation to walk. My poor mother just had to carry me around for a little longer then she planned! I'm 32 now and no one would no the difference. Everyone has there own timeline! :)

N.,
Your story is quite familiar to me as I have met two little boys this summer with "low muscle tone". Both boys were very late walkers (great crawlers though). Both boys were both in physical therapy to help build their stregnth and the older boy that was walking wore AFO's to support his ankles. I would say go for the therapy.. it cant hurt!
C.

My youngest child was this way too. One day she just decided she was going to walk. She did it holding my hand, around furniture and toys but not alone until close to 16 months. Don't fret it will happen.

N.,
If you go back in the posts about a year, I was writing the exact same thing. Mine didn't walk until 17 months, even though he took a few steps on his own at 15 months. He just wasn't interested in walking on his own - he would hold our hands occasionally, but would fall to his knees as soon as we let go. I was SO frustrated and worried that he'd never walk. I was reassured by all these wonderful moms that he would eventually walk, and lo and behold - he did!!! Don't worry - it's WAY too soon for physical therapy. He'll get there. He has the muscles to do it (since he can pull up, cruise, and walk with hands/walker), so now he just needs the motivation. That will come to him on his own! I promise!!

A.

My first son didn't walk until 17 months, so don't worry too much yet. We just practiced a lot (home and at day care) and he eventually got it. My 15 mo. old is walking, but certainly not jumping. Sometimes he likes to walk holding my hand, and then holding something in his other hand, so it's not flailing.

Hi N.,

My son took forever to walk. He was 18+ months before he really started walking (actually, he might have crossed the 19 month threshold.) He would take a step here and there behind walkers or next to furniture, but that was it. But then one day he just did it. Now he's 3 1/2 and perfectly normal in his running and jumping, etc. In fact, he runs around so much, that as I write this, I can't picture him walking...he's always moving fast. Maybe he's making up for those few extra months it took him to get going! I'll admit that I was only slightly concerned, but not really nervous about the walking thing. He has an older sister who was 14 months before she took her first steps. What's more, my father told stories that he was older before he started walking. So I sort of expected that my kids would be late bloomers when it came to walking. Both of my children were very verbal and "clear as bells" early on when it came to speaking. I've heard it said that physical kids take longer verbally and verbal kids take longer physically, and in my case that seemed to be true. Anyway, it all evened out in the end.

My son did not start walking until 17 mo. I was so concerned but at the same time knew that he was healthy and would start walking when he was ready. Finally he started at 17 months. I read a recommendation to place him standing with his back against a wall. Then stand a few feet away and encourage him to walk to me. This is how he finally started. And it was like the thought had never occurred to him before. Since then he's been walking like a champ. I think it was mostly his personality - he is a very content (don't like to call it lazy) boy, and crawling was working just fine for him. Why put forth the effort required to learn an new skill? :) Anyway, if your dr. isn't worried I wouldn't worry either. They know how to check for problems with bone structure and muscle tone etc. If your son doesn't have those problems then he'll start when he's ready.

i only have a quick moment and can't get into all of it, but go see a chiropractor that is certified in treating children. They can be a lifesaver!

He likes crawling because it gets him there faster and more steadly then if he was walking. We can understand that walking will be quicker once he knows how but to him it is a keeps him slowed down. Push toys are great for confidence and having him walk between people is another way to give him practice, but I agree with your husband, he will walk soon enough, it isn't something to worry about.