Delayed Walking

My daughter was not a preemie but didn't start walking until about 15 1/2 months. I agree that it can be frustrating, especially when everyone is telling you that its not "normal" but every kid is different and develops differently. Maybe she just likes to crawl. Also, I've noticed that although she developed slowly on motor skills, she advanced in other areas (talking, reasoning). So just hang in there and give her some time. Soon she'll be running everywhere and you'll wish she was just crawling again! There is only so far and so fast they can go on their hands and knees! ;)

Hi, J.!

I used to work for ECI and I would absolutely call them now. You don't say how premature she is but that alone is a risk factor for delay.

I would definitely say jump the gun now. Early Intervention is key. She needs to be monitored at the very least and would qualify depending on her adjusted age based on the delayed walking. There is certainly no harm in having her checked out and no stigma in seeking help at this age. Better now then when she is older.

She may be content but if she's not she could be getting assistance. Everything they do now from holding their heads up to sitting up to cruising to walking is instrumental in the building blocks for later development such as writing.

My son was a preemie and I called for motor delay. He wouldn't be doing as well as he is if I had not called.

Good luck!

Hi -
My twins were preemies and one did not walk until 17 months. My pedi said not to worry until she was 18 months and not showing any signs of walking. I know it is so easy to worry, esp. when your precious one was born early.

I would go ahead and call ECI. It is bascially free and it would be better to have them check her out and make you feel better than just waiting. That is what they are there for and chances are your daughter is fine but they might give you some good ideas to help her get motivated.

My daughter, now 2, was born at 33 weeks. She's been either on time, early or even around 2 months behind on everything. She's across the board!

My Dr.'s rule of thumb is to watch for "emerging skills" you know, signs that they might be close to doing something and aren't quite there yet. We would also set sort of a date to look for more help if we have not accomplished a goal by a certain time.

My daughter cruised well and even would walk holding my hand, but not on her own until right at 20 months. She did not show any signs of "wanting to walk by herself" though. The key was the emerging skill piece which my Dr. recognized. And right at 20 months our intent was to involve ECI if she still wasn't walking but she came in just under the wire and just started doing it.

Once we got her comfortable holding our hand to walk, we started walking her everywhere like that. She figured that out and then started plopping her butt on the floor after a few steps and that's when it came clear to us that she didn't WANT to walk. We kept walking her though and one day we caught her walking across the living room.

20 months for my kid!!! Don't panic, but ask the Dr. if you think your child is showing "emerging skills" and what they think a good cutoff would be.

Hi J.,

Please do not be afraid to be too aggressive with the interventions your child may need. The more intervention you get early on - the better off your child will be!

My daughter which is now fixing to be four (my how times flys) didn't start walking until she was 18 mths old. I took her to a foot doctor and everything and they told me nothing was wrong. Now I know she just does everything when she wants to do it. Don't give up. It will happen soon and you will be wishing she wasn't so fast....

Our preemies (born at 25 weeks) didn't walk until they were 18 mo old (15 mo adjusted) and we had ECI come in to help us teach them how to stand, etc...our couches were too high for them to get a good grip and we didn't have a coffee table so that was a disadvantage. Our son was full term and I'll be darned if he did JUST what your daughter is doing with the Indian-style thing - then bam, he hit 15 mo and began pulling himself up!

My son was 5 weeks early and was always a little behind in meeting his development goals. He started to walk between 15 and 16 mo out of the blue, no signs of wanting to walk at all, and then took off like you wouldn't believe. I had the same concerns on calling ECI, but my pedi thought we should hold off just a bit longer. I am so glad we did. Now he is 2.5 and right on time with everything. Sometimes it just takes them a bit to catch up. It is really a mom's instinct, if you need peace of mind, then call. If not, do what you think is best or consult your pedi.

My perfectly normal, talks like he is going on 35, bargain reasoning 4 year old didn’t walk until he was 18.5 months old (NOT a preemie). Daycare tried to tell me that something was wrong and when I asked him about it he informed me that he just enjoyed crawling. I would give it a little more time, they are all so very different!

Good Luck,
E.