Learning to Walk

My brother did not start walking untill he was 18 months and so did one of my good friends and they are both just great. I am envious of you ;) my son started running at 11 months, and I cant have a minute to sit down untill he goes to sleep. sigh. If you have talked to his pediatrician and they are not worried, I would not worry. It is in no way a reflection on you as a mom! He just is not ready to take those steps on his own. There really is no trick other than what your doing already.

1 mom found this helpful

S.
I wouldn't worry about if you're talked to the pediatrician. One thing my hubby and I did was sit on the floor across from each other. We made it a game for our boys. each tie he walked from one to the other we made a big deal, clapping cheering him on. Then we'd move a bit further apart each time. It became a game all three of my boys loved to play. Don't stress, your lil' one can sense that.

S. L Jaskolski
www.ShazzArtisticVisions.com

I didn't walk until I was two. My mom wasn't overly concerned bc she knew I was able, just didn't want to. I don't know that I would worry yet, esp since he pushes walkers, holds your hands etc. He might just be cautious. As long as he is putting weight on his legs and taking steps one at a time, holding on, I think he is probably fine. Call your ped to put your mind at ease.

S.,
I am not sure if this will help but what I am about to tell you has been told to me throught the years of my life, some of you may think it is funny ( I sure did ) but here it is ..
My Older Brother was a Twin born 2nd and he did not walk til he was allmost 2 years old.. the Doctor (a very old home remedy type of doctor).. told my Mom to hang his toys out of his reach to where he will have to stand and get them.. it will take awhile but he will start getting up and he will walk.. my Mom told me it took about a month or so but it worked.. I do hope this will help and if you need to know more about it feel free to e-mail me... B.

Don't worry! I have 4 kids who are all very smart and all started walking between 15-17 months. I was glad...as soon as they're mobile you'll be racing around after him. Also, there is some research supporting a link between reading skills and crawling. Supposedly the longer they crawl, it positively affects their ability to read later. Be grateful for the extra time crawling. He will just one day start preferring to walk, but right now he feels okay with getting places by crawling. There are exercises you can do to help it, but I never did them because they kind of just decide on their own. If you want, line up your kitchen chairs in a row, spaced a bit so he can start at one end and "walk" with help to the other end....place a toy on the end chair. space the chairs further every few days. You're not a failure...now relax! If he's 2 and still not walking, consult your doctor then.

My daughter didn't walk until she was 18 1/2 months old. She pulled herself up, stood and cruised around holding onto things. She had some nasty spills when she first pulled herself up at 13 months, so that made her a bit more cautious (of course, my back was turned when she fell, so I don't know what happened, just the aftermath). We think she just wanted to be able to walk perfectly and not do so much falling down. The week before she walked on her own, she would take a few independent steps into our arms from a piece of furniture. Then she just stood up and walked on January 13, 2005 (9:30 am) She was an early talker, too. I agree that kids focus on one thing at a time, either they walk early or they talk early. Now she sounds like a 10 year old when she speaks with you.

Hope this helps. I worried, too, but only because my feet turned out when I was a baby and I was concerned that she would have the same problem, but she doesn't.

My doctor recommended not using a walker. She said that it teaches little ones to lean forward when walking. If you take away the walker they will fall down if they use the same posture. I would get rid of it.

Oh, also, fyi, Einstein didn't walk until he was 2! You are doing great and all kids are different :)

Hi, My son had zero interest in walking until he was 14 months old. He wouldn't even push a walker much! But once he did, he never fell. He is now nearly three. He is still very cautious about physical things like slides, swings....
He was an early talker though. By 17 months he was using three word sentences. He has never referred to himself in the third person. We like to think he was just saving up his energy for early mental advances over the physical.
I hope this was somewhat comforting! N.

Please don't feel like a faliure. Let him alone for a week or two with out any pressure and see what he does. He too may feel the pressure to walk and just gives up. He sounds like he's got all the other steps down, relax a bit and give him some space. He will surprise you!

My son just turned 17 months today and doesn't really walk by himself either. He'll walk when using a push toy, or holding onto someone's hands. He can take a few steps by himself, but he just started doing that last week. He has started trying to stand from a sitting position, and loves when he plops back down on his bum. You're not alone in this. I think my son is just lazy...plus he's spoiled... He knew that mom or dad would come pick him up if he cried enough.

S.. I would talk to his pediatrician. I agree with all the responses you have. In my experience, if they aren't walking by 18 months they will look into it more. The youngest of my 4 didn't walk until then. They were going to put him in physical therapy but one day, he just up and started walking. Relax until his 18th checkup. Hope everything goes well. Email if you have anymore questions. ____@____.com

S.

the only advice I have is to leave him alone. I know you want him to wlak but forcing him will make him rebell from you. Let him do it on his own. He rpobably feels like you are making him do it. Every baby is different. So just give him time.

S.,
my son 17 months just started walking about a month and a half ago so no big deal which i thought it was because of his size hes a big boy but it has came to my attention that all kids are different no matter there size or shape and try the ball thing my son started walking by me bouncing his favorite ball and backing away from him with it good luck

Hi S.!

My daughter did not walk until she was 16 months old. She was 11 months old before she crawled. She was just like your son...perfectly content to do her own thing. The doctor told me not to worry about it. The doc said that there was no time table to worry about unless she got past 2 years old and wasn't walking.

So, my mom and I taught her to walk one weekend. My daughter LOVES her Nana AND she loves to play with a ball. So, my mom got about 3 feet from me and held my daughter's favorite ball. I would balance her and start her walking, then ease my finger out of her hand. If she wanted her Nana and her ball, she had to get there. It didn't take her long to toddle over to my mom and the ball. Gradually my mom would move father away from me. We just kept at it several times all weekend and by the time my mom left, my daughter was walking. Don't know if any of this helps, but it might be worth a try.

By the way -- I used to get SEVERE judgement from other moms on my daughter's slow development. I was told I wasn't doing good enough and my daughter received negative attention because of her slow development. She is now a very active and bright 4 year old. Her preschool teachers tell me all the time that she is one of the most advanced in her class. I always said that my daughter did things in her own time and in her own way. Maybe your child is this way, too.
Take care,
S. A.

You are not a failure! Kids walk at different times. If he is not walking by two, which I really doubt, then I would be concerned. My oldest daughter didn't walk until she was 19 months old. We laughed because she counted her first steps out loud; she could count before she could walk! Just enjoy him and realize that kids do things in their own time.