My 16 Month Old Refuses to Walk.....

This is just a hunch, but with him having a sister that's a little over a year older than him... I wonder if you don't pay more attention to him when he's NOT walking vs. when he is? It may be that it's just an attention thing, and if you don't react to it, he'll stop. I may be way off base, but it's just an idea!!

Sweety,
Don't worry, just pray and ask GOD to help you to have patient.my son was club feet, they put a cast on it at 4mons. old, i had a fit. but I prayed and God fixed it. he don't walk funny, now his feet just BIG, so it might take sometime baby but he'll be just find. and we all will pray withyou.

He is probably just being lazy, but there are several things that could affect his development that you should have checked out.

If he has good muscle tone and his joints are fine it could be a cognitive deficit which he could outgrow or may need physical or occupational therapy for.

Have you had his vision checked? It is a possibility that he has vision problems, my nephew had some vision problems (he was a preemie and had many problems) and wasn't walking, then his eyes were fixed (his required surgery) and he was walking like a pro after that.

Check out this developmental site and if you have concerns that your child is not developing normally talk to a pediatrician or child development specialist about it.

http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/baby-development-main.htm

Remember all children develop differently and it is only after several months of missing milestones that you should truely worry, but also remember that catching a problem earlier is better. No question is dumb, and no concern is unwarranted, if your pediatrician is shrugging it off and not listening to your concerns, find a new one.

Also if your baby was a preemie don't forget to subtract the number of weeks early he was as this would be his actual age, (so if your baby was 4 weeks early he would be considered 15 months instead of 16.)

Good luck. :)

Wow you have your hands full. You should get an award to for keeping your sanity with them a year apart. I love it though. Mine are 19 months apart and they do a lot of the same things now. Your little one will get around however she wants. Just don't carry her when she gets to a place she does not want to crawl. And she will start eventually.

K. S

Well don't worry...my son (now 20) was almost two when he walked. He preferred to roll everywhere!! Your baby will get the erge when he's ready. We just kept persuading him to walk every chance we had. You'll probably find out that he will start off running and then you'll say...I wish he was still crawling!!! hahahaha Seriously, he's fine and will do it when he's ready.

i worked in a few day cares and have 2 kiddos of my own.... when i was in the toddler room (which is the room he would be in) there were so many kids who crawled and did the knee walking you wouldn't believe... kids do things at their own pace, but if hes not talking by 2 i would talk to the doc again... until then count your lucky stars he doesn't like to walk!!!

You have seen him walk so you know it is not a physical problem. He just doesn't see the need to walk at this time. Lucky for him that he can take his time and just crawl around. Let him enjoy it and you also. You are probably like many mothers and we all just toss those babies on our hip and go. He'll be walking soon all the time. Relax and enjoy!

My daughter is 23 months old. She will be 2 on November 4th. She did the same thing. I thought she wasn't ever going to walk. The doctor wanted us to put her in therapy when she wasn't walking at 18 months but we decided to wait just a little longer. We knew she could do it because we would see her every now and then take a step. She would crawl to the coffe table or the couch and stand up, let go and take a step or two but when she realized that she walked a couple of steps back to crawling she would go. We started holding her hands and walking around with her. We would do it 3 or 4 times a day. We would make a circle around the kitchen or the couch. She tought it was fun. Then we would just hold 1 hold. She finally walked on her own July 4th. She was very wabbly but by the middle of August she was going good. Now she tries to run. I got her one of those fisher price walking toys and she loves that thing. She calls it her cart. She walks everywhere with it. We also got her a Fisher Price activity Table and she loves that too. For Christmas we are giving her the Fisher Price Baby Grand Piano. She is gonna love it. Don't worry. Your son is fine.

Please, don't worry about it. Don't force him to walk. The pediatrician IS RIGHT.

My son was 2 before he walked in confidence. He could walk by 16 months but CHOSE to crawl in many situations that I didn't want him to because it was more comfortable for him.

Perhaps he is too busy exploring the new surroundings to be comfortable walking as it takes alot of concentration for a newbie to walk and not fall over. Also at 16 months babies are top heavy and the feeling of 'falling over' can be no fun when all you want to do is explore all that is around you.

At 16 months he shouldn't have the pressure to walk if he is not confident in his skill level yet.

Peace,

Susann

Hey somehow i missed your post 3 days ago, but girl I can tell you about a late bloomer. The biggest of my twin boys didnt start walking until he was 18 months! And to add to it, he was about 33 lbs, so I (115 lbs) was toting around a 33 lbs baby who I had seen walk a time or two but he just chose not to do it alot. He too walked on his knees & crawled. ??? Don't get it, but he likes to do things his ay & in his time. He is very "his own little person".

Your baby will walk, just let him do it when he chooses. All babies walk at some point, although it does seem like you'll be toting them to get their highschool diploma-lol

Hope this helps!

My daughter was 19 months old before she walked. I was worried sick, thinking she was developmentally delayed, but she finally did it and has not stopped since. I am sure your son will do it also. Also, my son was sixteen months old before he walked. Both of my children were late walkers but ended up fine. Good luck!

My son did the same thing. He loved to use his push toy to walk, because he could run with it. He was about 16 months before he actually let go and started walking on his own. He wouldn't until he could run without the push toy. He just did whatever was faster. I know it is frustrating when other children the same age are running around, but he will be just fine. My son is now four and he has is just as fast and agile as other children his age.

Just like with all skills learning to walk requires motivation and practice. My son was 13 months when he started walking. He was motivated just by wanting to keep up with us as we explored outdoors but you are going to have to figure out what will motivate your child. Also, help your son practice by walking him around every chance you get. We walked my son by holding both his hands up but we also used a special padded rope called the walk-o-long that saved our back. It's amazing what your child can learn with a little practice.

My son was a little frustrated that he moved slower while walking than he did by crawling so we slowed our pace and helped him back up when he fell down. Also, have him wear long pants so falls don't hurt so bad. If you are really worried then follow your instincts and get a second opinion from a doctor. However, my nephew and my neighbors child didn't walk until they were 18 months old and they are both fine now, a year later.