Too Scared to Walk.. Not Confident?

This is still normal.
Make sure when she does fall to pretend it is not a big deal and not to react. Tell others to do the same.

Have you tried holding onto a toy and letting her also hold onto it with you? Walk around together.. Let her pick up different toys for a few days.

Once she gets used to this, at some point when she is not looking let go and let her walk along. you continue to walk next to her.

The other thing you can do is get a laundry basket and let her push it around the the house. It will pretty much slide on anything.

Give her time. She is just very careful.. remember to let her walk barefooted when inside or on grass.. It is easier with out shoes or socks to walk..

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Don't push sister...I promise you that as soon as she does start to walk you are going to be wishing she wasn't!!

They are only so little for such a short mount of time...enjoy it while it lasts:)

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My daughter was the exact same way! She knew how to walk and I could tell that she could do it, but she was not ready to walk until about 14 or 15 months old. She loved to have us "walk" her around (while holding on to our fingers) and leaned on furniture and stuff, but took her time to actually walk on her own. But when she was ready, she took off and had the confidence to do it on her own. A walking toy that she could lean on would be a great idea; that way you could take a break from holding her hands, and it might help her gain a little confidence in her balance. She'll get there, don't worry. :-)

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Keep holding her hand and one day she will let go and walk alone.

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Let her be on her own. You do not know if it is balance, arches in her feet that need to develop more. Make sure that her shoes bend very easily and do not put any strain on any part of the foot.
I would prefer the socks with the rubber grip bottoms to begin with, in the home. At any rate, there is not problem with crawling as coordination is developing there. Toddlers need this stage. It is very imporant.
Enjoy her where she is at!!

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My DD was the same way...would only hold onto furniture and would resort to crawling whenever she fell down...and then 1 week after she turned 14 months, she just suddenly decided she was walking. She walked all over the house on her own and never crawled again.

Have her walk in her bare feet, or with socks with the non-slip bottoms, so she's less likely to wipe out and she gets a better sense of balance. You can also try a walker-type toy that she can hold onto and push along as she goes.

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Both my twin daughters were late walkers. Pushing doll strollers around seemed to help them build confidence. Since you've already seen she has the ability to walk on her own, I'm confident she'll get back to it soon when she feels motivated and then before you know it, you'll be running to catch up with her :-). I'm guessing some sort of fun thing she likes to do (like the strollers were for my girls) would probably provide just enough 'distraction' to get her mind off of worrying about falling.

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For many children, being willing to accept the risk of falling is the last part of 'readiness' for walking. Until she feels secure that the act of walking is worth the risk of falling-- which hurts- she'll be happier with your support. Emotional readiness is a big part of many different points of a child's development, and walking is a huge step in their independence. Enjoy the finger-holding while you can, and if you don't worry about her confidence-- she'll gain it, rarely do we see a typical child not walking!--she'll do just fine.

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my girl didn't walk till she was 14months...I remember wanting her to walk so badly but I'll tell ya once she learned it was a whole new ball game...enjoy this baby time cause you'll never sit again:) I know you want her to walk and she will just give her the time and confidence she needs to be able to do it in her own. Yes, it will drive you nuts but you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

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Hi Sammii'smom!

I am with the other mom's here...enjoy this time...after my eldest son walked...I was 'knocking down' the 'youngers' as they tried! (joking).

One of my twins has medical/developmental issues. They told me she would 'never' walk...and she didn't for a L O N G time. Anyway, when she was finally able to...she still wanted to hold my hand. I finally got her to where we would 'hold' onto either end of a tissue!! lol She did that for MONTHS...and finally one day the tissue 'fell' away!

Thanks for the memory...
michele/cat

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My DD is a weird learner. We will see her doing something, and think 'YAY! she rolled over!' (Or scooted, crawled, walked...) then we will only see her do it very seldomly until one day, usually 2 months later, she will all of a sudden be doing it in full force. She did that with walking too. She took her first steps on her own about 3 months ago. She would walk holding our finger, but we could NOT get her to walk on her own again very often. Then last week, out of the blue, she walked the entire length of the hallway. Now she is walking everywhere.

It must be the name! my daughter sami was born 2/6 & didn't walk until 4/28! And to this day we swear she's going to be late to her own funeral! We live 2 seconds from her one school she attended & she was still just making it there by the late bell.....................with me driving her!!!!!!!!!!!!

She sounds like a thoughtful and careful young lady. Let her do it at her own pace without pushing. She'll see something she wants to get to across the room and forget that she's nervous and just go. My girls were both like this, and did great by taking it at their own speed. She probably will not be a daredevil, but that's fine. Maybe be a little less available when she wants to get somewhere and see how she does. Enjoy this great age and get lots of pictures.

My daughter walked on her knees for a very long time. Then we let her play on our bed where she learned how to fall and that falling could be fun. She got up, fell, laughed, and did it again. After that she seemed to get more confidence.

My 3rd child was the same way! She took her first couple of steps around 13 months -- and I wasn't even there to see because I was in the hospital, delivering her sister. :-( Then, she didn't walk consistently until she was around 18 months. So glad we had a double stroller for those 5 months!

Anyway, she figured it out eventually and all was well. She's now 18 and runs, as her sister says, "like it's her job." She's just my tentative girl -- always has been. She doesn't do something in front of others until she KNOWS she can do it and do it well. She likes to take her time when it comes to new things. It's never been a developmental issue or a problem with friends or in school -- it's just her.

Enjoy who she is. Encourage her. Don't make a big deal of the falls and bumps. Give her support but try not to "baby" her. She'll be fine -- and you'll miss these days.

Some kids are more cautious. My son was always more of an "observer" that one to "charge in"! When she walks on her own, I'll bet ya she's running! Give it time. Let her go at her own pace.