14 Mo. Old Not Interested in Pulling Up, Standing, or Walking...

Updated on April 18, 2012
C.P. asks from Roseville, MI
13 answers

She can stand, cause she has... but when I try to get her to with my help, she wants nothing to do with it :( she is my little roller and just started that about a month and a half ago. She does something new just about every day, just nothing attempting to stand. Any advice on games or something I can do to get her interested? Thanks from a first time mom :)

Thanks for the advice, please keep it coming :) Her Pediatrician said she is developing just fine, she is quite content with just sitting and playing and always has been,.. although, she is not quiet! She babbles and sings all the time! With her being out first child I think we have spoiled her tremendoulsy and so she is used to turning on the water works if she can't do something! She is very smart and has excellent fine motor skills, again, I think its just she is so used to getting her way for so long! She again is fully able to stand up, cause she did with no effort about 2-3 months ago, but realized she did it in front of me and was probably like "ooops, she saw me, can't do that again!" Im not terribly worried, just wanting to get some advice from the momma experts out there :) And lastly she is my petite lil one, at 13 months, she is 20 lbs and 29 inches

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So What Happened?

So ladies, first of all THANK YOU for all the advice and kind words! I am happy to say that after some histerics from her when I stood her up at an upside down laundry basket, it took a few days, but she is now happy to try to stand up to get things! She is not quite doing it on her own, but its only a matter of time :)

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B.B.

answers from New York on

I think you need to talk to your pediatrician. She sounds delayed in her rolling and by 14 months should at least be standing or pulling up. It is completely normal to not walk until 16 months but there should be some interest. In the meantime, if she makes any attempt then applaud her and maybe play and up and down game where you imitate or lift her up and down.

3 moms found this helpful

L.M.

answers from New York on

Talk to your ped, and get ahold of early intervention or whatever it's called in your state. It is free, in home, and they will come to you on your schedule. You can also see if your insurance will cover physical therapy and see if you can find a good PT.

My son is a year old on Thursday and he is not pulling up or cruising. Not really crawling either. He stands holding on, and will "walk" with my hands, but not with push toys. We have been going to a PT for a month and there is alot of improvement, and we're having 2 early intervention evaluators coming to the house tomorrow. So we'll see what happens!

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J.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

does she crawl? maybe she prefers that as transportation. Is she speaking? Maybe shes using her energy for that? If she doesnt want your help can't you encourage her to do it on her own? put puffs or snacks on top of a table and make her work for it? maybe set up games where she has to stand and walk to get to the thing?

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C.J.

answers from Dallas on

I would put toys just out of reach on firm surfaces that encouraged my boys to want to pull up.
sometimes I put them up there just to keep them away from them, but they pulled up to try and get them.
Also, leave them to their own devices. Meaning, if she is looking at something maybe pondering a pull up and stand, don't feel the need to rush over and encourage her - let her do it on her own in her own space (you may already - just tossing out some ideas).
I have also noticed that this "leaving them alone" helps with all sorts of things - crawling, walking, etc.
I may also discuss with my doctor just to rule out any hip displasia(if she was breech) or other medical concerns.
I had a friend whose oldest daughter didn't walk until 16 months - turns out she just liked being carried and mommy and daddy would do it because she was the one and only at the time - smart little boogers:)

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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My rule of thumb (2 part) has always been:

1. Listen to your mommy gut
and
2. Get concerned when the pediatrician gets concerned.

You've already discussed it with your pediatrician (gut) and he/she isn't concerned. Revisit next check up.

And never, never, EVER compare your child to other kids. They are ALL different.

IME, either verbal skills OR motor skills take dominance at any particular phase. Sounds like you're gonna have a little communicator on your hands for the time being!

Relax...All the best!

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K.B.

answers from Detroit on

I would think about contacting Early Intervention if it persists another couple of months. Their services are free and if everything is okay, it may just put your mind at ease. My daughter did not walk independently until 14 months, but she would stand and would cruise holding onto furniture, and she was pulling herself up to stand by 8 months.

A friend of mine got help for her son because he was 13/14 months and his preferred method of getting around was to sit, and drag his butt around while scooting with his arms. Which would have been fine except he was not showing any interest in standing, trying to walk, and not really crawling either. And if he didn't start using his legs in some way to get around, the muscles would not develop as well. So she had him evaluated and he started getting physical therapy and occupational therapy and within a couple of months he was all-out running everywhere!

You might want to consider that, like you said, she just expects you to help her out and therefore she makes no effort. Or like others have said, sometimes they are so into one set of skills (i.e. verbalizing) that others (i.e. gross motor) fall to the wayside, but eventually they usually catch up and even out. I would place things that she wants up on something that she must stand up to reach if she wants them. Another friends son finally decided to let go of the furniture and start walking on his own when he realized it was the only way he could hold something in each hand and get to where he wanted to go! :)

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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

If you really get concerned, you can always talk to your doctor about it.

For what it's worth, my younger daughter wasn't interested in locomotion for a long time. There wasn't anything wrong with her - she was just happy as she was. She was almost nine months old before she even started rolling seriously. Her older siblings, who were watching her while I was in the other room for a minute, said, "Come look!" and the girl had rolled from the middle of the living room floor to underneath the Christmas tree, and was checking out the ornaments on the bottom row.

She finally decided, long after her first birthday, that standing was worth her time, but she didn't start walking until she was sixteen months old - just a couple of weeks before her baby brother arrived. By the calendar, this is way after her siblings did these things.

Now she's a schoolteacher, so we figure she's made up her lost time.

It isn't unusual for a baby to try to do something and then not try again for a while. Sometimes the new movement happens the first few times almost by accident, as it were. Then the child thinks (I'm sure of it), "Hmmm... *how* did I do that again?" and she has to figure it out. Or she'll find something else to interest her and put off the new movement.

My older grandson (15 months old) is a take-your-time kid. He started taking a step or two, and then would think, "Well, that's enough for today," and go back to the more efficient crawling. Then he'd do a little more, and once more go back to the old standby. There was no inability; he just didn't have the motivation. For some reason, his decision to walk full-time came at about the same time he got his first haircut! Maybe the weight of all that hair on his head was keeping him down. :^) At any rate, he's done everything in his own good time - which is a little behind "the norm," but is fine for him.

Oh, and there's nothing unusual about a fourteen-month-old turning on the water works. It's something they do well at that age. It's a phase they go through.

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M.W.

answers from Detroit on

My daughter was behind in her gross motor skill development as well. Walked at 17 months. My Pedi was having a cow about it and wanted to run tests and bloodwork, etc.. I finally changed to a new one, mostly because though she was behind, she was steadily progressing and I didn't want her development put into high gear so she could catch up to the average kid.

One thing that helped was a jumper, not the kind you hang from the door frame, but like a walker type one. It got her legs and core strengthened and was fun with lights and noises. It probably wouldn't hurt to have some PT if this doesn't seem to get her moving. My daughter's delay got better at about 9 months when we vacationed with a pedi ocupational therapist. After a few hours of "playing" and working on core skills she was able to sit up alone. After that point she progressed normally as if she was about 3-6 months younger.

I think that is why I switched Pedi's. They were never satisfied at her progress and only focused on the fact that she was not in her normal age group. Had she stopped progressing, i would've jumped at testing and PT.

Hope this is helpful. Best wishes!

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L.B.

answers from San Francisco on

First of all, always double check with your pediatrician. Now, my first son was pulling himself up on furniture at 7 months but didn't start walking til 11 months. My second son never pulled himself up on furniture and when he started walking he literally stood up in the middle of the floor and did it. He was 15 months, go figure! He was also a clumsy crawler, would actually stumble while crawling poor little guy! He is 16 now and is an amazing athlete. My third did not walk til she was 15 months although around 13 months she literally ran down the hall, realized what she had done and plopped on her butt real fast! I think she was a little intimidated/scared by having two big brothers racing around! I would have worried about my late walkers except my brother didn't walk til he was 18 months. Sounds like your little one is taking her time developmentally seeing as how she just started rolling. Typical rule of thumb is anything within 6 months of the average age is acceptable. That is why I said talk to the pediatrician, they are the best judge of where she should be developmentally. You said she is doing something new just about every day so she is definitely progressing, just at her own rate. Get her favorite toy and put it up at a level where she has to work a little harder to get to it, progress a little higher each day. Then again, if she is like my second son, she just won't be interested in pulling herself up, she will just up and walk one day. Blew us away when he did that, I still remember where I was when his big brother who was 3 at the time ran in and told me his brother was walking. I didn't believe him at first. I ran in the room and he did it again in front of me. Kids are just amazing aren't they?

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N.G.

answers from Dallas on

I wouldn't worry about it, some kids are just content to do what they are doing. My oldest daughter has always been an ambitious little one, and never satisfied with what she's doing, and is still like that. She walked at about 10 months. My younger daughter is very content, very go-with-the-flow, very observant, and she didn't attempt to walk until 15 months.

Your daughter sounds like a content, easy going little girl!

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S.H.

answers from St. Louis on

did you use a walker/exersaucer? I have found that really helps with babies learning to stand. Your child is probably too tall to use one now.... so what about one of the learn-to-walk toys? Where the baby holds on & tries to walk behind the toy - & most of them convert into ride-on toys for later.

As for you helping her....try having her stand on your thighs while you're sitting. Play little games - even singing to her - to get her interested in being eye level with you. Even pulling her back/forth to kiss her...will engage her interest!

Beginning very early, I use every opportunity to say "up" to babies. Every diaper change, every transition from high chair to my arms...I always encourage them to recognize directional words. I also do it with basic words, too. The more you toss at them...the quicker they'll learn!

Contact your local school district's early childhood dept. Ask for ideas, thoughts, & recommendations. They're a great resource!

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M.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

My second child was so chubby chubby she didn't walk until 15 mos. My mom said I was the same way. Your daughter isn't outside the normal range but it never hurts to consult the pediatrician for ideas if you are worried. I found with my second she was just not that concerned with getting around. She is a very laid back child and still to this day just happy to play quietly or people watch. Her older sister was running by 12 mos and never stopped! Just different personalities I guess. She is every bit as smart and coordinated as her sister now - she just wasn't in a hurry!

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