Niece Not Walking

Updated on February 19, 2007
J.G. asks from Orange Park, FL
5 answers

My niece who is now 15 month old is still not showing any interest in walking. I was wondering if this happen to any other moms. Whats too old when it comes to walking? My son started at 11 months, and all my friends kids started earlier than that? my sister in law says she's not worry but my brother is kind of freaking out. they are going to take her to see a specialist to see if there are any problem here next month. Well i was just wondeing if there where any moms out there who's kids didn't walk at 16 or 18 months. thanks
Johannna

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K.O.

answers from Jacksonville on

My son did not walk until he was 18 months old, but we had also had early intervention and we were seeing a physical therapist. He is now running and jumping and completely caught up with other kids his age, he is now 2 1/2. If they live in Florida there is a state program that can help and it is free if the child qualifies(it is based on delay in development). The website is cms-kids.com and you click on the Early Steps link under infant toddler. Hope this helps.

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E.T.

answers from Jacksonville on

AS AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST. I WOULD SEE ABOUT GETTING EVALUATED BY A PHYSICAL THERAPIST TO ASSIST WITH WALKING. THE DOCTOR CAN WRITE A SCRIPT FOR A PHYSICAL THERAPY EVAL. BUT IT MY TAKE TIME FOR THE PARENTS TO BE READY TO ACCEPT AND ASK FOR HELP. WHO KNOWS THE CHILD MAY GROW OUT OF IT. HOPEFULLY THE DOCTOR WILL SUGGEST PT.

craniosacral therapy IS ALSO A GOOD IDEA IF SEEN BY A TRAINNED PERSON WITH LOTS OF EXPERENCE AND FOLLOWED UP BY THE BABY'S DOCTOR. ALWAYS FOLLOW UP WITH THE DOCTOR AND IF YOU ARE NOT HAPPY WITH A DOCTOR DO NOT BE SHY TO CHANGE DOCTORS OR TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. FAMILY MEMBERS KNOW MOST ABOUT A CHILD.

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S.L.

answers from Jacksonville on

J.,

It is not completely uncommon for your niece not to be walking, it is within the range of normal. How is her other development? Is she pretty much doing everything but crawling? Is she cruising? Is she stacking blocks etc? If everything else seems to be on track she might just be afraid to take the plunge so to speak.

Did she do other things later such as rolling over, sitting, crawling? If so she may just need more work to build her core muscles. Especially, if she didn't have a lot of tummy time when she was first starting out.

I would also suggest a visit to a chiropractor and/or a cranial sacral therapist. I can give you referrals if you are in the Jacksonville area. Sometimes children are injured at birth and a slight adjustment does wonders or if she has chronic ear infections this could possibly cause her to feel unbalanced and thus delay walking...chiropractic adjustments have saved many from tubes and life long vertigo problems. I have known at least two or three people that have seen dramatic results from late walkers through craniosacral therapy. I know these are considered alternative treatments..but much less invasive or risky than a battery of tests on a baby.

What type of birth did your SIL have? Was it vaginal, or c-sections? Were forceps/vaccum used? Was she induced? If so then your niece could have been born prematurely and that might explain some of it.

Has your niece been vaccinated? If so she could be suffering from vaccine damage. So children react to the preservatives in vaccines and sometimes the vaccines themselves. Have they noticed changes in her behavior after she has had vaccines?

What sort of diet does your niece have? Is she still nursing? You may have them really examine her diet and make sure she is getting plenty of protein and essential fatty acids. Remember milk is okay but too much could cause problems. Foods rich in fatty acids (EFA DHAs) are fish and eggs. And of course fresh fruit and veggies. Staying away from processed foods is not always possible but the better choice.

It is probably likely that your niece is completely normal and there is nothing to worry about...I am just offering these things as suggestions if you find there are things to examine. I would be glad to speak with you in more detail if you have questions, just email me. HTH, S.

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A.G.

answers from Jacksonville on

Hi
my son started walking around at 10 mths by 12mths he was running. My daughter didn't even try till she was 13 mths. Everyone is different. Its probably nothing to worry about but if your brother is flipping out they should just take her to her regular doctor.

Good Luck

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A.

answers from Jacksonville on

Both of my girls walked by 16 months. It is pretty normal. Some kids develop different abilities first. Like both of my girls speak very clear by the age 15 months, when most of the kids don't. Now, I do know another mom who has a son who walked by 22 months. They did MRI's and lots of studies and he is in speach therapy as well, he is not autistic or anything, just motor delayed. By the age 1 year old, he was told to be like a 9 month old motor skill development. He wasn't developing any other ability to be distracted from walking.

Hope it helps

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