One Year Old Not Walking, Talking, Gesturing

Boys are slower at developing. As long as he makes eye contact and moves around, I would not worry so much. My first son walked at 9 mos but my 4th son was 15 mos before walking. My 5 year old did not talk until he was almost 4 and my 2 year old talks all the time. Just relax. As long as you don't see any muscular problems, he will eventually catch on.

What is the daycare doing to help? Is he down on the floor playing, are they interacting with him , or is he staying in his crib all day. Remember that essentially the daycare is raising him, so what are they doing? I would not worry about working on colors yet, but let him down to play on the floor and crawl around, he will start to pull up and get moving, try talking to him and say dada and mama, try to get him to repeat it. What does his Dr. think?

Click here if you need more info: http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/publications/EngDevelopm...
This is the timeline that Texas ECI programs use. According to ECI he has 2 more months to cruise the furniture, wave his hand and say "mama" "dada" and at least one other word before you have to worry. He has until 18 months to start walking on his own! Some children do take longer! As long as he's grabbing for toys, interacting with you and others and babbling or otherwise expressing himself it is probably too early to call ECI. Ask the teachers at his daycare if they are concerned. Childcare providers have seen it all!

I do in-home childcare and I see them all! You have the ones that are "observers" which is probably what your son is, and you have your "doers". The "doers" don't think before they do things, and the "observers" soak it all in until they're ready to just bust out all of the 'moves' that they've learned.
My child is a "doer" and a total handful! Count your blessings. :)
Relax and enjoy your little one. I will say to try to get him onto a sippy cup and some table food. He should be off the bottle by 15 months and be eating what you are eating around this time. If you are concerned, talk to your pedi. He/she will tell you anything that you need to hear. Remember, every child is differnt. :)

My daughter did not even attempt to pull up or walk or anything until 17 months and actually never crawled at all...well until about 5 months ago...she just turned 25 months. We went through ECI which is a great option but honestly I think my daughter just wanted to do things on her own at her own pace. I am sure your son is fine and try not to compare him to others...I know it is hard but every kid develops at different times. If you are really worried call the doctor and most likely (from experience) they will set ECI up for you and possibly want you to send your child to a Neurosurgeon...that is what our doctor insisted on...turns out my daughter was fine and is fine..so don't freak out if they tell you that like I did! It will all be ok and you will be able to look back on it and wonder what was I worried for!

Every baby develops on their own pace. If the pediatrician isn't concerned, then you should not be either. Our son is just now 2, and he didn't walk until 14 - 15 months old. He wasn't talking much until about 3 or 4 months ago. He's perfectly normal. I understand what you mean about not knowing the family background, as my husband is adopted also. But have faith in your pediatrician, and know that if there is any reason for concern, they would let you know.

Don't worry about it yet. 13 months is very young to be worrying about some of the things you mentioned. My son did not walk until he was 18 months old and he didn't talk until around then either.

My daughter started walking at 13 months, but she just turned 2 and she is JUST NOW starting to talk. So, it all comes at different rates.

I would say just continue what you are doing and pay attention to him. Babycenter.com has charts which show the ranges your child should be starting to achieve some milestones - check those out and see if your child is around those milestones.

Good luck!
L.

The man I married didn't walk until he was 14 months old, and didn't talk till he was three, whereas our children, one girl, walked at 8 months, two boys both walked at 9 months.
But, this slow to get up man grew up and started his own business, and became a millionaire. And our children grew up and are good people, but nothing makes them stand out.

I have read of famous and successful men who seemed very slow to develop when they were infants/toddlers. Google Churchill, Einstein, Thomas Edison.
It might help you to put things in perspective.

Your little baby might be developing his brain to a higher level, and it won't show up until sometime in the future.

Call ECI!(Early Childhood Intervention) Never wait on anything you are concerned about. Because if there is something going on then you can start EARLY intervention.
My son did the same thing and thank God I started early.
Listen to YOUR GUT!!!!

If you are concerned, it never hurts to have him evaluated. Your pediatrician can refer you to ECI or you might just call them and ask how to get an evaluation. ECI is Early Childhood Intervention. It never hurts to just check. You would rather check now than wait until later- it is one of those, it's better to be safe than sorry things. Our little one had ECI from the time she was 6 months old until she was 3, which is when they are discharged from the program. I don't know if you are familiar with it or not. If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them for you. And, who knows.... he may just not be ready yet.

Hey there Becky, I know you've gotten a lot of responses and I haven't read through them all, but right now I don't think you need to worry. Children develop differently and one thing you have to learn is to not compare to others -- it is not a race. I have three children, all girls, and they all developed differently. My oldest was 13 months when she walked and spoke exceptionally well by age 2, she sounded more like a 3 year old. My middle child walked at 11 months but speech was more along the "averages" and she even had a temporary stutter which I took her to a speech specialist for but in the end it was just that her mouth couldn't keep up with her mind and she outgrew it. My youngest was 17 months by the time she walked and I would say she was the slowest of the three as far as speech development. But she is turning three in two weeks and now you can't shut her up, and of course she runs, climbs and jumps with the best of them. And it intelligent as anything, so hitting those milestones clearly didn't have any reflection on her mental abilities.

So my advice is to not worry, but just monitor him and be sure to consult with your pediatrician. And, too, historically boys hit their milestones slightly later than girls, so that is also something to keep in mind.

it couldn't hurt to call ECI, but keep in mind all kids are different, ECI may just help to put your mind as ease.

I have three boys, my 1st talked up a storm at 12 months, he could have a full blown conversation at 15 months, but didn't walk till 17 months, my second had a lot of words at 12 months and started walking at 12 months, and my third didn't walk till 21 months and didn't say a word till he was 24 months, he would gesture for milk but that was it, but now he is 4 and he is NEVER quiet! I wasn't worried about any of my kids because they seemed to be happy well adjusted kids. but I was told to contact ECI on my third for his walking, but by the time I got around to it (we were in the middle of having a house built and moving at the time) but soon as we got in the new house he stood up and walked and never looked back, they just seem to do it when they are ready. ECI is a good thing and will help you evaluate any potential problems, it just might put your mind as ease.

I was wondering how things are going now? My son is 13 months this month (May 2011) and he is exactly the same! I thought nothing of it until the pediatrician told me he may miss some milestones. My son is loving, gives hugs, loves to play and laugh.....he seems fine to me! Hearing that from my pediatrician was awful!

DO NOT FREAK OUT!!! My daughter is now 3 yrs old but she did not crawl till 10.5mths and then didnt walk till ALMOST 15 mths. Dont worry about it just yet. She was making her other markers and even some that she shouldnt have been making yet. I bet he's just working on talking right now. Besides studies has linked the length of time crawling to reading abilities/levels (longer crawlers do better). I would talk with your Dr about these concerns and I'm sure they will put you at ease. Hang in there, it can be tough, especially with competitive moms around.

Something else, with my daughter we had to get on the ground and make her walk..back and forth between us and we used a toy she could push around to trick her into walking haha.. Those may work for you as well.

My son didn't start walking until 17 months old and now he is EVERYWHERE!

Hi Becky, don't make the mistake of comparing your baby boy to everyone else. We all learn at our own pace. If he his crawling & pulling up he will take off soon. I am a 55 yr. old grandmother of 7, a family of 2 brothers & 3 sisters that now total 52, trust me he is ok & your are doing a great job. I personally didn't walk til I was 15 months old. That's the only thing I've been slow at, lol. Not every child babbles, some just start talking & you wish they would stop, lol. I feel sure that if there were something wrong with his spine or legs the doctor would have found it before now. Try not to worry so much take it one day at a time. Get him a push toy to pull up to & walk that has worked on several babies in my family. Your concern shows what a great Mom you are. Keep up the good work. God bless you & yours.

do you see a pediatrician for regular check ups? Start there. Some children just take longer. I worked full-time with my eldest. He was slow at everything, but boy did he catch up later!

Hello again, Becky.
I also recommend ECI. I used to work at one as an early intervention specialist and they have wonderful services.
Victoria

I say count your blessings. My second son is now 6 months and has been crawling well for a couple weeks, and started pulling up on everything last week. I'm sure he'll be walking anytime soon. You can't imagine how sad I am that my baby is growing up so fast. I wanted to cherish his babyhood since he's my last baby. Enjoy the time with your son being a "baby", not a "toddler", because 6-month-olds should not be so very close to toddlerhood, in my opinion. My first son was slower, but was walking full time by 1 year. I was able to enjoy him as a baby much longer. I say because he's your first and only, he's just taking his time and why not?? What's the rush, right?

Trust your gut, but remember that all babies are different and develop at different rates!

Have him evalualated, Mama! Don't let him get any further behind.
There are state and county services for this. You may find them easily or not, but don't give up. Maybe a church or Richardson's Neighborhood Services. (probably a good place to start if you live in Richardson.)

Tell me--does he look you in the eye, enjoy touch and holding?

Has your pedi said anything to you at his check ups? They ussually ask you general ?s regarding his development.?

DS did not walk until 17 mon. He was doing the military crawl before that. I know, there are babies that walk at 9 months. Your DS has his own schedule. I think at 13 mon, he should be babbling? Or says dada or syllables like that. But, not necessarily that dada is referring to dad, just that he babbles.