i have a little concern, my 11 month old son still walks on his tippy toes.. he can't walk by himself yet, and when i hold his hands to walk, he won't plant his feet on the ground, he just wants to run on his tippy toes!.. should i be worried?
i am also concerned that since we used a walking toy between 7 and 11 months that this has caused this manner of walking, and now want to correct it.. so my question is; is it normal that an 11 month old still walks on his tippy toes instead of planting his foot firmly on each step? please share your experiences or knowledge on the subject!
i just wanted to say thank you for the responses i have received so far, i have a sister in law who fills my head with all sorts of ideas of what i am doing wrong with my child!! it is so lovely to come here and share and hear experiences with other moms and know i am not going totally off course! thanks so much!!!
My daughter is almost 3 1/2 yrs old and didn't walk until 17months. She walked on her tip toes and still does! In fact, she likes to run across the room on her toes! The pediatrician said it's perfectly fine and she is normal developmentally. The only effect I've noticed is that she has very STRONG calves! :)
Good luck~it's great that you're vigilant about this, but try not to worry.
When my oldest (now 10 1/2 years old) was starting to walk, she also walked on her tippy toes, and I was told it was a "developmental delay." Well, she STILL walks on her tippy toes about 95% of the time. It's just what she does. She has NO (zero, zip, zilch) developmental delays. In fact, she has been enrolled in a gifted program for the last 3 years, and her teacher told her that the gifted program was actually too easy for her.
She is also VERY physically adept. She had earned her brown belt in karate by the time she was only 9 years old, and is very near to her black belt. She runs, plays softball and soccer, swims, roller blades, skis, snowboards, AND walks on her tippy toes.
I would say, that most children out grow it. The few who don't--well, as long as it doesn't effect them physically, don't worry about it too much.
I know you have a lot of responses already, but my 2 cents is that there is most likely no problem. My twins have almost always - and still almost always - walk on their toes. So does my husband; so does his brother; so does his dad, it's evidently a family trait! I've heard that this can be signs of developmental delays, but I don't believe that as my kids are right on or ahead of most other 2 1/2 year olds I have seen. I wouldn't worry if I were you, and it sounds like you're not! Good luck!
All of my walking children did this when younger and they gre out of it. They walk just fine now and are not bow-legged or flat footed. Good luck!
Make it a GREAT day!
S.
I don't know if this helps, but my daughter is almost 5 and still walks on her tippy toes. She can walk on her flat foot, and will, but usually she is on her toes. She has great calf muscles!
I have heard that walking on tippy toes is a sign that the tendon is too tight in the heal/foot and that they can't walk flat. I worried about my daughter, but she can and does walk flat so I stopped worrying, she just does what she does. If you are really worried you can take him to be looked at, although it could get pricey. Look it up online and see what it says. If you put his foot flat (with a little pressure to equal weight) does it seem to bother him?
You were probably hoping for more help than this, but this is all I've got. Sorry. Good luck!
Kids develop at their own pace. This is normal. My kids didn't walk until over a year and they did this for a long time. I tried shoes with firm soles and it did nothing except make them crawl. First time moms are always wondering and that is good. I think you are doing a great job.
I wouldn't worry about it. If he was older it could be a sign of autism(among many others), but at his young age its pretty normal. Even if he never stops it won't hurt him. I would just let him walk "normal" at his own pace. Also toe walkers are usually a bit quieter walkers then full footed walkers.
I don't know much except that my mom calls kids like that "twinkle toes." Maybe my brother was one? It never seemed to concern her!
Hello! My 1st little kiddo is 3 years old, will be 4 in Jan. and he did the same thing. He still walks on his toes at least 50% of the time. He broke his leg in May and had to see an orthopedic dr. for the cast etc. he then referred him to a specialist after noticiing that his achilles (?SP) muscles were tight. We are going to see them in mid Oct. I would definatly press the issue with your pediatrician if you haven't done so already. I brought it up but never pushed the issue, now it looks like we might need to do some preventative measures - granted I don't know what yet until the appt in Oct. I'm assuming maybe a boot while sleeping, or a brace to wear with shoes, physical therapy not exactly sure yet. I have heard that they can do surgery but do try a lot of other options 1st. I would be happy to share our outcome at the specialists office after we go if you'd like.
S.
Toe walking is a normal first step in developing the ability to walk. It is normal for a baby to toe walk for as long as 6-12 months. However, if a child is still toe walking after the age of 2 years, it can signify a central nervous system problem such as cerebral palsy. Don't worry as your baby learns to walk, but if the toe walking doesn't resolve within the next year, you should mention it to your pediatrician.
I would just watch his development as other ladies have said. Also are his muscles in his legs unusually tight? If so, it is something that may need to be addressed through physical therapy. You can go to the state's Early Intervention program and have him tested and they can determine if it is something that will work itself out or if he qualifies to have a physical therapist come work with him. I've seen both cases since I used to work in EI so it could be nothing that takes care of itself or if he is rigid and tight it may be a small thing that PT can take care of.
I would address it with your doctor at your 1 year well visit. If it's not hurting his development, don't worry about it. My good friend had a baby who did this, and he's had to have pretty intense physical therapy because his tippy toe walking caused serious problems in his legs. It got to the point where he regressed and wouldn't walk at all. So now he has to endure physical therapy. So it's normal as long as it's not effecting his development.
i would say jsut be glad that your baby IS walking or so close to walking. I think the "problem" will fix itself on its one once he gets the hang of it. My 12 month old baby boy has not started walking on his own at all yet, just cruising around on the furniture holding on. You baby will walk when he is ready and not a minute sooner.
Hi A. - very normal cruising behavior. You'll be able to spot when he's ready to walk on his own because he'll start walking with a flat foot more often.
have a great long weekend!
