Okay, my wonderful sweet boy drives me crazy by walking on his toes! Now he has added a hand thing to it. To where he looks kinda gay when he walks. How can I get him out of that. He walks on his toes about 65 percent of the time. More when he's barefooted. Other than that, he's fine in other areas.
I decided to edit this post since I read some of your replies. Yes, I have posted questions about my child's devleopment when I had concerns. Alot of his delays simply came from non exposure. At the time he was exhibiting signs of delays of course I was the first one to camp out on the autism bandwagon. Later I realized that I was an idiot for getting upset and wrapped up in all the autism hype. I made some changes: I switched daycares and started spending more time with him and low and behold..the child started to develop. He is ahead is some areas and lagging in others. As far as sensory processing disorder, I think its a crock. Everyone has idiosyncrosies. Thats what makes them who they are. My husband doesnt like to wear flip flop because of the strap in between his toes and doesnt like to touch towels that came out of the dryer, I dont like to eat sharp french fries, drive in the dark and I dont like clowns. Does that mean that we have senorsory processing disorder? My mother eats a peanut butter and has coffee every afternoon. Does that mean that she is autistic?I think you know where Im going with this. Do I believe these are real conditions? Of course, but have you seen the checklist for sensory processing disorder. Check the link below it was provided for me below by one of the lovely mothers. If you looked at that thing you would see that the criteria fits just about everybody. My son is not autistic, he does not have sensory processing disorder, he just likes to walk on his damn toes. You dont have to have a BS in early childhood education to recognize that.
Both my daughters liked to walk on the balls of the feet for a time (probably between 2yrs and 4 yrs old) my eldest has now "outgrown" it.
Sometimes these things can be nothing- sometimes something.
How old is he? What does your pediatrician say?
It could be completely nothing at all. However, there are nerve endings in your toes and sometimes kids with sensory issues do that to kind of "ground" themselves - the sensation of the toes overtakes any of the other sensations around them, cutting down on the overwhelming. Again, I'm sure it's nothing - just a phase - but I think it's worth asking the pediatrician about. I would if it were my child.
My youngest son is just learning to walk and he tries to walk on his toes, and when he is in his walker he does walk on his toes. According to his Nana I did the same thing and it worked it's self out. And I figure his will too. His older brother did weird things with his hands and arms when he was learning to walk, but I just let him be to see if it worked it's way out and the better he got and the more confident he got the more it went away. Best way I can describe it would to say it was to help his balance.
I'm responding to this question after reading some of your other posts about normal behavior in a toddler: consider taking your son to be evaluated by an occupational therapist. He may have some sensory processing issues that can be so easily addressed! We are currently taking our 2 1/2-yr-old to an OT and after 4 sessions he's already making progress in social situations and with the way he moves and carries himself. Ask your pediatrician for a recommendation.
Jill,
I agree with Diana P. after reading some of your other posts/questions, I think it might be time to get your pediatrician involved. You have a BA in early childhood education, so I'm sure you are familiar with just how much PT and OT can help a child. I'd have him evaluated just for your own peace of mind. Knowledge is power. Good luck!
My advice would be to have him evaluated by early intervention. I looked at your other posts regarding your son and it seems that there could be more going on than just the toe walking. My oldest son was diagnosed with autism 2 years ago and I had no idea he was on the spectrum until we had him evaluated for what I thought was just a speech delay.
There are a number of games that you can play to encourage walking with "heels down" but it depends on the age of your child. Some of the ideas are:
* walk in swimming fins
* walk like a penguin (waddle side by side while walking on heels)
* tape a penny to the bottom of the shoe so you can hear the "click" noise of the coin in the ground
Just as an FYI it is not normal to constantly walk on your toes (going on tip toes to reach for something is normal - walking around the room on toes is not). Toe walking can be a sign of
1) sensory processing (toe walking is a "closed chain" activity that increases feedback to the ankle joint giving additional feedback of where you are in space). If there are other signs of sensory issues you may want to consider a pediatric occupational therapy evaluation – see website for red flags: http://www.sensory-processing-disorder.com/child-developmental-checklist.html )
2) tight heel cords (may require stretching) - if you have a hard time flexing his foot (bending the ball of his foot up past a 90 degree (L) angle at ankle joint) then you may want to consider a pediatric physical therapy evaluation - they can give stretches/activities for toe walking
Hand flapping: does this occur when he is excited? Other times of day? This can also be a sign of sensory processing.
Good luck!
Hi Jill!
I have nothing new to add, but I want to echo what the other posters have posted! Get him evaluated. If there are issues, the sooner you son gets therapies, the better!
How old is he? He'll find a normal stride as he practices. I wouldn't worry
Dear Jill,
You seem to worry a lot about your son, which is perfectly normal.
I think I responded to an earlier post about his wave being "off".
In most cases, I tend to be on the side of little kids just doing weird things because they're little and they figure out how to do them and it doesn't last long. My kids tip-toed...my kids walked on their heels, they hopped instead of walking (we had bunnies).
I rarely suggest worrying about things or racing for an evaluation and I'm not going to do that now, but a nephew of mine walked on his toes from the time he was a baby. I don't think that his parents ever flexed or massaged his feet or got him sturdy shoes...they just let him do it. He ended up having surgery on the backs of both legs to release the tendons or some darn thing. He was in casts for a while and had some physical therapy, but he walked perfectly normally afterwards.
You probably should have him seen, but in the meantime, you can rub mineral oil on his feet and and the backs of his legs and try to get him to flex his toes upward, pointing toward him as opposed to pointing down.
The longer your son goes without "flexing" the harder it will get as he grows.
In my nephews case, he was very intelligent, had no other issues healthwise, but it did get to a point where he couldn't walk normally without surgical intervention. I think he was 5 when it was finally done.
If your son can stand flat on his feet, have him bend over to put his hands down flat on the floor. Stretch those muscles in the backs of his legs. On a nice day, let him get his feet wet and make footprints on the sidewalk, "dinosaur tracks", like a stomping dinosaur with flat feet. Your son might want to stomp for a while, finding it fun, but it's an exercise to help him with putting weight on his whole foot.
If you make it fun, he won't even know what you're trying to do.
He may just be goofing around on his toes because he finds it fun, but make sure he gets the backs of his legs stretched as well.
Best wishes!
I'm in my thirties and have always been a 'toe walker'. I didn't even realise it for a long time! Turns out, it's just a mechanical thing with the alignment of my knees (they turn in just a little, not enough to be noticeable to most people). Orthotics help, but I often don't wear them as it's so hard to fit them into summer shoes. Anyway, I'm in my thirties and it hasn't created any major issues. You may want to check with a podiatrist or physio to see whether this could also be your son's reason for walking on his toes ... it may just be more comfortable for him that way! Suspect it will only become more of an issue if he enjoys certain sports that will cause strain.
Good luck and don't worry too much!!
Toe walking could be a phase or a sign of a tight Achilles tendon. If he has been toe walking from day one, then yes, he needs to be seen. If not, then it is a new trick he has learned and he'll move on when he is bored with it. My son has in-ward ankles and flat feet, he has to wear ankle braces to make his ankles stay up right and I have to do stretching exercises with his legs to looses the achilles tendon so he gets an arch back to his feet. He used to walk on his toes too but it wasn't till after we started messing with his feet. You'd think he was in ballet because he could really get up on his toes without shoes on!!
PS. I think sensory disorders, autism and all the such are way over used now days. Children aren't allowed to be children, people expect them to act like mini adults and when they don't they get labeled and medicated. I do believe there are true cases out there, but it's just easier to say your child has a problem than deal with the real issue.
Good luck!
Sharie
It could very well be the achilles tendon problem one poster suggested, or it could just be a phase. Who knows? I walked on my toes my entire life, and now I see my son doing it when he's barefooted. In his case, I think he's just imitating me.
All the women in my family had shortened tendons, and I'm here to tell you that it's just plain easier for me to walk on the balls of my feet than to walk flat-footed. You do need to discourage the toe-walking, however, because it can cause long-term problems. When you toe-walk, you're using calf muscles almost exclusively. In my case, the calf muscles got so huge that I had to have surgery to open up the fascia in order to let the muscles expand. Before the surgery, I was totally handicapped and could barely walk because of the pain and pressure in my calves.
I would casually encourage him to bring his heels down and possibly have him seen by an orthopedist. I wouldn't lose any sleep, though, because it really could just be a phase.
Good luck!
You sound frustrated. I can understand why. It sounds like you are certai there is nothing "wrong" with him. As you mentioned in your first sentence ... and I mean this in all seriousness ... maybe he is simply gay. Have you considered that?
Wow. I am rarely speechless. Thanks for the moment of silence today.
I am not a fan of labeling either, but if you do notice signs of delay, a proper evaluation and treatment (occupational and physical therapy) can unlabel you son. I am a strong believer of early intervention.
My son has always been a little different. It was hard for my hubby and I because we both relate to his differences. His quirks came directly from both of us. However, we chose early intervention, had him evaluated, and got these treatments for him (a play therapist for social skills training, Occupational Therapist for sensory and fine motor skills, and speech therapy for interpreting language.) A year later, and he is thriving. I hate that we had to get an official diagnosis to help him, but now he does not stand out and he is happy again. He is invited to birthday parties and kids want to be around him.
Nothing may be wrong at all, but if you are posting about it, then you most be worried, so have him evaluated. It can only help your son.
My heart goes out to you. It is really hard when your kid is just like every other kid, but something seems a little different and you cannot pinpoint it or know what it means and you don't want to make the wrong choice and ruin his life. I wonder will he hate me one day for diagnosing him. Will he understand why I did what I did. Then I think about how much progress we have made and I hope he understands that my heart was in the right place. I did it because he was being labeled bad and aggressive when that was not the issue. I chose to find a label that I thought fit than accept the ones that were given to him because as his mom I knew he was a sweet boy just struggling in this chaotic world. It is very hard to be a parent and I do understand where you are coming from.
Yes! Woman you rock! As for the "toe walking," my cousin did that for a year until they took her to a therapist of some sort to help her -- her calf and achilles tendon were shortened through birth and practice.
Good luck lovely lady:)
I think it's actually quite common for toddlers and preschoolers, but I know if it continues that toe-walking can lead to some kind of foot problems down the line, so you might want to talk to your doctor or google for info on WedMD, to figure out at what age it's appropriate to worry about in terms of his physical development.
But as far as "looking gay," just try to let it go - you can't get embarrassed at every goofy thing your kid does. (Just a few weeks ago, I asked my son's best friend, a six year old boy, why he was complaining so much that day, he proudly declared that he was "a delicate flower." The look on his father's face was priceless!)
Kids will do things that embarrass you, MUCH more than toe-walking as a toddler. (The odds are great that he will not grow up to be gay. And fixing his gait won't change that one way or the other, anyway.)
It sounds like you already are starting to get over the "fretful mother" phase. Good for you!
I think you'll find this book is right up your alley:
"Quirky Kids: Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesn't Fit In- When to Worry and When Not to Worry"
Yep, I am speechless, too. I guess your insensitive stereotype was missed by more than a few. Lady, get some help, you've got too much time on your hands worrying about your perfectly healthy son. You should address the stereotyping and homophobia issues you have - that is more important and should be recognized.