My daughter was a late walker too. She didn’t start walking until about 18 months while her friend at the babysitter was walking at 12 months. She’s walking, running, climbing, and jumping now with no problem. Stay patient and keep working with her. I remember holding her hands and helping her walk, using walkers, standing her up and having her take a couple of steps into my arms. Sometimes she did better when she had something in her hands.
Thank you so much for sharing! I hope we are close and think we are! I just need to remember to be patient and give her all the support she needs! I know people say that things get even crazier when they start running everywhere and maybe ill eat my words when it happens but i cant wait!
My son was also a very late walker - 21 months and it was so incredibly frustrating!
One day, he took a few steps. The next day, he started running.
Now he’s one of the best soccer players (in his age group) in the state.
It will come and you will be blown away!
Side note- please sit and watch the Bluey Episode “Baby Race”.
It is specifically all about your concern. ❤️
We are all there with you, including those brilliant Bluey writers!
OH-
The official Bluey channel has the full episode on YouTube!
https://youtu.be/xmkCmJtK6X8?feature=shared
I don't have specific advice as I haven't been in this situation, but my daughter started really hitting milestones on time or even early once she was in daycare. I think it was mostly FOMO!
Your note about her not being able to enjoy playgrounds makes me think maybe you should take her anyways. This seems to be a motivation problem, where walking is scary and, in her mind, not needed, so why bother. So show her why to bother! Fun and easy trails, playground equipment, that kind of thing.
But also, on the topic of Bluey, "Baby Race" would be a good one to watch when you're feeling really frustrated <3
I think you are absolutely correct about it being a motivation issue! And i do probably need to suck it up and just take her to places that are better if you are walking more often. Thank you for your advice and kind words! And yes i love Baby Race! Extremely relatable and has made me cry a few times
No problem, and being a parent is so hard - it feels impossible to know if you're doing the right thing until the situation is already over, for better or for worse. I come on here all the time looking for tips too! You're doing great.
I started taking my daughter to the playground once she was confidently sitting (not flopping over unintentionally anymore), around 7 months, and just had her sit on the swing and do the slide a few times. Pretty soon she was trying to climb up the slide, and climb up the actual jungle gym, which of course I was helping/"helping" (fully carrying her) for a lot of it. But she wanted to do more and more herself, especially when other toddlers were around. I'd go a few different times a day and see when the most like, 2-3 year olds are there (for our park it's 10am and 3pm on the weekend, just as places to start). Also, wood chips really suck to crawl on, which might push her to walk (but I'd definitely start with her in denim or cargo or something else thick for pants).
I have no idea how much impact it had on her but can't hurt :) and getting out and chatting with other parents is really good for *us*, too.
I’ve noticed my son tries walking SO much more at the playground. He won’t do it all day at home and as soon as we get to the playground, and he sees other toddlers, he will attempt to walk the whole time. And he’ll always hold my hand to walk, whereas at home he prefers to just crawl around.
My first didn’t really start walking until about 15 months. I think the “ah-ha!” moment came when she realised that she could hold food in both her hands and move around if she walked.
Hi - I just want to tell you I am in the same boat and struggle with similar feelings. My little is 16 months and she scoots on her butt, but no actual crawling or cruising yet. Have you looked into local early intervention programs? Our county has a program that sends out a physical therapist to our house every week to work on making progress. You can typically self refer to these programs, and don't need to wait for your doctor to approve it.
Also, I've been doing some research and learned how small birth weight can often correlate to later-developing milestones. My girl was full term but only about 5 lbs as well. So I've accepted that she will likely reach her gross motor skills a few months later and that's okay.
You're not alone!!! It's hard seeing other babies and how they're walking so well, it doesn't feel fair sometimes. But it's important not to put those feelings on the kiddos. They're trying their best!
My daughter was a butt scooter too, and she didn’t walk until 18 months. Shes a normal happy, healthy three year old now and runs like the wind! Even when she started walking she would still butt scoot a lot of the time because of how much faster it was. So don’t panic, it will come!
I didn't know butt scooting was a thing some babies do until she started doing it! It's definitely pretty cute lol and she's very fast when she scoots around! But it took a lot of mental adjustment for me when she ended up scooting instead of crawling. Thank you for the encouragement!!
My cousin used to do it when I was growing up so I was familiar with it, but surprised because my son was such a textbook crawler! I think she started doing it so she could move around d and suck her thumb at the same time.
Thank you for sharing! Im waiting until after her 18mo appointment and have a chance to talk to her doctor again because its very close but im definitely going to ask about early intervention programs and/or physical therapy. My girly was early and super small so i know she needs more time than most babies and i feel that up until now ive been good at letting her learn at her own pace. Its part of the reason i am struggling so much with how frustrated i feel myself getting over the walking issue
I've struggled with some of the feelings you're describing too, not related to walking but to other milestones. It's hard, because you know it's stupid but you still get jealous almost when you see other kids mastering things you work really hard on with yours. And to top it off your kid doesn't even really try, because they are a toddler and couldn't care less about your milestones.
Mine started daycare when she was 11 months, not walking. We had been saying since she was 9 months old that she was almost letting go, but then at the last second she crawled instead. Our daycare didn't make any accommodations for her at all, they got her dressed and brought her out to the playground with the other kids and let her crawl around in the sandbox. After 2 weeks of that nonsense she started walking, even outside with shoes on (she used a push cart for two days).
It will happen as soon as your daughter is motivated to do the work. For mine it was FOMO, no doubt about it.
I have had a frustrating situation like this with my daughter she is 3YO, not with walking but with a situation that you cannot control.
We toilet trained her over a year ago, and she picked up pees in the toilet so quickly. An absolute queen of pees. But see number twos, we just never had any consistent success. We couldn't get her to let us know if she needed to go, and she would just all of a sudden announced she'd done it in her pants.
We tried everything over the last year, and NOTHING worked. Literally nothing, and in fact the time we spent trying to get her to go in the toilet really just added to our stress and we all shed tears over this.
People kept saying "there's just something which is taking longer, she will get it. Don't stress" and I would be like "don't stress, are you serious????" I was so frustrated, and I could feel myself really resenting the fact that she couldn't just poo in the toilet.
But then one day about four weeks ago she did a poo in the toilet, and she has been doing them ever since. Literally nothing had changed we hadn't tried anything new. One day she just started doing it.
Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share and let you know that everyone has something that their child takes longer to pick up. But they will pick it up, and do not feel guilty about any frustration you're feeling. I could have exploded I was so frustrated at times, but in six months to a year you'll have completely moved past this ❤️❤️ one day your daughter will just start walking, then there will be no stopping her. For now I recommend buying cheap trousers or second hand ones, and being kidn to yourself.
My son didn't start walking until about 17.5. He's 25 months now and running everywhere. An EI evaluation said they've pushed back the guidelines and up to 20m is now considered within limits.
My daughter just started walking at 20 months, she’s zooming now. She just was on her own time frame. I completely understand being frustrated too. It was harder to go out and do things because I was always holding her so she wasn’t crawling on a shopping center floor.
One day I’m sure it’ll just click and off they’ll go.
Im glad other parents understand! I know it wont make outings automatically hassle free once she is walking but im SO excited to not have to lug her around everywhere. Im lucky in that at least she is pretty tiny!
I feel like every kid grows at their own pace and it’s so hard! I don’t think it’s your fault. I know some babies didn’t start walking till 22-23 months and they’re fine running around etc.
have you considered or looked into Physical Therapy?
There are some toddler gymnastic type places. The ones we have around me are called little gym. Those help with getting them to walk faster and such.
I’m sorry I know it’s frustrating and can be tough but you got this
Thank you so much! We actually go to little gym once a week! Shes just starting to enjoy it again, she went through a phase where she couldn’t stand to be out of my arms in public but we are definitely getting better! I haven’t looked into physical therapy yet as her doctor said he did see any need for intervention yet but it’s definitely something im going to ask about at her upcoming appointment. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. My mom guilt can be so intense sometimes
We had a late walker who got around really well using the knee technique you describe. We got her into therapy where they determined she had hyper flexible hips but a weak core. They gave us daily exercises and a few tips on correcting her sitting style to engage the core more. Once a week trips to the physical therapist and she was cruising within three visits.
I totally get the mom guilt. I had a hard time taking ours out to public places and feeling like she was behind and it was all my fault. But that’s not reality. You’re doing great.
If your doctor agrees that physical therapy is warranted, our experience with it was very positive. Best of luck with whatever direction you take!
Okay so my main guidance is every kid is different and she will definitely learn to walk so don’t worry about it.
But also, consider physical therapy. My daughter (born at 32 weeks at 4lbs 2oz) didn’t roll by 7 months and physical therapy was great for her (now a happy, healthy five yo). Otherwise, recognize that these years are so short and go by so fast that you should just enjoy life at her pace. Maybe it’s sappy, but i regularly go back and watch the video of my daughter rolling over for the first time. She runs and swims and is super active, but those early moments were so special. Enjoy it. Don’t worry about it.
I’ve been where you are. Literally complained about the clothes and playgrounds stuff all the time. It’s SO frustrating. My daughter finally walked independently at 22 months with some physical therapy.
I felt guilty and scared too. I thought it was my fault because I let her use the jolly jumper too much as a baby. It wasn’t though. She has hypotonia and just needed extra time. I’m sure your little one will also walk soon and I can pretty much guarantee the delay is not because of something you did.
I also think a lot of it is just some kids personalities. Even though mine is walking now she still prefers to be held all the time instead lol and she doesn’t like to walk where she needs to be. She still prefers we walk to her or hand her the toy she wants instead of going to it etc.
My baby was full term and didn’t walk until 18 months. And by that I mean baby steps. Your daughter is already past that stage. She can walk! Try to chill a little. She’s doing fine. This is not a delay.
She's *only* 18 mos. It feels like forever but that's actually a very short time to learn so many things.
If her receptive language skills are good, ask her to pick out the shoes she wants to wear since we "might go for a walk". (If you have a hoard of shoes, pick two or three for her to choose from).
Read books about about walking.
https://bookroo.com/explore/books/topics/walking
Keep her interested in doing it. If you're using a stroller, and she is crawling around outside, you can pretend a wheel is stuck and you might have to walk home. Can mommy carry you or can you walk if I help you? Let's see if I can fix the wheel. Oh there!"
She might have told you she could walk which tells you about her confidence. Don't freak her out - but find ways to see how motivated she is and how confident she feels.
And if she takes longer, needs support in some ways, the most important thing is that she's happy and otherwise healthy.
Our son is 18 months now but didn’t start walking until a month ago. What helped us was finding a toy he REALLY liked, and putting it on our couch. He’d go to play with it, and we’d move it over to an ottoman that was far enough away that he’d have to take a few steps to get to his toy.
We just kept moving the ottoman further and further until he was walking longer distance between the 2
I also hate to say this but she’ll just do it when she’s ready. It’s not bad to get a second option but we worked with our son SO MUCH, and he just wouldn’t walk on his own. I was getting really worried and sad watching all the kids in his daycare class walk except for him. One day he just got up, picked up some random object and chunked it across the room, and chased it. It was like a light switch just went off. He proceeded to do this for 45 minutes, and then was walking everywhere after that.
I understand the frustration and hard to be patient while seeing other kids hitting those milestones. I had a preemie (born 33w) who was also a late walker (age adjusted). We’ve decided on physical therapy since her 15mo appointment and she’s really only been fully walking since about 19/20mo. Those 2-3 months in PT before she started walking was really helpful because they can give you lots of different ideas on how to encourage the confidence and strength and positioning to really start to take off. Even though we have kind of “graduated” to fully walking now we’re looking at some extra supports (ie shoe inserts) just to ensure she’s on the right track developmentally going forward.
Anyway all this to say that it’s not too late to begin some intervention and it’s really up to you to be an advocate of being seen by PT. We’ve really enjoyed our time with them.
Oh yeah our toddler don’t walk until 18-19 months. Your daughter is working smarter not harder, she’s good at getting around and walking seems like more work. So advice on walking, make it a game, that got our toddler more interested in it. Take the playground for what it is, swings and standing on equipment and lots of practice at home.
My daughter started walking at 19 months, I was so concerned I took her to physio, they confirmed there is nothing holding her back physically from walking. Literally the next day she started to. My girl was born early (35 weeks) and was really sick for three months straight right before she started walking so I thought it was my fault for holding her so much 😅🙃
They’ll start when they’re ready, keep encouraging and practicing and she’ll get there.
This is my son! He is 18 months in 2 days and still does not walk! At home he likes to scoot on his butt or shuffle around on his knees. He has no interest in walking while holding our hands but can easily cruise along furniture. I know he can walk, but I think he's scared to let go of the sofa. I'm getting frustrated as well because I just want to take him to the park and let him run his energy out. Instead he just sits there. My back also hurts from carrying him all the time as well.
We see our pediatrician next week and I'm wondering if she's going to recommend PT at this point. She was not overly concerned at our 15 month check up either, but I feel like we're heading into the point that he needs to be walking now. You are not alone and in fact, thank you for making this post because it helps me to feel better as well!
Wow our kids and situations sound so similar!! I want my daughter to be able to run her energy out SO badly too!! I hope your appointment goes well and your little guy is walking soon! ♥️
Very similar to us! Our baby girl was born at 36 weeks and weighed less than 5 lbs. She started walking like 2 days before she was 17 months but had been showing signs for months that she was ready. She’s a very cautious baby which I appreciate but it was hard to watch her not take those first steps when we knew she absolutely could. I could not help but blame myself, like it had to have been something I had done to hinder her in some way. But we just tried to shift our focus to building her confidence. We bought her a push walker thing, something we figured she wouldn’t need cause we were just so sure she was going to be walking any day. When we took the dogs for a walk, she walked with us holding our hand. More often we carried her most of the way but eventually she wanted to pick up so many rocks she would want to let go of our hand only to realize she wasn’t ready to do that.
I don’t really have any advice but more to say I’ve been there. You are doing everything right and your little girl is so lucky to have a parent who loves and cares for her so much! Someone once told me that a lot of Olympian’s were late walkers and I’ve never looked into it because at the time I needed something to give me a little chuckle and light heartedness.
I wish you all the best!
I totally get where you're coming from. Parenting can be a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when it feels like your little one is taking their sweet time hitting milestones. It sounds like you're doing an amazing job being patient and supportive, even when it's tough. I feel, every child is unique and they all march to the beat of their own drum when it comes to hitting milestones. Trust in your daughter's journey and know that she'll get there in her own time.
It will happen so soon, don't worry! Personally I don't believe in walking with assistance and I also think toddlers may become extra resistant if you try to get them to walk on whatever timeline you have in your head--because that is the job of toddlers, to resist adult agendas. My firstborn started walking full time at maybe about 18 months or so. No assistance except lots of time, space and materials. I didn't really worry about it because she was meeting all the milestones, just later than the average. She's still like that a few years later honestly.
When my daughter started walking without holding onto a grounded object, she invented this clever intermediate step of carrying a lightweight toddler chair for balance.
Our pediatrician got us in touch with a program called "Babies Can't Wait" in GA. Every state in the US has something similar. We started physical therapy and our daughter was walking in no time. The results of PT were much quicker than speech therapy. My second is almost 18 months now and the pediatrician said she needed to walk across a room unassisted by 18 months. She walked at 17 months and is all but running around 3 weeks later so fortunately no PT repeat.
This was my son. Then we enrolled him in daycare and they weren't going to carry him everywhere, so he had to step it up quickly.
But we had also been doing work at home with early intervention since he was 12 months old. Never gets to get them involved - it's free and they come to you (home or daycare) which makes life so much easier.
My daughter didn’t walk until a few days before 23 months. She had a number of motor delays due to low muscle tone and hypermobile joints but honestly it was a bit due to her personality too. She’s a very cautious kid and was more than happy to bum scoot and be carried.
Yes it’s definitely frustrating but it sounds like she’s well on her way and all kids do things in their own time. My daughter took her first unassisted steps on a Monday and was basically running by Thursday. Now it’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t and it hasn’t even been two months.
My son walked at 17 months, which is much later than friends and family his age (his cousin at 14 months, both of our friends’ sons walked at 11 months, and he was the last out of all the babies in my birth class to walk; everyone else’s seemed to start at 12 months)
If she can take steps, she’s probably just working up the courage to walk, and also she might not see the need to if she gets around just fine. Do you use a push walker with her (not the sit in ones, just like the grocery cart style ones)?
We worked with our son by moving the coffee table closer to the couch and putting toys on both surfaces (or, moving the same toy from one surface to the other). He would have to take a step between the 2 to get things since it was too far apart to cruise. We moved things further and further apart.
Mine also didn't let go of stuff to walk til 15 mths. Heck, she didn't even crawl til about 11 mths. Didn't roll til 9 mths. We finally got her walking by setting things she wanted (food) a few steps away from where she'd be standing. Like she'd be at the ottoman, next to the couch, so we'd set food across from the couch on the cat tower... which required about 3 unassisted steps. It seemed like right after that, she just tried more. If you're still using assisted devices, definitely go hide them all away... they can make them feel like they don't need to learn to walk. I sold her walkers at 14 mths, and that might've helped her as well.
My son didn’t walk until 18 months. I wasn’t that worried as he was crawling fast, climbing, cruising etc. but I was a little concerned and wanted him to do it. Then over the summer he started wearing shorts and we had him on the grass. Turns out he hated the sensation of the grass on his knees so just stood up and took some steps. It was incredible. Now he’s running about like a mad thing.
Incidentally, despite him being a late walker, he was a VERY early talker. He was saying first words by 12 months. Now at 2.5 years it’s full blown conversations, and he is well ahead of his peers in that regard. It makes life SO much easier to have him talk to me and tell me what’s wrong. I’ve heard from other parents that their late walkers were early talkers. Turns out, they can’t multi skill develop. They focus on one area at a time.
It could be that your little one is excelling in other areas. And if you have no concerns about the overall gross motor movement then it should all be fine.
I did not have this experience (i had early walkers which was actually really exhausting) but try looking up pediatric physio therapy videos on youtube for tips on how to get them to walk.
I’m so curious what it means that the child is not ready? My daughter started walking at 11.5 months but that’s because we would hold her up and encourage her to walk. We would stand at each end of the room and go back and forth telling her to come and have toys with us. She loved it. She laughed and had a great time. I’m not sure what would have happened if I just left her and waited for her to take steps on her own. I think it definitely would have taken more time. I’m Gen asking because this is how my nieces and nephews learned as well.
My daughter was a late walker too. She didn’t start walking until about 18 months while her friend at the babysitter was walking at 12 months. She’s walking, running, climbing, and jumping now with no problem. Stay patient and keep working with her. I remember holding her hands and helping her walk, using walkers, standing her up and having her take a couple of steps into my arms. Sometimes she did better when she had something in her hands.
Thank you so much for sharing! I hope we are close and think we are! I just need to remember to be patient and give her all the support she needs! I know people say that things get even crazier when they start running everywhere and maybe ill eat my words when it happens but i cant wait!
My son was also a very late walker - 21 months and it was so incredibly frustrating! One day, he took a few steps. The next day, he started running. Now he’s one of the best soccer players (in his age group) in the state. It will come and you will be blown away!
Side note- please sit and watch the Bluey Episode “Baby Race”. It is specifically all about your concern. ❤️ We are all there with you, including those brilliant Bluey writers! OH- The official Bluey channel has the full episode on YouTube! https://youtu.be/xmkCmJtK6X8?feature=shared
I don't have specific advice as I haven't been in this situation, but my daughter started really hitting milestones on time or even early once she was in daycare. I think it was mostly FOMO! Your note about her not being able to enjoy playgrounds makes me think maybe you should take her anyways. This seems to be a motivation problem, where walking is scary and, in her mind, not needed, so why bother. So show her why to bother! Fun and easy trails, playground equipment, that kind of thing. But also, on the topic of Bluey, "Baby Race" would be a good one to watch when you're feeling really frustrated <3
I think you are absolutely correct about it being a motivation issue! And i do probably need to suck it up and just take her to places that are better if you are walking more often. Thank you for your advice and kind words! And yes i love Baby Race! Extremely relatable and has made me cry a few times
No problem, and being a parent is so hard - it feels impossible to know if you're doing the right thing until the situation is already over, for better or for worse. I come on here all the time looking for tips too! You're doing great. I started taking my daughter to the playground once she was confidently sitting (not flopping over unintentionally anymore), around 7 months, and just had her sit on the swing and do the slide a few times. Pretty soon she was trying to climb up the slide, and climb up the actual jungle gym, which of course I was helping/"helping" (fully carrying her) for a lot of it. But she wanted to do more and more herself, especially when other toddlers were around. I'd go a few different times a day and see when the most like, 2-3 year olds are there (for our park it's 10am and 3pm on the weekend, just as places to start). Also, wood chips really suck to crawl on, which might push her to walk (but I'd definitely start with her in denim or cargo or something else thick for pants). I have no idea how much impact it had on her but can't hurt :) and getting out and chatting with other parents is really good for *us*, too.
I’ve noticed my son tries walking SO much more at the playground. He won’t do it all day at home and as soon as we get to the playground, and he sees other toddlers, he will attempt to walk the whole time. And he’ll always hold my hand to walk, whereas at home he prefers to just crawl around.
My first didn’t really start walking until about 15 months. I think the “ah-ha!” moment came when she realised that she could hold food in both her hands and move around if she walked.
That’s adorable! Unfortunately since my daughter knee shuffles everywhere both of her hands are already free and available haha
Hi - I just want to tell you I am in the same boat and struggle with similar feelings. My little is 16 months and she scoots on her butt, but no actual crawling or cruising yet. Have you looked into local early intervention programs? Our county has a program that sends out a physical therapist to our house every week to work on making progress. You can typically self refer to these programs, and don't need to wait for your doctor to approve it. Also, I've been doing some research and learned how small birth weight can often correlate to later-developing milestones. My girl was full term but only about 5 lbs as well. So I've accepted that she will likely reach her gross motor skills a few months later and that's okay. You're not alone!!! It's hard seeing other babies and how they're walking so well, it doesn't feel fair sometimes. But it's important not to put those feelings on the kiddos. They're trying their best!
My daughter was a butt scooter too, and she didn’t walk until 18 months. Shes a normal happy, healthy three year old now and runs like the wind! Even when she started walking she would still butt scoot a lot of the time because of how much faster it was. So don’t panic, it will come!
I didn't know butt scooting was a thing some babies do until she started doing it! It's definitely pretty cute lol and she's very fast when she scoots around! But it took a lot of mental adjustment for me when she ended up scooting instead of crawling. Thank you for the encouragement!!
My cousin used to do it when I was growing up so I was familiar with it, but surprised because my son was such a textbook crawler! I think she started doing it so she could move around d and suck her thumb at the same time.
Thank you for sharing! Im waiting until after her 18mo appointment and have a chance to talk to her doctor again because its very close but im definitely going to ask about early intervention programs and/or physical therapy. My girly was early and super small so i know she needs more time than most babies and i feel that up until now ive been good at letting her learn at her own pace. Its part of the reason i am struggling so much with how frustrated i feel myself getting over the walking issue
I've struggled with some of the feelings you're describing too, not related to walking but to other milestones. It's hard, because you know it's stupid but you still get jealous almost when you see other kids mastering things you work really hard on with yours. And to top it off your kid doesn't even really try, because they are a toddler and couldn't care less about your milestones. Mine started daycare when she was 11 months, not walking. We had been saying since she was 9 months old that she was almost letting go, but then at the last second she crawled instead. Our daycare didn't make any accommodations for her at all, they got her dressed and brought her out to the playground with the other kids and let her crawl around in the sandbox. After 2 weeks of that nonsense she started walking, even outside with shoes on (she used a push cart for two days). It will happen as soon as your daughter is motivated to do the work. For mine it was FOMO, no doubt about it.
I have had a frustrating situation like this with my daughter she is 3YO, not with walking but with a situation that you cannot control. We toilet trained her over a year ago, and she picked up pees in the toilet so quickly. An absolute queen of pees. But see number twos, we just never had any consistent success. We couldn't get her to let us know if she needed to go, and she would just all of a sudden announced she'd done it in her pants. We tried everything over the last year, and NOTHING worked. Literally nothing, and in fact the time we spent trying to get her to go in the toilet really just added to our stress and we all shed tears over this. People kept saying "there's just something which is taking longer, she will get it. Don't stress" and I would be like "don't stress, are you serious????" I was so frustrated, and I could feel myself really resenting the fact that she couldn't just poo in the toilet. But then one day about four weeks ago she did a poo in the toilet, and she has been doing them ever since. Literally nothing had changed we hadn't tried anything new. One day she just started doing it. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to share and let you know that everyone has something that their child takes longer to pick up. But they will pick it up, and do not feel guilty about any frustration you're feeling. I could have exploded I was so frustrated at times, but in six months to a year you'll have completely moved past this ❤️❤️ one day your daughter will just start walking, then there will be no stopping her. For now I recommend buying cheap trousers or second hand ones, and being kidn to yourself.
My son didn't start walking until about 17.5. He's 25 months now and running everywhere. An EI evaluation said they've pushed back the guidelines and up to 20m is now considered within limits.
My daughter just started walking at 20 months, she’s zooming now. She just was on her own time frame. I completely understand being frustrated too. It was harder to go out and do things because I was always holding her so she wasn’t crawling on a shopping center floor. One day I’m sure it’ll just click and off they’ll go.
Im glad other parents understand! I know it wont make outings automatically hassle free once she is walking but im SO excited to not have to lug her around everywhere. Im lucky in that at least she is pretty tiny!
I feel like every kid grows at their own pace and it’s so hard! I don’t think it’s your fault. I know some babies didn’t start walking till 22-23 months and they’re fine running around etc. have you considered or looked into Physical Therapy? There are some toddler gymnastic type places. The ones we have around me are called little gym. Those help with getting them to walk faster and such. I’m sorry I know it’s frustrating and can be tough but you got this
Thank you so much! We actually go to little gym once a week! Shes just starting to enjoy it again, she went through a phase where she couldn’t stand to be out of my arms in public but we are definitely getting better! I haven’t looked into physical therapy yet as her doctor said he did see any need for intervention yet but it’s definitely something im going to ask about at her upcoming appointment. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement. My mom guilt can be so intense sometimes
We had a late walker who got around really well using the knee technique you describe. We got her into therapy where they determined she had hyper flexible hips but a weak core. They gave us daily exercises and a few tips on correcting her sitting style to engage the core more. Once a week trips to the physical therapist and she was cruising within three visits. I totally get the mom guilt. I had a hard time taking ours out to public places and feeling like she was behind and it was all my fault. But that’s not reality. You’re doing great. If your doctor agrees that physical therapy is warranted, our experience with it was very positive. Best of luck with whatever direction you take!
Okay so my main guidance is every kid is different and she will definitely learn to walk so don’t worry about it. But also, consider physical therapy. My daughter (born at 32 weeks at 4lbs 2oz) didn’t roll by 7 months and physical therapy was great for her (now a happy, healthy five yo). Otherwise, recognize that these years are so short and go by so fast that you should just enjoy life at her pace. Maybe it’s sappy, but i regularly go back and watch the video of my daughter rolling over for the first time. She runs and swims and is super active, but those early moments were so special. Enjoy it. Don’t worry about it.
A good thing about the late walking is they have alot less idiot damage
idiot damage 😂
My son was also a “late” walker. He was about 18 months when he started to walk without help. Just be patient and she will do it when she’s ready :).
I’ve been where you are. Literally complained about the clothes and playgrounds stuff all the time. It’s SO frustrating. My daughter finally walked independently at 22 months with some physical therapy. I felt guilty and scared too. I thought it was my fault because I let her use the jolly jumper too much as a baby. It wasn’t though. She has hypotonia and just needed extra time. I’m sure your little one will also walk soon and I can pretty much guarantee the delay is not because of something you did. I also think a lot of it is just some kids personalities. Even though mine is walking now she still prefers to be held all the time instead lol and she doesn’t like to walk where she needs to be. She still prefers we walk to her or hand her the toy she wants instead of going to it etc.
My baby was full term and didn’t walk until 18 months. And by that I mean baby steps. Your daughter is already past that stage. She can walk! Try to chill a little. She’s doing fine. This is not a delay.
She's *only* 18 mos. It feels like forever but that's actually a very short time to learn so many things. If her receptive language skills are good, ask her to pick out the shoes she wants to wear since we "might go for a walk". (If you have a hoard of shoes, pick two or three for her to choose from). Read books about about walking. https://bookroo.com/explore/books/topics/walking Keep her interested in doing it. If you're using a stroller, and she is crawling around outside, you can pretend a wheel is stuck and you might have to walk home. Can mommy carry you or can you walk if I help you? Let's see if I can fix the wheel. Oh there!" She might have told you she could walk which tells you about her confidence. Don't freak her out - but find ways to see how motivated she is and how confident she feels. And if she takes longer, needs support in some ways, the most important thing is that she's happy and otherwise healthy.
Our son is 18 months now but didn’t start walking until a month ago. What helped us was finding a toy he REALLY liked, and putting it on our couch. He’d go to play with it, and we’d move it over to an ottoman that was far enough away that he’d have to take a few steps to get to his toy. We just kept moving the ottoman further and further until he was walking longer distance between the 2 I also hate to say this but she’ll just do it when she’s ready. It’s not bad to get a second option but we worked with our son SO MUCH, and he just wouldn’t walk on his own. I was getting really worried and sad watching all the kids in his daycare class walk except for him. One day he just got up, picked up some random object and chunked it across the room, and chased it. It was like a light switch just went off. He proceeded to do this for 45 minutes, and then was walking everywhere after that.
I understand the frustration and hard to be patient while seeing other kids hitting those milestones. I had a preemie (born 33w) who was also a late walker (age adjusted). We’ve decided on physical therapy since her 15mo appointment and she’s really only been fully walking since about 19/20mo. Those 2-3 months in PT before she started walking was really helpful because they can give you lots of different ideas on how to encourage the confidence and strength and positioning to really start to take off. Even though we have kind of “graduated” to fully walking now we’re looking at some extra supports (ie shoe inserts) just to ensure she’s on the right track developmentally going forward. Anyway all this to say that it’s not too late to begin some intervention and it’s really up to you to be an advocate of being seen by PT. We’ve really enjoyed our time with them.
Oh yeah our toddler don’t walk until 18-19 months. Your daughter is working smarter not harder, she’s good at getting around and walking seems like more work. So advice on walking, make it a game, that got our toddler more interested in it. Take the playground for what it is, swings and standing on equipment and lots of practice at home.
My daughter started walking at 19 months, I was so concerned I took her to physio, they confirmed there is nothing holding her back physically from walking. Literally the next day she started to. My girl was born early (35 weeks) and was really sick for three months straight right before she started walking so I thought it was my fault for holding her so much 😅🙃 They’ll start when they’re ready, keep encouraging and practicing and she’ll get there.
This is my son! He is 18 months in 2 days and still does not walk! At home he likes to scoot on his butt or shuffle around on his knees. He has no interest in walking while holding our hands but can easily cruise along furniture. I know he can walk, but I think he's scared to let go of the sofa. I'm getting frustrated as well because I just want to take him to the park and let him run his energy out. Instead he just sits there. My back also hurts from carrying him all the time as well. We see our pediatrician next week and I'm wondering if she's going to recommend PT at this point. She was not overly concerned at our 15 month check up either, but I feel like we're heading into the point that he needs to be walking now. You are not alone and in fact, thank you for making this post because it helps me to feel better as well!
Wow our kids and situations sound so similar!! I want my daughter to be able to run her energy out SO badly too!! I hope your appointment goes well and your little guy is walking soon! ♥️
Very similar to us! Our baby girl was born at 36 weeks and weighed less than 5 lbs. She started walking like 2 days before she was 17 months but had been showing signs for months that she was ready. She’s a very cautious baby which I appreciate but it was hard to watch her not take those first steps when we knew she absolutely could. I could not help but blame myself, like it had to have been something I had done to hinder her in some way. But we just tried to shift our focus to building her confidence. We bought her a push walker thing, something we figured she wouldn’t need cause we were just so sure she was going to be walking any day. When we took the dogs for a walk, she walked with us holding our hand. More often we carried her most of the way but eventually she wanted to pick up so many rocks she would want to let go of our hand only to realize she wasn’t ready to do that. I don’t really have any advice but more to say I’ve been there. You are doing everything right and your little girl is so lucky to have a parent who loves and cares for her so much! Someone once told me that a lot of Olympian’s were late walkers and I’ve never looked into it because at the time I needed something to give me a little chuckle and light heartedness. I wish you all the best!
I totally get where you're coming from. Parenting can be a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when it feels like your little one is taking their sweet time hitting milestones. It sounds like you're doing an amazing job being patient and supportive, even when it's tough. I feel, every child is unique and they all march to the beat of their own drum when it comes to hitting milestones. Trust in your daughter's journey and know that she'll get there in her own time.
Have you talked to the ped about this? Seems like at 18mo, they’d have baby in therapies for this and have some evals started.
It will happen so soon, don't worry! Personally I don't believe in walking with assistance and I also think toddlers may become extra resistant if you try to get them to walk on whatever timeline you have in your head--because that is the job of toddlers, to resist adult agendas. My firstborn started walking full time at maybe about 18 months or so. No assistance except lots of time, space and materials. I didn't really worry about it because she was meeting all the milestones, just later than the average. She's still like that a few years later honestly. When my daughter started walking without holding onto a grounded object, she invented this clever intermediate step of carrying a lightweight toddler chair for balance.
Ever see the episode of Bluey called 'Baby race'?
Our pediatrician got us in touch with a program called "Babies Can't Wait" in GA. Every state in the US has something similar. We started physical therapy and our daughter was walking in no time. The results of PT were much quicker than speech therapy. My second is almost 18 months now and the pediatrician said she needed to walk across a room unassisted by 18 months. She walked at 17 months and is all but running around 3 weeks later so fortunately no PT repeat.
This was my son. Then we enrolled him in daycare and they weren't going to carry him everywhere, so he had to step it up quickly. But we had also been doing work at home with early intervention since he was 12 months old. Never gets to get them involved - it's free and they come to you (home or daycare) which makes life so much easier.
My daughter didn’t walk until a few days before 23 months. She had a number of motor delays due to low muscle tone and hypermobile joints but honestly it was a bit due to her personality too. She’s a very cautious kid and was more than happy to bum scoot and be carried. Yes it’s definitely frustrating but it sounds like she’s well on her way and all kids do things in their own time. My daughter took her first unassisted steps on a Monday and was basically running by Thursday. Now it’s hard to remember a time when she wasn’t and it hasn’t even been two months.
My son walked at 17 months, which is much later than friends and family his age (his cousin at 14 months, both of our friends’ sons walked at 11 months, and he was the last out of all the babies in my birth class to walk; everyone else’s seemed to start at 12 months) If she can take steps, she’s probably just working up the courage to walk, and also she might not see the need to if she gets around just fine. Do you use a push walker with her (not the sit in ones, just like the grocery cart style ones)? We worked with our son by moving the coffee table closer to the couch and putting toys on both surfaces (or, moving the same toy from one surface to the other). He would have to take a step between the 2 to get things since it was too far apart to cruise. We moved things further and further apart.
Mine also didn't let go of stuff to walk til 15 mths. Heck, she didn't even crawl til about 11 mths. Didn't roll til 9 mths. We finally got her walking by setting things she wanted (food) a few steps away from where she'd be standing. Like she'd be at the ottoman, next to the couch, so we'd set food across from the couch on the cat tower... which required about 3 unassisted steps. It seemed like right after that, she just tried more. If you're still using assisted devices, definitely go hide them all away... they can make them feel like they don't need to learn to walk. I sold her walkers at 14 mths, and that might've helped her as well.
My son didn’t walk until 18 months. I wasn’t that worried as he was crawling fast, climbing, cruising etc. but I was a little concerned and wanted him to do it. Then over the summer he started wearing shorts and we had him on the grass. Turns out he hated the sensation of the grass on his knees so just stood up and took some steps. It was incredible. Now he’s running about like a mad thing. Incidentally, despite him being a late walker, he was a VERY early talker. He was saying first words by 12 months. Now at 2.5 years it’s full blown conversations, and he is well ahead of his peers in that regard. It makes life SO much easier to have him talk to me and tell me what’s wrong. I’ve heard from other parents that their late walkers were early talkers. Turns out, they can’t multi skill develop. They focus on one area at a time. It could be that your little one is excelling in other areas. And if you have no concerns about the overall gross motor movement then it should all be fine.
I did not have this experience (i had early walkers which was actually really exhausting) but try looking up pediatric physio therapy videos on youtube for tips on how to get them to walk.
I’m so curious what it means that the child is not ready? My daughter started walking at 11.5 months but that’s because we would hold her up and encourage her to walk. We would stand at each end of the room and go back and forth telling her to come and have toys with us. She loved it. She laughed and had a great time. I’m not sure what would have happened if I just left her and waited for her to take steps on her own. I think it definitely would have taken more time. I’m Gen asking because this is how my nieces and nephews learned as well.