14 Month Old Not Walking

I know you've gotten a lot of responses, but I have one more thought to add - it might be a "second child" thing also. My first son was walking at 8 months, and his little brother (who is built exactly like him) isn't walking independently yet (he is almost one). I think the baby just wants to keep up with his brother (the baby crawls quickly) and doesn't want to take the time to learn to walk :) Also, I haven't had the one-on-one practice time with the second boy that I had with the first. Which is OK with me, I have enough trouble chasing the precocious 2-yr-old, ha ha!

K.,

My granddaughter just started walking at 15 months. I don't think there is anything to worry about. I think that society has made us think that children should be walking at or about 12 months, the average age. As with anything in life, there will be some who beat the average, and some on the other side of the average. Enjoy the crawling, because you know what is next with the walking.

Take care,

B.

Hi,
I"m a mom of two girls 4,5 and 6 months.
I would suggest you to put things high up so he has to stand up to get it, like in the middle of tables and such. Move all his toys, everything that is his up to a higher level. Give him things that would force him to move walking with them in his hands from room to room - only one thing at a time, since we don't want him to drop it on the floor by mistake. Since he is a boy so do we also know from a scientific level that parts of boys brains develop later as well, that is why for example they get toilet trained later than girls. My oldest daughter didn't start walking until she was 13,5 months old, so hang in there. When he starts walking he will probably run instead to catch up for lost time.
Good Luck,
L.

My son did not walk until he was 15 months old. He felt he just didnt have too. He will walk when he is ready. Just keep giving him the self confidence that he can do it on his own.

If, by 18 months, he is not walking, that is when doctors start worrying. Until then, just be thankful you don't have to chase him as much as when he is walking.

Don't worry, this is perfectly normal. First, all kids do things at their own speed, so try not to compare the two - its like apples to oranges. Second, at his next pediatrician appt, have the Dr do a check on his hips and legs (if they haven't already).

My first DD (who is now 4) didn't crawl until she was 13 months and didn't walk until she was 16 months. After the doctor told me that physically she was fine, I just enjoyed that I didn't have to chase after her like all my friends were doing with their kids.

One advantage to walking later is that once she did start she had a much better sense of balance and almost never fell - didn't have to pad the edges of everything in the house. Also, while she was sitting, she had more time to look around and observe and listen, so I think it might have helped her in other areas as well - she was a very early talker and spoke very well, very quickly. If she was distracted by mobility, I don't think she would have picked it up so quickly.

Long story short, don't worry. As long as the Dr has said he's physically fine, it will happen eventually. Enjoy him staying put while you can!

You have a lot of responses already, but I'll just quickly add to the list -- my daughter didn't walk until 15 months. We were kind of worrying about it too, but one day she just started and never looked back! I guess they all do things at different paces. There's no need to worry!

Hello K.,
Sometimes I see that when a 14 month does not walk he has a lot of siblings carrying him around and so he may take his time learning to walk, then sometimes because there are a lot of sibs around they learn faster because they want to catch up. I really don't know the normal time range for a child to start walking it would do you good to talk with your family pediatrician and ask him/her what to do. Some children are slower doing things than others then you have children that supersede all things, talking getting teeth, and walking. Be patient, pray and talk to your pediatrician. There may be nothing wrong, he may be enjoying the ride on your hip.

My son, who is now 2 1/2 didn't start walking til he was 14 1/2 months. He too was an extremely fast crawler! I wouldn't be concerned unless the doctor gives you reason for concern. Is he pulling himself up on things and cruising yet?

Hi K.,
I am going thru the same thing. My daughter (now 3) started walking around 14 months but my son (15 1/2 mos)is now just walking as of last week. He was so into crawling and not wanting to take the time to really walk. It was faster to crawl, now he's just walking around everywhere! Patience is the key and remember that he will do it in his time.

My daughter is almost 15 months and not interested in walking, either! I'm sure that they'll get around to it. She's just so good at crawling that she'd rather get around fast than try something new.

Hello, K.:
I have 2 sons. Neither of them walked until they were 15 months. I was freaking out! Once they started, though, everything was fine. They're now 5 and 7, and developmentally right on track.

I tried to encourage them by holding their hands and helping them walk. I'm not sure how much this helped, though. When he's ready, he'll walk. Sometime boys are developmentally slower than girls, so I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. If he's not walking by 16 months, contact your pediatrician.

H. M.

My daughter was just like Alice P's. She had a great vocabulary and could talk up a storm, but her motor skills lagged. She didn't walk until she 19 mos, but now she's running around nonstop!

Hi K.,
I have a 4 1/2 year old daughter who is active and bright. She did not walk until she was 18 months old. At the time I was concerned about it, but our Dr. kept telling us not to worry. She turned out to be right, when our daughter did start walking she did it perfectly with very little falling, tripping or stumbling, like younger walkers often do.
My son, who is now 2 1/2 didn't walk until he was 15 months old. This makes me think that may be I just carried them around so much they didn't feel the need to walk until later. As long as your Dr. isn't worried, you probably don't need to either.

K.,

I didn't read all of your responses, but just to let you know, my daughter didn't walk until she was 18 1/2 months. She was an early talker, though. It just seems some kids have to focus on one task at a time, and her task was talking. I also think she wanted to make sure she could walk so she wouldn't fall down. She cruised around since she was thirteen months. Also, there are about 23 accepted ways for kids to crawl, so style is not an indicator. I took her to the pediatric orthopedist (that was a horror story, there is one doctor I will never go to again!), who found nothing wrong with her. One foot turned out a bit (my feet turned way out when I was a baby, preventing me from walking), but that has corrected itself. Now, when she speaks she sounds like she' 10 or twelve, and she's only four! Her jumping, running, and one legged balance are finally becoming age appropriate, as well as her skipping. I've found I can't teach her skipping, only another child can teach her that and I have trouble coming up with playmates (hence, she goes to preschool). I can only say it's because she walked later and is still catching up to those who walked at a year.

If you are worried, get him checked out. Otherwise, he's just on his own schedule, not the one American adults dictate.

Did you know in some cultures children are carried everywhere until they are four year olds?

Hope this helps

You're not alone. Both of my children were late walkers. My daughter was about 15 months and my son didn't walk until 18-19 months. (Turns out he's speech delayed too but that's a whole other issue.) They say it's a "boy thing" but just stay on top of it and encourage as much as you can. It'll definitely happen. Good luck!!!

My daughter did not walk until she was 16 months (crawled at 11 months)and she is doing fine at 2 1/2. She has a little bit of low muscle tone, Is he pulling to stand? cruising along furniture? bearing weight (pushing his feet toward the floor when standing? He is still within the "normal/typical" range at 14 months (walking is anywhere between 10 and 16 months. If he is not walking after 16 months I would just check in with your pediatrician.

I had 2 children who did not walk until they were 18 months. Both had speech delays and my doctors said that their gross motor skills were most likely delayed because they were focusing on their language. My daughter however was seen by an orthopaedic because she has hypertonic joints. This was causing her delay because the tendons and ligaments weren't strong enough to support her. She is now getting ready to turn 2 and has completly caught up with her gross motor skills. I wouldn't worry. Each child develops differently and a their own pace.

My son did not start walking until 19 months and one week! It was just in time because I had my daughter a week later! He is now 2 and runs, jumps and is right up to speed with his peers. He was a super fast crawler too and I think he liked it better than trying to walk and falling down. He got to places easier crawling fast. Don't worry.

My youngest, who is now about to turn 5 didn't walk until her the day before she turned 16 months. She is a 3rd child, so I had a bit of experience. I was very worried! The pediatrician told me that everyone has their own timeline. Each child is different, so he may not follow in his sister's footsteps. I'm sure it'll work itself out. The other alternative is to wait a bit and then if he's still not walking, contact the county to see if he can be evaluated for low tone. Sounds scary, but it usually works itself out with a little excercise. Sometimes though, time is the only thing you can give it. If he's crawling, chances are he'll be up and walking in no time.

A. B.

My neighbors baby just started walking last month and he'll be 2 next week! I wouldn't worry.

My daughter did not walk until 16 months! My doc told me if she wasn't, we were going to have to have her tested. Thank goodnes one day she just decided to do it with some encouragement from us. (We would try to encourage her to walk between us) I am sure your baby will do the same!

K.,
As I am sure you have read. Each child progresses at their own pace. Don't worry. He will walk as soon as he is ready to. He maybe a child who does not like change. Just love and nurture him the way I know you do.

K., when my son was little the AVERAGE age for a child to start walking was 13 months. So 14 months is probably well within a normal range. I would not sweat it, boys are sometimes slower than girls at these things, and every child is an individual. When he finally learns to run, you will wish he were back crawling where it was easier to catch up with him!

I seriously wouldn't worry about it - although most babies walk by that age, it's perfectly normal for a lot of babies not to walk until they are up to 18 months old. If he can get around so fast on his hands and knees, he probably doesn't feel like he needs to stand up to move yet.
My little girl is almost 2 and isn't walking independently yet, but that's because she has cerebral palsy, so you know that's not the case with your son :)

Your story sounds a lot like mine! My daughter also started walking at 11 months, however, my son did not start walking until he was 14 months. We came home from our summer vacation last year at the beach...and several days later he just started walking. It came completely out of the blue as he had not really been trying to walk that much on his own. Your son might surprise one day soon and decide he's ready to make the plunge! Try not to worry. My parents tell me that I did not start walking until I was 15 months old! They thought I would be in college before I started walking!

I wouldn't worry - my daughter was a late walker too... almost 16 months. Talk with your doctor, but unless you think there is something physically wrong, I wouldn't worry. He has a great mode of transport now, so he's content. He'll do it when he's ready!

He is fine. My son could crawl really fast and that was his preferred way of getting around. We knew he could walk if he wanted to as he would pull himself up. He walked at 16 months. He actually walked 8 steps back and forth like 8 times. His pediatrician said that when most children start walking they stumble and walk really slowly and are unsure on their feet. He said other children like my son who walk later are perfecting themselves. When they start walking hey will soon be running. He was right. When Nicholas started walking you would have thought he was walking for months.

Don't worry about it - he is fine. I think I read that children can take as long as 18 months. If at 18 months he still hasn't started walking I would talk to his doctor.

Hi K.

I also had the same concern as you. No need to worry, kids develope at their own pace.

I have a 3 yr old that was walking before her first birthday and then I also have a set of boy/girl twins. My son was walking at around 10 months (in his walker & around furniture) and then he took off one week after his first birthday. Now, the twins are 16 months old and my twin daughter has just now showed some interest in walking. She can now get around on her own.

I'm sure your son will begin to take off real soon. Enjoy him while he is still crawling because when he takes off, you will be very busy trying to keep up with him.

My son did not walk until he was 16 months old. He had a weird kind of seal walk/crawl. When he finally started he took off almost running. He is 18 now and things are just fine, I believe that sometimes boys can develop a little slower in alot of areas. He may just not have the need to walk since he is mobile with his crawling.

K.,

My younger daughter didnt walk until she was almost 18 mos old. She would cruise, but preferred to walk on her knees to getting on her feet. We had PT for her for other reasons and she explained that kids get on their feet, because they can't use their hands to hold and manipulate things at the same time that they are crawling. You can try to get his interest in getting on his feet by putting his favorite things up on low shelves where he can pull himself up and start to cruise for them. Maybe if he needs his hands free more for what he wants, he might consider freeing them up. My daughters prob was that her sister (only 10 mos older) liked to "sister tip" and it was harder to tip a kid on her knees. Once she freed up her hands by walking on her knees, she didn't seem to feel the need to move any further :o) She is now 23mos and does everything else a 23mo old baby does. Now we need to watch to keep her off the tables! Her insteps are a little behind in being formed because she didn't put weight on them as soon as other kids, but they are starting to form. Both the doc and PT told us that 18 mos is perfectly within normal range for a child to walk. Don't sweat yet.

S.

K.,

Sometimes when you have a fast crawler they walk latter, if you have any concerns I would just set an appointment with your Pediatrician just to make sure that it is not anything else. It's always best to have a doctor tell you everything is fine. Does he attemt to walk along funiture or between furniture independantly?

K.

My oldest daughter is now 18 years old. She didn't walk until she was almost 18 months old. In fact, she didn't crawl until she was a year old. It didn't affect her negatively at all. My dr had said that if she wasn't walking by 18 months then they may want to do some tests on her. But she started walking right before the deadline.

My 19-month-old just started walking. I wasn't worried because her older sister was also 19 months when she started. Our middle daughter started walking at 13 months, but the other two just waited until they were ready. I know it will be OK because the oldest is now 5 and walks and runs just fine! Your son will walk in his own time.

You have had some great responses, but I wanted to add a clinical response too. I am a pediatric occupational therapist as well as mother of two. Each child does develop differently. My son walked at 12 months, but my daughter didn't until 14 months. There are couple of reasons when you might want to start getting concerned. If he is not walking by 16-18 months then I would be concerned. Or if you have any other concerns about development (speech or fine motor skills) then maybe you might want to have him checked out. Right now I think I would wait until your 18 month well child check to bring up the issue, but hopefully by then it won't be a problem! Some things to think about if he is only crawling that might be a concern. Can he pull up to things?? Is he cruising at all?? If he is not doing either of these then you might want to bring it up sooner, but if he is crawling really fast he is probably doing the other things and just doesn't have the courage to let go yet.

My daughter was 19 months before she started walking. She just got around so easily by crawling and she had a stubborn personality, so she felt no need for walking. I thought my son would be so much quicker, but he didn't start walking until he was 16 months. We did lots of cheering to convince him to start because he was so fast with crawling and again saw no need to walk. I know how easy it is to worry, our neighbors boy started walking at 9 months and I would wonder if there was something wrong with my son. But just remember that each child has their own unique personality and timetable.

Hi K.,

From what I have seen with my children, in most cases, every child is different,with me my daugher started to walk at 10 months and my son at 16 months, I have been working with children for over 8 years as a daycare provider and I see it all the time they walk at different ages. I would not worry too much.

E.
www.LittleRocketeers.com

Hi,
My son did not walk until he was fifteen months and believe me he is fine now. At twenty six months, he runs, climbs stairs and jumps like a mad man. He just took his time. He also never went through that awkward stage when he first started walking. Maybe because he took to it so late. Give it a little longer. I had a friend whose little girl didn't walk until 18 months and she is fine now.

Hi,

My name is M.. I have a 7 year old he did not walk till around 16 months. He was very top heavy at the time. We even took him to the Childrens Hosptial. They said sometime children are shaped different like if they are bigger at the top of their bodies it can take them longer to walk. He told me to bring my son back if he did not walk by 20 months. The next week he took off. Children even brothers and sister each have do things at their own pace. I would call you Doctor if you are truely concernd but he will most likley take off walking soon.

Hope this helps.

M.