How Old Was Your Child When He/she First Crawled and Walked?

C.,

Sorry I started to type you an email and it got sent or erased..sorry. I was saying that we have been thru hypotonia with our now 2 yr old little boy. I am not sure what exactly causes this, but he was born 1 month pre-mature. He was delayed in sitting, then walking, then talking. He is doing fine now, running and talking all the time. To anwser your question it seems that he was delayed several months for each milestone. However, I think that each child developes at their own pace and there is not an exact time for these milestones. I know your daughter will be absolutely fine. If you have any questions feel free to email me at ____@____.com. Sincerely, A.

Hi C.,
I have a daughter that was diagnosed with hypotonia when she was 6 months old. She was just not holding her head up as good as I thought she should. She has been in physical therapy since she was diagnosed. She is also in speech and occupational therapies. She is now 22 months old and has just started walking about 3 weeks ago. She still prefers to crawl though, so it is not all the time. She belly crawled for a couple months and at about 15 months she started crawling and I mean FAST. She continues to progress, just later than the regular child. She also progresses in certain ares at a time. If she does well in speech one month she might lack in physical , and so on. You will see a world of difference now that you have started therapy, it helps so much. Just keep in mind she will hit those milestones, just a little later. I just realized this myself and I am enjoying them just as much as if she was 12 months old. Some days it will seem like its horrible and the next day she will do something great. Also one thing I did that really helped was taking her to a play class like Gymboree, it helped boost her confidence. She also was around a bunch of walking kids. Good luck and your daughter will do great!!!!
C.

C.,

my 2nd daughter, who is almost 2 1/2, has been developmentally delayed. We didn't realize it until about 18 months, when she wasn't walking or talking. After getting tested, we also found she has low muscle tone. She has had a lot of ear infections, but during the summer she has caught up with her speech a lot. She started walking at 21 months and her motor is beginning to get better. she can run now, but jumping will probably be a ways down the road. she is getting physical therapy. Since her speech is catching up she doesn't really need help with that now. I have been told that kids with low muscle tone will have to work harder to build up their strength more to overcome the low muscle tone. Muscle tone will never change. I have faith that she will catch up with lots of help, love, and encouragement. also, she didn't crawl until almost 12 months.

J.

My daughter had similiar issues. She started physical therapy at 11 months old b/c she had never even put weight on her feet - we found out she had low muscle tone. She didnt crawl on her hands and knees until she was 14 months old. She just started walking at 16.5 months old. We went to physical therapy until she was 15 months old - we stopped b/c she was pulling up and cruising (started that at 13 months) and the pt said all she needed was to get balance and courage so we stopped going and a month and a half later she walked! Hope this helps!

Unfortunately I do not know anything about Hypotonia but I would not worry yet. Children do things when they are ready. My sister has a 13 month old and at 10 months we were thinking the same thing. But in a matter of 3 months she did start crawling and standing and just took here first steps the other day. Good luck and give here some time she will figure it out and then you won't be able to keep up with her!!

Don't despair. My sister's daughter was not formally diagnosed with hypotonia, however the doctor did say something similar about her. She is almost 2 years old now and did not really start walking until she was 20 months old. Before that, she would get up on her knees just as you described your daughter. As you know, children develop at different rates and sometimes I feel that there is so much pressure to reach the "milestones" that we miss out on just enjoying them when they are little. My son is very small for his age and I get so tired of people telling me how small he is and they cant believe he is only 13 months old! He doesnt walk yet either, but I am realizing that time flies; I miss the times when I used to be able to just sit and feed him and cuddle him and wherever I sat him down, he would STAY. Enjoy this time because before you know it, she will be running all over the place!

Hi, C.. I have a 10 yr old nephew who at 1 yr was diagnosed with something similar. He began PT and by the age of around 18 months was well on his way to normal physical development. He is now a soccer and basketball player, loves to swim and is in general a very active kid. Good luck and God bless as you go through the PT, but I'm sure you will see improvement fairly soon.

T.
mom of 3

I have a good friend who's 3rd daughter has/had this problem. She's 2 now and walking just fine. However, she didn't truly walk until she was around 18 months old...also with the help of PT. This problem will get better. My children have OT issues which cause balance problems...and the therapy does help. As their bodies get older they will compensate for any difficulties. Hope this info. is encouraging, N.

My oldest son was about 10 months old when he started walking and about four months when he started to crawl. My youngest was about the same age when he started to walk, but really he started making the walking movements around 6 months when we put him in a walker. He would follow his brother and us around the house in it! So he REALLY walked early!