Walking - Fremont,CA

My 3rd didn't walk until 16-18 months - - - now at age 7 1/2 she is the most coordinated child I have - very talented in anything physical - beautiful ballerina and picks up sports really fast...

No worries - - - let her take her time....

Dear M.,

Yes, give her the walker they always love those things, and it gives their legs some exercise and strengthens them. She wil walk when she decides, she will probably keep you waiting on all of her developing stages. That is good, slow is good, being her own person too. Aren't they just the most fun in the world? C. N.

Hi there!
When my second child was a baby (he's 3 now) he only wanted to be rocked to sleep. I had read articles about this and was worried that he would want to be rocked to sleep everynight for a long time, so I tried to stop. Another mother (grandmother actually) told me something that has always stuck with me. "Don't worry, you won't be rocking him to sleep when he's 15 yrs old". That made a lot of sense to me because its soo true; why rush things? Enjoy it while it lasts. I replay that in my head whenever my kids don't want to eat vegetables (or anything for that matter) or when I was worried about my son sucking him thumb. They will and do grow up and grow out of things. All children develop at their own pace. My first son talked early, my second son took a long time to talk...I figured he would be faster at it cuz he had an older sibling to listen to and learn, but realized, each is his own person, and each develops differently.

So, I say to you...."don't worry, she won't be cruising around the sofa when she's 15 yrs old". She WILL walk....just be patient and let her develop at her own pace. Walkers actually hinder walking rather than help it. The child becomes too dependent on them and they don't learn balance, besides, they are very dangerous. Let her cruise around. Maybe you can try using a kitchen spoon. You hold onto one end and let her hold onto the other. Slowly walk her away from the couch with it, practice with her walking around the house while she holds onto the spoon with you. You can also use other things as well. As time progresses, you can let go of the spoon, as long as she has it in her hand, she may feel secure and will just take off walking! (of course, be careful that she doesn't fall on it..take precautions as with everything)

Don't fret little mama..your daughter is perfect and will soon be running all over the house. Then, there will be times you had wished she wasn't walking yet! ha ha We as parents sometimese have the tendency to want our children to grow up and move on to the next stage of development; but when they do, we realize that the stage they were in was much easier! Just let it ride and enjoy her now. Pretty soon you won't be able to catch her!

Take care
hope this helps!
S.

I would not worry at all. My daughter didn't start walking until @ 15 1/2 months. I didn't walk myself until 16 months.
All kids are different. My Daughter was also extra cautious.
Since she has all the walking skills it's only a matter of time. Definitely don't push her to do it, she'll walk when she is ready.

Don't worry about it, really! Be thankful that your daughter is cautious and not the "fly off the couch headfirst" kind of kid! It makes absolutely no difference when kids start walking, as long as they are developing at a steady pace, which it sounds like your baby is. As far as the timid thing goes, she is who she is, and that's how she was born. My daughter is so painfully shy, which is the exact opposite of my husband & I. I have just let her be shy, but it is hard for my husband, and hard for us both to understand. She is 5 now, and I have seen her come out of her shell a little bit in the last year. The important thing is, she is doing it at her own pace, without us forcing her. When your baby feels comfortable enough to walk, she will! Just keep giving her encouragement and she will come around!

have you tried holding your her hand when your in an open area where their is nothing for her to hold onto? if not you may want to take her to an area where their is no furniture around and hold her hand and have her walk with you, she may just need a little guidence.

My oldest son, now 6.5 years, didn't walk until 18 months. I also think he walked late due to his cautiousness which was a God send! I had a friend at the time whose son walked at 9 months. His body was ready to walk but his mind wasn't ready to handle it so he no sense of fear or danger & as a result he fell a lot & constantly had bruises on his forehead. Our second son walked at 13.5 months & has not stopped since & he's 2! There are days he's just worn me out! The same friend mentioned above said I should be lucky our 1st twalked late, that it made my life easier which I didn't want hear & didn't make me feel any better so I won't say that! Like the other moms have said, she'll walk when she's ready. By walker, do you mean the kind she sits in? Cuz, yeah, those aren't the safest. But if you meant the kind she stands behind & pushes as she walks, those are great so bring it out for her. Both my boys just loved those! Our older son liked taking it for walks thru the neighborhood so try it out w/her on different surfaces. Or try standing a bit away from her 'tempting' her w/a toy or something so that she has to walk to you & then praise her like crazy when she does walk to you. I know w/your first you're nervous about so much, but, really, she's doing just great. You can always ask your dr. at her next appointment if there's reason for concern. Hope this helps & good luck!

I wouldn't worry about it too much. She will walk when SHE is ready. Once she is walking you will wish she was still crawling. My 2 boys took their time and eventually they were both walking.

Good Luck!
D.

one of my twins walked at 14 months, the other at 14 1/2 months. i'd say as long as she is trying, no worries. she'll go when she's ready, then she'll probably run instead of walk! i used to hold both their hands and then go to holding only one hand so they would learn to balance, but still feel somewhat secure. she is going to be running soon!!!

Hi M.. As you can see from the other responses, your daughter is not alone. Late walking is totally within the normal range. As for the best thing to do to help her have confidence, be patient with her. As a teacher working with this age group, it has been my observation that when they feel their boundaries are respected and when they feel it's okay to take care of themselves by taking it slow and cautious... they feel good about themselves and they develop confidence.

The worst thing is to rush them. The parents who try to force shy little ones, are the parents who get a toddler clinging fiercely to their leg in terror.

As for the walker... These should be seen as a "toy", not something to help your child learn to walk. It does encourage some children, but others find it frightening when the thing they hold on to for support moves. You can just put it out and let your daughter explore it. But stay close by to supervise. And be sure she is not playing with it where stairs or a step down could cause her to take a tumble, of course.

Years ago, before we had the exercise "saucers", there was another contraption commonly referred to as a "walker" -- basically like a saucer, but it let their feet touch the ground and they could propel it around the house. These fell into disfavor because they sometimes ended up going down stairs, and etc. Plus, the consensus was, these did nothing to help children learn to walk. As the positioning was quite different than actual walking. (And as with saucers, some parents are tempted to leave them in there for hours, which was not so great for circulation.)

I mention all this because sometimes people still find these things, in a relatives attic, at a garage sale, etc. And it's important for everyone to know that there is a reason they are not sold anymore -- unsafe!

Let her crawl! It is devopmentally great for her to crawl. Everyone walks on their own time time.

My son cruised since he was nine months old. The way we got him to walk was for his dad and I to sit a few feet apart and have him walk, with our hands first, back and forth to us. This could work with a parent holding a favorite toy too. Eventualy we let go of his hands for the last few steps and he kind of stumbled into our arms and we overly praised him for it. Eventually he would do it without our hands, but kind of stumble the whole way but he knew we were there to catch him. It took a few weeks, but this is how he got the confidence to do it. AAP doesn't recomend walkers, so do your research before you decide for sure what to do. I guess they can be dangerous. My son has one now because he likes to push his toys around, but he didn't use it when learning to walk. He had it, but didn't use it.

First, if by a walker you mean those things on wheels that have a tray (usually) and your baby sits in a mesh or plastic seat in the middle - they are dangerous, don't teach your child anything, and I'm not sure are even sold anymore. If you mean a large plastic toy on wheels that has a handle for the child to hold onto while they push the toy around, those are great.

It's good that your daughter is cautions - has nothing to do with timidity. My oldest daughter's best friend was walking (and falling) at 8 months but couldn't say a single word, just typical baby babble which is perfectly normal at that age. My oldest said her first word at 8 months and was able to have conversations way before she began walking at almost 16 months - and she never fell. Sometimes they can only focus on 1 skill at a time.
Don't worry, just have fun with her!

Don't worry about it - it is perfectly normal for many children to not walk until they are 18 months old! I was worried about my little one when, at 15 months old, she still wasn't walking - but she had started rolling over, sitting up, and crawling all at the typical ages and was a very healthy, active child. Unfortunately, we cannot force our children to walk, no matter how much we want too - I know I drove myself nearly crazy trying to figure out ways to "help" her walk, but in the end, she did it in her own time. On easter when she was 16 months old, she decided it was time - and just stood up and walked across the room. No toddling, no taking a few steps and falling, her little butt walked like she'd been walking her whole life - it was like she knew how the whole time I was worrying myself sick over it.
So dont worry - as long as she is normal in all the other toddler ways, trust that she will walk when SHE is ready regardless of what mommy wants ;) Just a note, the larger your child is, the longer it takes them to walk - I was told this by my pediatrician, as my daughter is as tall and heavy as a 2-2 1/2 year old. They are just naturally more cautious with their bodies. I know you wont stop worrying, but try! Just let her do her thing, give her push toys, let her push her own stroller out in public, etc etc. DO things through play to encourage her, but know that she will do it all in her own time.

I think you are very lucky to have a careful child. My little girl was anxious to walk and had no fears. It was very difficult to catch every fall. She hit her head on baseboards of walls and bookshelves, items very hard to cover in protective rubber. I was always running after her. She was 10 months when she started to walk on her own. Much to early, she didn't have enough experience or social development to handle the big responsiblity of walking. I now have a 9 month old and am very careful not to encourage walking in any way. I think you should enjoy this exciting time in your lives and she will advance when she is ready. Good luck.

My 4-year-old son did not walk until he was 17 months old. Today he is a happy, healthy, active 4-year-old boy. He runs, jumps, climbs, you name it! Take heart - your little cruiser will be walking soon and you'll be running after her. Good luck

My son just turned 14 months and just started walking. He did the same things as your daughter. Some of our family was here to visit and their son was walking. I think seeing another baby walking motivated Nathan to let go. About a week after they left, he was confident enough to let go and try on his own. Every day he does more and more. It's amazing! He also sometimes used a walker toy that you push, not the kind that they sit in. I wouldn't worry too much. She will walk when she is ready. Oh, we did have him walk holding onto our hands as well. I hope it helps! Good luck.

Hi there..Just to give you a heads up..the fact that your little girl is even walking assisted or by holding on to the couch is actually a good thing. I know a lot of babies including my own 21 month old who was not walking by 14 months old at all. It is great when they are careful cause my daughter was the same. Her little friend had no fear and was forever getting hurt and my baby just held on tight. Eventually..she will let go and do it all on her own..dont force her cause then you will scare her. Before you know it she will be running away from you and falling all over the place. My daughter quickly forgot how to be careful and is always going head on into everything. Let her go at her own pace and be very thankful for the time you have at this moment, because when she is running rampant you'll wish she had taken her time..LOL. Enjoy it.