Not Walking Yet - Hillsborough,NJ

First, my father-in-law didn't walk until he was 2. He ended up a CPA and a Ph.D in accounting, published several books, and lived a great life. So in terms of long term planning this doesn't really mean a whole lot.

However, I would suggest asking the pediatrician, just in case this is a sign of a developmental issue. It is always better to get developmental things ID sooner rather than later.

I think 18-months is about when doctors start to recommend physical therapy if a kid isn't walking. Don't freak out (that is NEVER the right answer!) but if your doctor suggests physical therapy, do it, especially if he doesn't go up and down on his own yet. It's probably nothing, but if it's something, better to catch it early.

Well, I'm a pediatric physical therapist and by 18 months, I might recommend a developmental evaluation just to see if there's any minor thing that might be making it harder for him to walk. In my experience, some totally normal kids, for whatever reason, sometimes get kind of stuck in their development and really benefit from a few PT visits to show parents some activities to jump start their walking. Some kids have a little muscle tightness in a key muscle or a little weakness in a certain muscle. Chances are he's fine and just a late walker, but if there is a minor issue it's always easier to fix if you catch it early. An evaluation can't hurt and might help ease your (and/or your family's) mind. I'm sure your pediatrician will have some good thoughts on the issue and that's a great place to start. Good luck!

Look into your local Early Childhood Intervention. Is he talking? I realized that my tantruming son was autistic when he wasn't talking at 18 months, had chronic diarrhea and screamed in the middle of the night. I'm certainly not saying this is related to your situation, just using it as an example. Your son may be just fine but if he needs a little help it is good to get it now.

Some babies just bloom later than others. While most babies are walking at 18 months, there are some babies that aren't and they are still perfectly fine. He may just have a more laid back temperament about it. Do you carry him around the house a lot? Some babies if carried around are just more content that way and therefore have no real 'need' to get around. If he goes everywhere he wants without having to put forth the effort, doesn't need to learn how to walk. (Disclaimer- If this is the case, it has NOTHING to do with you. I don't want this to be read in the way that it is blaming you, because I'm not. I have majored in early childhood and this it just a temperament some children have. It has no reflection on parenting skills. Every momma carries her baby around. It's just natural)

I would definitely bring it up to the pediatrician. Your ped will be able to tell if you need to take on some sort of intervention or if he is developing normally. Until then, I wouldn't worry much about it. Just keep doing what your doing. He is going to feel if you are constantly worried or stressed about it, and that won't do him any good. Good luck!!

My daughter wasn't walking yet at her 18 month appointment and my doctor and I discussed it...the doctor told me she would do what I wanted...we made another appointment at 19 months to check her again...she still wasn't walking yet so I got a referral to ECI (early childhood intervention).

Two lovely young ladies came to my house and evaluated my daughter....cognitive and physical evaluation. Cognitively she was ahead but physically nine months behind. Then a PT came out and showed me some activities and exercises to do with her...that was super helpful...by 21 months she was up on her feet and walking...the PT came once a month for 3 months then we stopped using their services.

She is still not as developed as her peers now at 3 years...but she is taking a dance class and running, hopping and trying to skip. She will catch up.

Also her feet are really small a size 6...most of her peers are in a size 8 or 9...maybe that plays into it too.

The developmental milestones are important for more reasons than just motor abilities, like walking. During the developmental stages, the brain matures and sets the stage for later intellect. For example, the stage where the baby is on his stomach and raises his head at 3 months is not due to strong muscles. He has a reflex that he doesn't control that forces him to raise his head. He needs to spend lots of time on his belly with this reflex in order to gain muscles in his back, shoulders, and neck, so that he can eventually roll over, sit, stand, and walk. The reflex is called the Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex, and perhaps it still needs to be integrated. But that is just motor.

The baby needs to work through this stage enough to also create the neurons in his brain that will help him with sequence and timing. A baby needs to spend time on his back enough to create the neurons for memory, attention, and sensory integration.

My child was diagnosed with learning disabilities at 12, and walked at 14 months - within guidelines, but later than most. At 12, she revisited the stages of development, and that was part of her therapies to raise her IQ by 20 points, and overcome her learning difficulties.

Your boy sounds like he is full of energy, but to be sure that he is developing to his potential, you could play lots of games with him on the floor. Since you have the appointment coming up, I would definitely ask how his muscle tone is, and if the pediatrician has ideas as to why he doesn't walk yet.

Best of luck!

K. Johnson
www.pyramidofpotential.com

Hi J.,

My daughter didn't really start walking in earnest until she was 22 months old. She'd cruise or crawl to where she wanted to go and then stand up. My husband and I did everything we could to encourage her to walk. She just didn't want to. We asked our pediatrician if we should be doing anything different and they said "No" and that she would walk when she wanted to. If your son is meeting other developmental milestones and just seems resistant to walking, I wouldn't fret about it too much. He'll do it in his own good time. At 22 months my daughter really started walking and the following week she was running and climbing the stairs. Looking at her today, you'd never know that she was such a late walker.

A.

Hi J.
Wow! Being a mil myself and our grandchildren(son's family) are that around that age, my first thought was how much it took for me to say anything about their development to our dil. Does the MD know that he was not walking at his last visit? If not, then call ahead and tell the secretary/nurse that you want him to include time for the fact that he is not walking yet. She should ask questions and you answer honestly and thoroughly. She will also probably talk to the MD and get back to you.
You answer questions honestly. Don't hide facts even if they seem unrelated.
Definitely I am siding with those that think you should definitely talk to the MD at your next visit and urge you to let him know the appt. may be longer than normal.
God bless you

At this age I would do an Early Intervention evaluation. When I did it for my youngest daughter, I was really impressed by the system. Sounds like your child is a lot like mine - has demonstrated they can walk, but unmotivated to become "a walker." I was told that she had difficulty shifting her weight. She actually became motivated to walk on her own and didn't actually receive therapy. I think that suddenly having strangers involved made her realize that it was time to start walking. BTW - there is a range where it is acceptable to start walking - 18 months is at the end of this range. I do not believe that other poster's pediatrician that all babies born at term should walk by 15 months. Both my twins walked more than a month later than that (and they were only born 4 weeks early). If you put them in a room with other two year olds, you would never know. I think you have a very good attitude about this already. Like you said, your child will not crawl into kindergarten.

Talk to your doctor about it. This is considered late to not be walking. I had twins born over 3 months early and at the time one walked at 13 months and the other didn't until 17 months. The therapist said that a child born at term should walk by 15 months and since mine were born so early the latest should be 18 months.

So, as long as your child was born at term, he should have been walking by himself by now. It sounds like he's close so it probably wouldn't take much to get it going, so I wouldn't stress too much about it, but I would definitely do something about it.

I agree with the other posters. Some kids are late bloomers, but you might as well get him checked by a developmental pediatrician. If there is a problem, better to correct it early. My twins both got PT and speech because they were a little late in their development and it was so helpful. They are going to kindergarten in the Fall and have graduated from all services.

My daughter is also a late walker. She is 18 months now and can stand and walk a few steps at a time. But she crawls really fast so I think she finds it easier. I talked to 2 occupational therapists, a PT assistant (my best friend) and my older child's preschool teacher. The consensus was if a child not walking by 17 and a half to 18 months then they would benefit from extra help (call Early Intervention for services). I am seeing slow progress with my daughter. Now she walks with a push toy and holding my hands so I am trying to make sure she practices this every day.

AT HIS NEXT APPOINTMENT MENTION IT TO THE PEDIATRICIAN,. iI WAS A TEACHER IN AN INFANT/TODDLER CENTER AND WE HAD SEVERAL CHILDREN WHO WALKED LATE. IN FACT A SET OF TWIN GIRLS DIDN'T WALK UNTIL THEY TURNED 2 YEARS. FIND OUT WHEN HUBBY WALKED, AND WHEN YOU WALKED THE DR. WILL PROBABLY ASK .
SUGGESTION, WHEN YOU NEED TO GET HIM TO , SAY THE CHANGING TABLE , HOLD BOTH HIS HANDS AND WALK HIM DOWN THE HALL ORTO WHEREEVER IT IS AND ANY OTHER PLACE YOU NEED HIM TO GET TO. ALL THROUGH THE '"WALKIN" TELL HIM HE IS DOING A GREAT JOB WALKING. THIS WILL GIVE HIM A LITTLE BIT OF ENCOURAGEMENT.

Ya know, I am sure he is fine, but just to be safe I would call the docs office and ask them if they want to see him earlier.

Good luck!