My son is 14 months old and not walking in his own. He hangs on to furniture, etc. he sits with his left leg bent and to his side. Does Does this have something to do with the ergo? I wore him a lot to breastfeed and sleep.
With some research, I found my son sits in the 'w' position. I asked my sons father if we should tell his doc. But he doesn't think we need to. I am thinking I will. He crawls well and he is walking using furniture and holding on to things. I am a little concerned about the way he sits. I wore him a few times a day to breastfeed and sleep. I only wear him once a day now just in case.
If you have a concern, ask his pediatrician. I used the Ergo with both of my children when they outgrew the BabyBjorn. It is not related to the Ergo.
BTW, I used the Ergo with #1 until he was over 3 1/2. I didn't with #2 because he is a large sized child and at not quite 3, he is over 40 lbs! I miss it!
It is perfectly normal for babies not to walk until 17 months. Look up "milestones walking".
Also, he very well could start walking on his own tomorrow. One day they don't walk the next they just are.
Re: the ergo... Don't second guess yourself. It is wonderful you BF your son and carried him around with you and gave him a loving place for him to sleep.
If he isn't sitting straight or close to it, then he needs to work on his core muscles. How is his crawling? If he isn't crawling, then he needs to find another way to build them. You should look at how he holds his body. If he has weak muscles on one side, then he may need physical therapy. I don't know if this has anything to do with Ergo or not, my babies didn't want to be worn, but, I do know that one weak side in toddler-hood can have lasting effects for life.
I personally would take him to the doctor for it. If the doctor has ANY concern, or says there is something, but let's wait and see, then I would recommend going to a physical therapist for an evaluation. Remember, they specialize in muscle movements and the doctor doesn't. The doctor should be willing to give you a referral if you need one. But, if not, I believe that everyone should be able to have an evaluation from a PT without a referral, but I guess it is up to the insurance company.
At this age Early Intervention can help as well, just call your local school district, but they usually start with the doctor I think.
If you are concerned, then don't let it pass. I say this from experience. My son was born with Torticullis, (weak neck muscles on one side), and Scoliosis. The doctors and physical therapists explained a lot to me about his muscles, and the one big thing they said is if the two sides aren't equal the person will favor one, and the longer they do it, the worse it will be. You can see adults who just look kind of "off"....and this is one of the main reasons why: Imbalance in muscle development.
Good luck with this and I hope it goes away very soon all on its own.
I don't think it has anything to do with wearing him in the ergo. Babies all develop at their own rates. If he's able to cruise (walking along while holding on to furniture), he's developing well. I wouldn't worry unless he isn't walking by 18 months.
I have a lot of years in child care. Truly, most babies don't start walking by one, they may not even be walking by 14-16 months. I had one grandchild that was barely trying to stand alone at 16 months. He took off very quickly after that though. Hardly any kids walk great at your son's age.
He might be delayed. It's best to visit with the doc about this.
parentcenter.com is a cool site for you. If you haven't been there please do so. Register and add your kiddo's if there are more.
You'll get emails that are for his age specifically. They will help you to know if there is something he's supposed to be doing but isn't.
I wouldn't worry about it at all. He is still really little. My kids practically lived in my ergo my first walked at 12m, second 16m, and third 11m. I intend to wear baby number 4 when s/he gets here. Kids this age do things from one day to the next.
I wore babies #2 and 3 a lot, but they both walked by 10 months. 14 months is no cause for concern--it is well within the range of normal. Now that I have baby #4, I am in no rush for him to be walking. Once he starts to walk he'll be able to join in the chasing that is nearly constant in our house. Remember, you'll be spending the next several years trying to get him to sit down ;-)
I don't think it has anything to do with the Ergo. I carried my two sons in the Ergo a lot, and they were fine. They both started walking right around 14 months. My oldest, a girl, did not get carried in the Ergo and she also started walking at 14 months.
How long did you wear him? What does your doctor say? Were you only nursing on one side so that he's now always slanted to one side? 14 months is not too old to not be walking, in my opinion.
