Tip Toes

my son still does it and he's almost 3. He does it every now and then. I used to worry about how thatit would deform his feet, but he's just fine. I also notice that my husband does it too :)

I think it is normal when they first start out but that can also be a sign of autism and there is another syndrom that is like a form of autism that is very, very light that starts with the tippie-toes.
If you notice that the tiptoes is continuous and she never comes down and EVER walks flat footed then I would be concerned but when they first start out walking I believe that they all are on their tiptoes. That increases leg muscle tone and helps them to walk.

My six year old daughter has been walking on her toes, as well, since she was about a year old. Our pediatrician told me it was fine and she's growing into a graceful little ballerina!

Hi S.,

Our son did this as well and we didn't think much of it until we mentioned to our chiropractor. She said most kids do this, but it is correctable with chiro. adjustments. She said they do this because their atlas vertebra, near the base of the neck gets out of whack and they tip toe to compensate for the imbalance while walking. It sounded a little wacky to me, but sure enough after a couple adjustments, our son didn't tip toe anymore. Now he only does it if he has a bad fall or something else that throws things out. A couple of adjustments and he's back to normal. Might be worth checking into for your little one, too. :) Good luck!

You have a budding ballerina. Call your local dance studio and find out what age she can start dance classes.

no, its not talk to your doctor i had a friend that did this and he was still doing it in middle school

Our adopted son did the same thing. We even had him tested twice thinking he had some type of muscle disease. After years of getting after him and making him do stretching exercises we found out after he met his birth mother that she does the same thing (she even does it at 25 years of age if she has her shoes off!). We even found out that the trait ran in his birth fathers family as well. Talk to both sides of your family to see if any members experienced this or walked with no heel strike. We just laughed and said that it is in his genetic make up and we quite getting after him and he finally grew out of it. He has amazing balance and very strong toes. God Bless. B. E.

HI S.,

Some children do this. I have a neice that is now in her mid 30's and she still will walk on her tip toes when she doesn't consiously think about not doing it. She has done it since she started walking and we could never break her of it. Mention it to the doctor, keep an eye on her feet and toes. She should be fine. We kept an eye on her, I was constatnly at my sisters helping her, and she turned out fine. Don't worry to much about it.

E.

It could be a medical issue, can't remember the name but I do have two friends whose children do this and hypotonia...something like that. Meaning low muscle tone and they have less motor skills. Can't hurt just to check online and then maybe call the doc before making an appt to go in. It could just be a new thing she is tryng but just need to be safe. :o)

It is very normal for children to start walking on their tip toes. My son walked that way for awhile when he was small, and according to my mother, I also did.

My youngest son did this, and it is important to bring up the issue with your doctor. Monitor your daughter for other issues such as not being where she should be with speech or having difficulty eating. These are signs of cerebral palsy, which is what we thought our son had (but he didn't - thank goodness). However, my son did see a pediatric specialist who said my son had a problem with his Achilles. My son walked on his toes - he didn't do anything flat footed. So it's important to make sure that you watch her because all the "little" observances can help determine if this is just a phase (my daughter and other son walked on tip toes, but they also walked flat footed and had no other issues of concern) or if there is a medical issue that needs attention. Discuss all concerns with her pediatrician. I am sure it is just a phase. Good luck!

My 15th month old son does that. Not as much now, but he did it quiet a bit when he started walking. I find that once I started putting him in shoes, that he started walking more flat footed. But when he's bare foot is when I notice him walking on his toes still. My mom said my brother use to do that too when he was a baby. So it's not something unheard of.

TOTALLY normal! :) My daughter even turned her toes over and walked on the knuckles. Don't ask me why, but she did. She's 4 1/2 yo and a "Super Runner" and walks completely normal.

Yep, it's normal :) They do this at various stages. My daughter is about to turn 3 on the 26th and and has decided that she should walk around on her tippytoes like Angelina Ballerina LOL...

The only time it's considered a concern is when they're learning to walk and only ever walk on their tippytoes and never stand on their flat feet - then it can be an issue. But at 22 months, and having been walking normally for awhile, it's most likely a stage that'll pass soon enough and she's just having fun with a new ability :)

Christi

In some children, it can be a sign of autism. One of the kids I babysat did it when he didn't want to poop. :-) Your daughter may just be practicing a new skill.

My niece did that for a couple of months and she is just fine. Her mom is a PT assistant and was concerend about it but I am not sure why.

My 17 month old has been doing this for awhile now. His older brothers did it too. We just laugh and call it the "twinkle toes" stage. None of them did it for long, and I think it is just a fun new thing they figure out how to do with their new muscles and coordination. Good luck!

Mention it to the Dr. at the next well child. My first child walked on tip toes a lot. He was able to walk on the full foot normally. He seemed to prefer the tip toes because it gave him a quick start. He was a fast, speedy crawler, when he began to walk he just couldn't go fast enough to suit him. The tip toes or balls of the feet gave him a faster start. He has been an amazing runner!!(sprinter) On a seperate note one of the baby girls in our mommy and me group was a true tip-toe walker. She looked like a fragile little princess when she walked. She was unable to put all of her weight on her feet. She was perfectly normal and healthy. She did not walk on flat feet until she was about 5 years old. Her mom did take her to therapy for about 6 months trying to stretch the tendons and muscles in the lower leg and ankles. They put her in the Stride-Rite solid bottom shoes to help encourage her to use her feet in a more normal manner. She has been extremely sucessful in ballet!!!(dancer) I think it is intresting that these two children were doing things just a little different from the other babies when it came to walking. As middle and high school students these differences are what gave them a leg up on the other kids in their sports. Just a thought.

Soneone mentioned it can be a sign of autism it can also be a sign of sensory intergration disorder and be corrected with occupational therapy. Talk with your ped. about it and the above mentioned things. It can also just be a phase she is going through but its worth looking into. Dont let her keep doing it though. My DH's cousin has a friend who walks on his toes he is 17 years old and he looks silly walking on his toes but he can not put his feet flat he has always walked on his toes and his tendons have grown stiff and the only way to correct it is to stretch them with painful therapy and he doesnt want to do it.

Children walking on their tip-toes is actually a good thing. This way of walking will strengthen their ankle muscles.

Watch it and let your doctor know at her 2 year old apt., but don't worry too much about it.

Some moms will write back about learning issues that are sometimes seen with kids who do this, but please do not worry about this. I am a teacher and your child is probably fine. My son stood on his toes in front of a special ed teacher and she got concerned. My son is 4 1/2 now and is probably gifted. Point being - love your daughter, watch what might be an issue, but certainly don't worry about it.

S.,
I am a mother of 5 kids. My mother is a retired RN. She use to always tell me to watch the way my children walked when they were toddlers. Sometimes toddlers do things like that because its fun and new. If she is always doing it I would tell your pediatrician and see what they think? They may want to refer you to an orthopedic doctor.

A. B.

My best friends' daughter started walking on her tippy toes when she was really small, maybe 2 and it continued for years! I'm talking until she was probably 9 or 10. Now she is 16 and perfectly wonderful. The only side effects I see is great calf and leg muscles! I say don't worry about it,as long as there are no other medical issues. She will stop when she wants to. I don't think see that it will harm anything. God Bless!

I have a 20 month old who is doing this every now and then. It seems it's when he's bouncing with excitement. My daughter went through a phase of this too. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Mention it to your doc to be safe, then just know it's normal.

God bless!

Completely normal as long as she is still able to walk properly and still does so occasionally.

My nickname growing up was 'Tippy' because I walked on my tiptoes when I was an infant/toddler. My daughter is 8 months old an appears to be doing the same thing :-).

This could be a sign of omega 3 deficiency. Excess ear wax is also another sign.

Take care.

hi , they say some kids do do it temporaily..however they could be doing it as a sign of tight as well..my son is almost 6 and is still walking like that...there is a surgery that can be done to length muscle so hopefully can walk flat...i would just keep and eye open..might just be a phase..

This may be nothing to worry about or it may be a sign of early ADHD. Take a look at the website www.feingold.org. Feingold is a 30yr old non-profit organization whose purpose is to inform the public about petroleum-based artificial ingredients in our food supply. These harmful additives cause ADD, ADHD and many other physical, emotional and behavioral side effects. Feingold is a leading authority on this subject and has helped thousands of families over the years. Feingold lists walking on tip-toes as one of the signs of ADHD. Best wishes.