Do you think there is anything to the old wive's tale...

IBackBevo

that smaller babies walk earlier? 

Kissty

I'll test the theory for you.  My son was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and only 17-1/2" at birth.  He is cruising and trying to let go and walk.  He will sometimes get distracted while chewing on a teething ring or such and stand there without holding on for sometime.  He quickly grabs hold when he realizes he has let go.

IBackBevo

Kissty:

I'll test the theory for you.  My son was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and only 17-1/2" at birth.  He is cruising and trying to let go and walk.  He will sometimes get distracted while chewing on a teething ring or such and stand there without holding on for sometime.  He quickly grabs hold when he realizes he has let go.

How much does he weigh now? 

If there is anything to the old wive's tale, I think it would be on if they are smaller when they are walking - not necessarily smaller when born.  My thought would be that it is easier to balance if you are shorter and there is less weight to hold up if you weigh less.  I don't know if there is anything to it or not, but I just noticed a friend has a daughter who is very small and she is already not just taking a few steps, but truly walking at about 10.5 months.  

opaque1997

I don't think so.. it all depends on 100s of things

IBackBevo

I found this on Dr. Sear's website: "Body type may also affect the age of walking. Lean babies tend to walk earlier."  Basically, it has to do with muscle strength compared to body weight.  A leaner baby with stronger muscles may tend to walk earlier.  However, the website also says that temperament seems to be the most influential factor.

The website also says: "Walking is a matter of coordinating three factors: muscle strength, balance, and temperament, and the latter seems to influence the age of walking the most. Babies with easier temperaments often approach major developmental milestones more cautiously. Since crawling is speedier than walking anyway, confirmed crawlers are content to zip around on the floor like miniature racecars and show no interest in joining the tall and busy world.

Late walkers are more likely to be content to entertain themselves with seeing and fingering fun than with motor accomplishments. A late walker goes through the crawl-cruise-stand-walk sequence slowly and cautiously, calculating each step and progressing at his own comfortable rate. When he does finally walk, he walks well.

The early walker, on the contrary, may be the impulsive, motor-driven baby who has raced through each motor milestone before parents could get their camera ready. While there is no definite profile of early walkers, they tend to be high-need babies who early on left the lap stage and squirmed out of infant seats...the age of walking has nothing to do with eventual intelligence or motor skills."

alake

DD1 was 6 pounds 11 ounces, she walked at 11 months.

DD2 was 7 pounds 2 ounces.  She walked at fourteen months, though she started taking steps at 10 months.

DD3 was 6 pounds 3 ounces (born at 37 weeks) she is taking unassisted steps, but not many.  I think she will be going sooner than later.  She will be 10 months in 2 days.

khill86

DS is one tomorrow. He is 19ish lbs and 29inches. He took his first steps at 9.5 months and was walking full time before he hit 11 months. He is very lean, never really had that squishy baby chub.

He's very much like the early walker description that a PP mentioned. He has always been implusive and has no fear of falling. Definitely not a cautious baby. Very early on he wasn't interested in sitting still or cuddling. He started getting around at 5 months and true cross crawling at 6 months. He's been on the earlier side for gross motor skills.

It's definitely a combination of things, although I'm sure size makes a difference, it's not the only factor!

Kissty

IBackBevo:

Kissty:

I'll test the theory for you.  My son was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and only 17-1/2" at birth.  He is cruising and trying to let go and walk.  He will sometimes get distracted while chewing on a teething ring or such and stand there without holding on for sometime.  He quickly grabs hold when he realizes he has let go.

How much does he weigh now? 

If there is anything to the old wive's tale, I think it would be on if they are smaller when they are walking - not necessarily smaller when born.  My thought would be that it is easier to balance if you are shorter and there is less weight to hold up if you weigh less.  I don't know if there is anything to it or not, but I just noticed a friend has a daughter who is very small and she is already not just taking a few steps, but truly walking at about 10.5 months.  

He's probally somewhere close to 20 lbs. He was 18 at 7 mos.  His 9 mos. check up isn't for a few more weeks.  He's short and very strong.  He was able to lift his head from day one.  Mind you he couldn't hold it, but could lift.   He  has absolutely no fear.  Scary thing for me.  He will already try to climb the back of the couch to try  and get on top of it.  When he sees what he wants its a straight line to it.  If there is something in the way he will go over it or through it rather than around it. LOL! I'm sure I'll find out soon.

cedenton

Well DS is 12th% weight, 25% height and isn't walking. Just started crawling 3 weeks ago. New baby at DC is MUCH bigger, almost the same age, and he's standing and close to walking. So...no.

juliane2004

No.

DD1 was 19.5 lbs at 15 months old, which is when she began walking - tiny kid, late walker.

DS was 27 lbs at 16 months old, which is when he began walking - big kid, similar late walker.

DD2 is 20.5 lbs at 10 months old, and just began crawling, not close to walking.

lady_tytah

Daughter started working at 9m and was 20lbs.

Amiris 10m and was 920lb at 9m. He's still crawling. He's was a bigger baby at birth and a completely different temperament

britbratjf

Hum, never heard that Old Wive's Tale!  DD was 8.3 at birth and started walking at 9 months (she was around 18lbs)  She's consistently been in the 75% for weight and 50% for height.  

nicholssquared

DS1 walked at 10 months, he was smaller.

DS2 is not walking, but is cruising. He is 11 months and bigger.

My conclusion: this is coincidence. All babies do things at their own rate and there are many, many factors that play into when they will walk, not just one. Who's to say that my second son isn't just more interested in talking than walking than my first was? There could be so many reasons.  

baloneydisc

DD was 6lbs 14oz at birth.  She started walking at 11mo.  She was about 15lbs at her 12mo appointment.

pawstech09

My DD's are peanuts (less than 5% on the charts always) and they didn't start walking until they were 14 months old. DS is about 20lbs at 9 months and he should be walking within the month.

Everyusernameistaken

I don't know about walking but from my experience they definitely start moving sooner.  My little chubber was the last of his peers to roll over, crawl, pull up etc (and several of his teenier friends were quite early crawlers).  However, now they're all moving pretty good so who knows who will be the first to walk...the playing field seems to be levelling

LittleApple

MissMusic:

No.  Its called an OWT for a reason.

FYI, my kid isn't even 15lbs at 11m and she's not walking, so...

 Exactly.  My 15 lb. 10 month old isn't anywhere near walking.

BUT my oldest was crawling at 6 months and walking at 11 months.  She was about 17 lbs. at 1.  All depends on the kid. 

abbyful

Nope, I'd say no truth to it. 

My LO, at his 9 month visit, was 22 pounds 9 oz and 29" tall. He's a little chunk! He's wearing 18 month clothes, and some of his pajamas are size 2T. He's now almost 10 months, and is just about walking, he has one of those little carts for babies to push, he zooms all over the place with it!

My husband was a big baby too. He started walking at 9 months.

plus12012

My daughter was almost 10 lbs. at birth and has remained in the upper percentiles for height and weight and she just started taking steps yesterday at just over 9 months. So that doesn't hold true for her.

melody921

Nope. DD was 6 pounds 14 oz at birth and is about 16.5 now. She's pulling up but isn't standing on her own or walking.

mrsbhk22

Not in my case. DS1 was only 6lb 5oz at birth. No where near 20 lbs at 1 yr. didn't walk until 15 months. 

DS2 was 7.3 and about 19lbs when he walked around 12 months.

 DD was 8.8 and she's about to walk anytime. She's only 9 months and about 19lbs. 

 So, in my house, the bigger baby is walking way sooner than the smallest baby.  

mnb311

 

 

love this!!  My LO was premie , 4 lbs 5 oz at birth and he is still a little small for his age and he is thin,  but he is 12.5 months and not walking yet.  This info describes him perfectly.  He has the most serene happy temperament, always content never fusses and plays well by himself.  he is the fastest crawler ever and although he pulls up and lets go and will take one step but not walking fully yet.

IBackBevo:

I found this on Dr. Sear's website: "Body type may also affect the age of walking. Lean babies tend to walk earlier."  Basically, it has to do with muscle strength compared to body weight.  A leaner baby with stronger muscles may tend to walk earlier.  However, the website also says that temperament seems to be the most influential factor.

The website also says: "Walking is a matter of coordinating three factors: muscle strength, balance, and temperament, and the latter seems to influence the age of walking the most. Babies with easier temperaments often approach major developmental milestones more cautiously. Since crawling is speedier than walking anyway, confirmed crawlers are content to zip around on the floor like miniature racecars and show no interest in joining the tall and busy world.

Late walkers are more likely to be content to entertain themselves with seeing and fingering fun than with motor accomplishments. A late walker goes through the crawl-cruise-stand-walk sequence slowly and cautiously, calculating each step and progressing at his own comfortable rate. When he does finally walk, he walks well.

The early walker, on the contrary, may be the impulsive, motor-driven baby who has raced through each motor milestone before parents could get their camera ready. While there is no definite profile of early walkers, they tend to be high-need babies who early on left the lap stage and squirmed out of infant seats...the age of walking has nothing to do with eventual intelligence or motor skills."