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17.5 months and not walking

hmonttyhmontty member
in Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months

My DD is walking on a walker all over the house and will walk when we hold her hand or hands, but she cannot stand on her own yet and does not walk independently. She has always been a little slow on the gross motor side owing to some axial low muscle tone (for example, she started transitioning from lying to sitting on her own right at 12 months), and when I look back over her progression, it's steady, if on the "late" side, but I was hoping for her to be walking by 18 months. The reason is because she has the mind of a toddler but is trapped in a baby's body. She is still in the infant room at her nursery school, for example, and for her swimming class, I had to put her in a lower class just because she isn't walking, although the cognitive development is there, and her fine motor is AWESOME.

Anyone else experiencing something similar? How are you dealing with the frustration of your child being "held back" because of gross motor?

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Re: 17.5 months and not walking

  • ally81698ally81698 member

    My DD is 17 months (today :)) and isn't walking yet either.  She is delayed in gross motor skills due to a brain injury but we are right there with you - she's really frustrated that she can't get places.  She just started "real" crawling about 1-2 months ago.  If your DD is walking assisted, it looks like she's almost there.  Our DD does this too.  Her PT estimates that she will be walking unassisted around December.

    I haven't had any experiences with DD being held back because she's not in day care or has had any classes, but I'm sure it can be both frustrating and upsetting for you.  The way I look at it is this - my DD has come SO far from where she started so I always look at her progress.  Otherwise, I'd be a mess if I compared her to other children.  My goal is to have her fully caught up by the time she goes to school (3-4) so she can be mainstreamed.  Until then, I don't mind if it takes her a little longer.

    Your DD will be there soon - just  be patient and hang in there :)

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  • XCrissCrossXXCrissCrossX member

    When LO started walking he would hold on to the child-sized shopping carts at the grocery store and we would pull it along with us so he was "walking" with the support of the cart. You could perhaps try something like that in public if you have any push toys you can take with you. That way LO will get that perspective and not have to be pushed or carried.

    When you say LO uses a walker at home, do you mean a traditional walker with four wheels that they sit inside of? I ask because I had always heard that those devices don't work the same muscles that are used for independent walking- which means it could be hindering LO from developing the strength needed to walk alone. (I'm no expert though- if someone with a degree has told you that walkers are helpful, please ignore me).

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  • saturdaynightdoubletreesaturdaynightdoubletree member
    DS didn't walk until 18.5 months... and then he literally ran. It's frustrating for you, but she's just not ready. Try to let her do it on her own time, she will be okay. Once she's going the other direction all the time you'll be grateful she wasn't an early walker.
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  • BeebopandBuddyBeebopandBuddy member
    DD just started waking at 17.5 months.  We had EI come out and tell us she needed to build up her core muscles by climbing and sitting on stools or places where she had to hold herself upright.  We had her climb on couch cushions and stairs and it made a world of difference.  The other thing that made a big difference is that we decided that, if her cognitive skills are there, we will not let her be held back anymore by slower gross motor skills.  Once 1 or 2 kids younger than her moved past her to the toddler room at daycare, I spoke to the management and told them that I want to move her at 18 months regardless.  I thought that it might motivate her and I do not want her other skills to lapse because of this.  They agreed and we moved her although she was not a steady walker yet.  She has been there a couple of weeks now and is doing well.  She still falls occassionally and bumps things, but I think that she needs to move forward with everything else.  GL with your LO, it's hard but you just have to make the best decisions you can.  If you haven't had EI out, give them a call.
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  • hmonttyhmontty member
    imageXcrisscrossX:

    When LO started walking he would hold on to the child-sized shopping carts at the grocery store and we would pull it along with us so he was "walking" with the support of the cart. You could perhaps try something like that in public if you have any push toys you can take with you. That way LO will get that perspective and not have to be pushed or carried.

    When you say LO uses a walker at home, do you mean a traditional walker with four wheels that they sit inside of? I ask because I had always heard that those devices don't work the same muscles that are used for independent walking- which means it could be hindering LO from developing the strength needed to walk alone. (I'm no expert though- if someone with a degree has told you that walkers are helpful, please ignore me).

    Thanks. No, it's not one of those walkers. It's the kind that she pushes in front of her.

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