I am sure I am being over paranoid, but this is my first. My son is almost 14 months old and has been walking along the couch for several month. He loves to stand and crawl up the stairs and is babbling away. He will even walk with a toy for a bit, but as soon as you hold his hands he sits down. I was just wondering if anyone else experienced late walkers and if so what did they do to encourage them. I don't want push or force my son and feel this is probably all normal. I just want to make sure I am encouraging him in a good way.
My daughter is also 14 months, she just started walking last week (even though my first daughter walked at 10 months). She doesn't even crawl anymore. I wouldn't worry, it sounds like he is on the right track.
Hi CK~
I wouldn't be too concerned with it at all. I have 2 kids, 6 & 2. My 6yr old son started walking around 11 months, whereas my 2yr old daughter didn't start until she was 15 months. Every child goes as their own pace. Any encouragement you give is goo encouragement. As long as you praise him & make a big deal of it, you'll be fine. I definitely say don't push it, as it will be more of a demand for the child than an accomplishment.
Just wait, once he gets going, you'll wish it took even longer!!
Enjoy it while it lasts!
J.
Hi CK!
My now 4 year old son did not walk until he was about the same age. He could cruise, stand, etc but HE just wasn't ready. He finally did at about 14.5 mos. We found one of those light up rubber balls and would play catch with him. We started throwing it a little short so he would have to step forward (or two or three) to catch it and presto...he started walking. It will happen! Good luck.
We had our daughter hold one end of a wooden spoon and we held the other. When she became comfortable we started letting go of the spoon at first for a very short time and slowly longer until we were no longer holding the spoon. Before long she was walking on her own.
Just another endorsement not to worry. My son was 15-1/2 months and my daughter was 13 months before they walked. My children seemed otherwise normal developmentally, but I mostly worried because my mother kept telling me how my brother and I started walking well before one year, and of course I was seeing some other babies around my kids' age walking. When I asked my doctor about it, she said not to worry and explained that one of the reasons babies are trending towards walking later is all the equipment we have now. Lightweight strollers, bouncy chairs, jumpers, exersaucers and all that other fun stuff keeps babies off the floor. They're having so much fun sitting in them, they aren't compelled to walk, so they tend to do it later. My next door neighbor had a child with an enlarged head, so her doctor advised against any of that stuff, and he was actually walking at 9 months. Her older son didn't walk until much later, so it's definitely possible that all that other stuff does have an impact. Bottom line is, don't worry. As everyone else has said, when he does start walking, you'll rue the day you were wishing for it! :) Good luck with your pending arrival. It's a little challenging having two close together at first, but so great as they get a little older!
There's nothing to worry about! Even your doctor will tell you the same thing! He will walk when he's ready! You can encourage your baby by holding his arms and have him walk in front of you, or have him stand against a couch or a toy and slowly have him let go so he can first stand by himself without any support for few seconds, once they master standing on their own he will feel confident to make a half step, then a full step! My daughter did the same thing, and It took her about 2 weeks to master standing on her own before she made her real step!
My son did not start really walking until he was about 16 months. He would coast with no problem. His sisters started walking just before their first birthday. My youngest started walking the day before she turned 10 months. Now she is trying to run. Unless you notice anything odd in his movements, I wouldn't worry about it.
I know what you mean, I was worrying about it a lot too after my son turned a year. He was constantly standing up and cruising. But one day when he was 15 mos. & 3 days he let the couch go and started walking all by himself. I've been chasing him since and he's 20 mos. I'll tell you I'm so out of breath. When you hear that boys start later with pretty much everything, it's true. I'm still waiting for mine to start talking and I know when he starts I'll want him to be quiet a bit more, so I'm not pushing it. Be patient, I know it's hard. Good luck in June.
