My almost 23 months girl is bow legged. When she is standing still, she looks ok except her knees slightly closer together than her feet, When she walks, her bow legs are more obvious and she seems to put more weight on outer side of her feet. My husband said her diaper is in the way. But my older girl didn't have the same problem. I notice other little kids don't seem to walk the same way as my little one. Should I take her to see her doctor or will she grow out of it? Anyone mom has the same thing with their little one?
Bow legged would mean that the knees are farther apart than the feet, not closer. I would ask her pediatrician about it at her 2 yr appointment - assuming you have one scheduled ;)
I'm confused... you say she's bowlegged and then you say that her knees are slightly closer than her feet... that would imply knock-knees. I have knock knees and unfortunately my family did NOTHING to try to correct it because i was a fat kid. They blamed it on that and said it was my own fault. So please go get her checked by an orthopaedist better safe than sorry.
My first son was bow legged as a baby/toddler and grew out of it. Our pediatrician wasn't concerned. She said we could put his shoes on the opposite feet every once in a while to maybe help, but that it wasn't bad enough to do anything about and she was right...he grew and it's gone.
I would talk to your pediatrician...I have a feeling nothing that any of us say here will make you feel better until the doctor says it's ok!
Good luck.
-M
Dear J.,
Yes, talk to your pediatrician and ask him for a referral to an orthopedist. She isn't bow legged, that is where the knees are out too far and feet are in. Her problem is the opposite. Correction is best when the child is small and bones are still forming. She may need a brace for a while, but then she should be fine.
H.
Yeah! totally. I would have it check out if you are worried. With children I always go with: better safe than a sorry.
Your baby's 2 year old check up is coming up and you could just mention it to your doc.
-c
J.,
Go to the pediatrician and insist that you have her legs seen by a specialist. My daughter is 5 1/2 and they are just getting to her now. Luckily we are just going to have to do some exercises but I'm still taking her to have a second opinion to make sure that she will not need to have any surgury. At your daughter's age they can put casts on her and make adjustments since her bones are still forming. Tell your husband that the diaper has nothing to do with how her legs are moving. Good luck and take charge. Remember, you know your child better than anyone.
Hi J. your husband is right about th diaper, a lot of baby's get bowl leged from the diaper. Once they are in panties/underwear the bowl legedness usually goes away. J. L.
Ask your daughter about it at her 2 year well baby check. I didn't see anything particularly wrong with my daughter, but my pediatrician thought a specialist should check out my daughter. After that, she was fitted with "reverse lash" shoes at night for awhile which rotated her hips properly. It really was no big deal, she got used to the bed time shoes with bar connecting them right away, and slept fine. We did hear her banging around in the crib sometimes when she'd flip over. Now she's a 24 yr. old beautiful woman with a wonderful walk.
My daughter seemed bow legged too. When she was about 16-18 months is when we first noticed. Other people noticed the way she walked and said something to me. I did take her to the doctor, who measured the distance between her knees when she had her ankles together and said she wasn't.(I can't remember the specific measurements though). My husband has a funny gait to his walk and I think this is what is happening with her. Anyhow, I think you should go see your pediatrician and have them either put your mind at ease that she is not...or tell you otherwise then you know and can start working on the problem as soon as possible to help correct it (maybe occupational therapy or a brace would help--much better to do now than when she's older). Best wishes to you and your family!
when she walks around naked does it still happen? Always check w/ a ped if you have q's re your child. better safe than sorry.
Hello, Good for you for being so aware of your child. Our youngest had pronation and toeing in. He went through the Dennis Brown splint and Thomas heel in his shoes. His feet turned out well. If we hadn't had such a good doctor at the beginning of his life, we might not have noticed so early. He was only a couple of months old. When we had to switch to Kaiser, and he started having a problem again, they were reluctant to help us. I finally got a referral to an orthopedic doctor. While waiting, he broke his femur in a bike accident. The therapy and spika casts took care of his problem. However, we had to fight to get the referral we needed. Hopefully, you won't have that problem. I feel it is better to have it checked than not.
Good luck with your precious family.
K. K.
My grandson had bowed legs. The doctor told us not to worry about it. He said the legs will come way together, knocked kneed, then straighten out, and they did. He is four now with perfectly straight legs.
If it's bowlegged, most toddlers are. 90% of the "problem" is that their chest cavity isn't large enough for their organs yet, which creates the whole toddler-pot-belly thing. Which in turn, creates a different stance than one you would see in an older child. Looking at a row of sillouettes of children (I have one in my developmental psych textbook...just looked online, and didn't find anything good), it's a REALLY obvious in development. As they age their legs get straighter and their bellies disappear and their arms get longer. It's kind of wacky actually.
The other 10% is a combo of diaper, soft bones, and loose joints. Their legs can twist, turn, and bend in ways that would SNAP ours. Since you said she stands straight (many if not most toddlers actually stand bowlegged), I personally wouldn't worry one bit.
HOWEVER...
My stock response, for anyone asking if they should go to the doctor is, YES! :) They're great resources, and they'll be able to actually see your daughter, which we can't. They see thousands and thousands of kids in a year, so they have a really good measuring tape of the "normal" range. If all you have to pay is a copay it's usually worth the relief. And don't worry...there's no way that you'll be asking something that they haven't heard before.
I would have it checked out since you are concerned! I also wanted to let you know that Shriners Hospitals for Children cares for children under age 18 with orthopedic conditions. You can have it checked out at no cost at one of the 22 Shriners Hospitals. For more information, you can visit their website, www.shrinershq.org.
Good luck!
E.
J. C
I won't worry too much, especially if she is still in diapers. If you still have concerns speak to your pediatrician, the doctor will run some tests to see if your concerns are founded. I am now 53 yrs old and when I was younger my mother was told to take me to the beach, the doctor told her that the sand will help to level feet out naturally. to some degree I still walk on the outside of my feet, but going to the beach is not only fun but therapeutic in many ways, not to mention fun for children and adults of all ages.
That was just my experience, however, you will ultimately know when your daughter is ready to get out of the diaper and into training pants for the potty. You have undoubtedly gotten any other thoughts on this subject many good and many not so good, so Good Luck.
