15-Month Old Not Walking Independently - Ideas to Help?

I have found that some walk sooner, some on schedule, and some later. I wouldn't rush things. If you Dr doesn't have any worries, then I wouldn't either.

Hi Julie! When I was a pup my mother rigged a clothesline in the backyard: Before she put the line up she ran it through a cheap plastic bracelet. Then she tied a long ribbon to the bracelet, leaving both ends quite long. Then she tied another bracelet onto each of those ends so that I could hold onto them and walk myself back and forth across the yard. (I assume she had to do some adjusting to get them the right length.) Sorry I can't include a snapshot of myself learning to balance and getting all that sunshine and exercise! You'll think of something!

L.

Keep encouraging him, give him plenty of toys and things to pull up and cruise on and above all, don't worry! Especially if he was late to crawl, is a contented baby or is a heavy baby...these can all contribute to late walking. Developmental milestones are approximations - never compare your child to others - it leads to unnecessary worry. If you think there might be something else hindering his development, talk with your pediatrician.

SAHM of seven

Julie,
he just might be what people call a late bloomer, and will take off one day, but if you are worried about his balance you might have his eyes checked out maybe he is not seeing things just right and it makes him feel unsure of himself

My son is severely mentally retarded and autistic and had trouble walking, not that that is your case at all. He started walking at about 18 months. I just saw the responses for the walking wings and I thought since your child is sooo close, don't spend the money on those. We just used dishtowels and did the same thing with them. We would either put it around his chest and help him walk that way or when he got closer, we gave him one in each hand and we would hold onto them too and he would do great walking that way and it improved his balance. Sounds like your son is close though and yes he's developing his speech first so that's great. I agree, enjoy the fact he isn't walking around too much yet because then everything changes.

Good Luch!!

Hi Julie,

Children tend to do things at their own pace, and when they excel in one thing, they generally are slower somewhere else. All children are fascinating in their own way! You can't push your son to develop faster than he is, but you can encourage him. Take his favorite toy and stand a couple of steps away from him so he has something to shoot for. Praise him for any attempts to walk towards the toy. Eventually, he will take those couple of steps towards the toy. When he has mastered this successfully, you can increase the range. Eventually, he will be walking in no time! Good luck!

Angie

I personally would not worry about it... at the next doc visit maybe bring it up if you are looking forideas. More then likely the doc will say he will walk when he is ready.

There is something like walking assistants that you can get at babies r us for $25... here is the link http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2404566
There are good and bad reviews so not sure if this product is right for everyone.

Julie,

I wouldn't worry. My son (now 3 and totally normal in his physical development) was a late walker. He didn't start to walk until around 15 months. Then, one day he just started walking. It sounds like you are all ready doing the things you need to encourage him. Keep helping him. Sit on the floor when he is cruising at the couch and encourage him to walk to you. Hold a favorite toy, etc. He'll get there :)

Also, my son was a total talker too. He was speaking in paragraphs by age 2, so I think you are right on when you said he is too busy talking to take time to walk.

Best to you,
J.
SAHM to Charlie (3) Joey (18 months) and #3 due Nov.

Actually you and your husband probably aren't far off. If he is busy developing language skills he isn't interested in motor skills. My advice would be to enjoy the fact he isn't walking yet, because he will be soon enough. My daughter didn't walk until she was 17 months old. At 2 she runs around just fine so I wouldn't worry about it.

Get him to a chiropractor Julie. He may not want to walk upright without leaning on something because it hurts him (his hip, low back, etc.). Best to rule this out as a possibility.

Of course, it could just be that his upper body is heavy and he doesn't have the upper body strength to carry it by himself. In this case, once his legs are stronger, he will have no trouble.

Hi Julie! Neither one of my boys walked til they were 17 mths. They were like your son-- they liked to crawl and saw no reason to change. They weren't even big cruisers. Then one day they just walked. Just like that! No more crawling, no cruising phase, just crawling to walking. I wouldn't worry about it just yet. When he's ready he'll walk.

Enjoy it! All three of my kids walked by 10 months, but then we had to get rid of our coffee table with sharp corners, the floor lamps, ect. They were into everything, constantly losing balance, climbing stairs early and then trying to catch up to older siblings and cousins. If you want to strengthen his legs a bit put him in a walker or johnny jump up or hold his hands above his head in yours while he walks around the house. We also had those telephone ride on cars with the handle on back that our kids could push and use for balance. He'll get there soon enough:)

My 11 month old falls toward me too. I have noticed that she is so excited for mommy that she lunges for me. My 1st child walked at 9 months but my 2nd still isn't confident enough to venture out on her own. Give him some time, he'll walk when he's ready. Good luck:-)

Call your local school district and ask them how to contact "child find". They can give you the contact info to have your son evaluated by an occupational therapist. They can at least tell you if you should be worried or not. My son didn't walk till 15 months, and has some learning disabilities, and the therapy he got was wonderful-and free!

You have hit the nail on the head! If you think about how hard it is to learn to make sounds and words, then its understandable that all of his energy is directed towards that effort and walking does not seem immediately necessary to him (esp since he crawls so well). My son is the opposite and is running and walking at 18 months, but his vocabulary is only starting to grow.
I would not rush anything and appreciate all that he is doing. Once he walks, then he runs and he's off :-)
Have fun!

I should say that my oldest son didn't walk until the day he turned 18 mo. old. I got to the point that I was starting to worry but then....
As long as you're working with him and he's showing signs. It will happen! But be sure to talk to his doctor about it if it doesn't happen by 18 mo.
Some kids just don't have that urge to walk as soon!

Hi Julie,
You might try a couple of things. There is a great product out there called Walking Wings, although since he is so close, you might not want to spend the money. The walking wings allow him to walk with both hands free and you supporting him with straps around his chest. It may be enough to help him gain confidence. I carry them in my store, so you can contact me at ____@____.com if you are interested.

Another suggestion is to give him a small toy in one hand or both hands to keep them occupied. Sometimes the distraction of the toy helps them to forget that they are not holding anything to support the walking.

Hang in there. One day, he'll just take off and you'll wonder what you were worried about.

Good luck,
K. S

My daughter has been on the later side for many of her physical development milestones too - she crawled late (12 months!) and walked late (almost 18 months). Once she finally took those first few steps, she took right off with very few wobbles. It really sounds like your son is on the verge of walking by himself. If you're really worried, you could always bring it up at your next doctor's appointment, but it sounds to me like your son is still within the range of normal development for this skill. My daughter has always been quicker on the verbal/mental milestones than the physical ones. Like the others have mentioned, all children develop differently and on their own schedule. I'm sure your son will be off and running before you know it.

my daughter did the same thing. she did not walk until 16 months, but she had a BIG vocabulary. my ped. told me that, hey, they can't work on both things at the same time. it's alot of work to develop walking skills and language skills.
he's perfect for exactaly who he is!