Seeking Advice About Teaching My Son to Walk

My daughter started walking when my husband and I would sit at opposite ends and we would have her walk from one to the other. She loved it! After that she was all over the place!

-s

Don't force him...but I bought a little riding toy for my daughter and at a yr she was pushing it around and finally by 14 months she was walking, so he's fine at 10 months old if he isn't walking yet. My cousins lil boy at 10 months was still just sitting on his bottom, wouldn't crawl or anything, now at almost a yr he finally picked it up somehow. Every child is different!

Hey Women,
He will walk when he feels like it and like I told you before be thankful the times he doesnt walk, I always said I was ready for Adam to walk and now I wish some times he would crawl. They have something called walking wings I have heard they help out.
See you on yahoo later.

Hi H.:

Let me say, I am 23 year old stay at home Mom alsohave 16 month old twins, a boy and a girl, and another baby girl due on June 3. My son started walking just after his 1st birthday, and my daughter didn't start walking until she was about 15 months! Don't worry about it, just as everyone else has said, every child goes at their own pace... people that make it seem that a child should be walking by a certain age are wrong. As far as the bumps, believe me, I know how you feel! Right now, my daughter has 2 bruises on her forhead. I know it makes you feel bad that they get hurt, but that's part of them being kids, we all did the same thing, and we're ok. Kids are VERY resiliant, so even though they may fall and get hurt, most of the time, within a few minutes, they're ready to go back to what they were doing when they got hurt! Let them explore and have fun. Just as someone else said, don't rush it, because before you know it, he'll be running around the house, and it'll be all you can do to keep up with him, and you'll be wishing he wasn't walking! :) Good luck to you and God Bless you! H. If you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to contact me, my email is ____@____.com

Hi H.

He will walk in due time. I oldest was right around his 1st b-day and the 2nd was about 9 months old. Each and every child is different, if he is standing I would say thats a start in the right direction. If it still worries talk to his Pedi Doc.

Good luck bumps and all

D.

Children go at their own pace dont try to "Make" him walk sometimes they just need more time for their joints and muscles to develop. Most babies try to walk along sofas and coffee tables ect first so they have something to hang on to, if he is standing you could try to put him next to the couch and he may find something to hold on to a comfort. it is ok for him to not be walking yet,some babies walk earlier than others. Just remember to get lots of pictures and videos to save those moments!

My son didn't walk till he was 13 or 14 months old. The doctor said it's normal for them to even wait until 15 months to start. Stay around him as much as you can, but of course you can't always be right there to catch him. From what I experienced, you can't really teach them to walk, they just learn on their own and you get to watch. It's amazing.

H.,

Get him one of the walk behing push toys, those work great. He may still fall from time to time but it offers him something to hold onto as he falls so it might not always be his head that hits. And remember there is no rush it is very common for kids not to walk until they are at least a year old or more. Good luck and take care.

My son didn't start walking until he was around 13 months old. I've always heard boys tend to develop a little later than girls anyway - I was initially worried because a friend of mine has a daughter who started walking at 10 months! But now he's almost 15 months old and he's doing great - better and better every day. I wouldn't worry about it - enjoy the stage he's in now because they sure grow up too fast!

Hi H.,
My name is S., I am 24 and have a 11month old little girl. She started walking very early, but this doesn't mean that all children have to. Your son will walk when he is ready to. I personally think that having him in the walker is great for him. It is strengthening his legs more than you know. About the bump on the head, well that is just going to happen. My daughter falls alot, but she is not always getting really hurt. I think sometimes it shows her that she needs to slow down. I hope some of this helps. Please feel free to let me know if there is anything else I can help with. S.

H.,
Try wraping a towel/blankie around his tummy and under his arms towards his back. Then hold both ends behind him and stand behind him balancing him with your legs behind him and in a waddling motion if you will. He may feel it's a kind of a fun game and start on his own soon.
Just a thought.

Hello, The only thing i can tell you is that the walker has a lot to do with your son not wanting to walk, walkers make babies lazy because of its comfort.
What you can do to help him? well i think put him on the floor all the time, try to move stuff around like chairs, small tables so he can have space to walk, and teach him to stand up holding himself from the furniture. One more thing, don't worry if your kid does not walk now, my daughter walked when she was 1 year and 13 days old, and my nephew walk when he was 1 year and 3 months, remember babies develop differently.
Good Luck

if he is standing at furniture what helped my son was to take a toy and move it just out of his reach...once he is walking arround furniture good the next step would be to move the toy to another piece of furniture just far enough away to encourage a step on his own.

I wouldn't worry about it. We never used a walker but my son cruised on furnature from about 7 mos until he took his first step 2 weeks after his 1st birthday. From what I understand most kids don't walk until around 1 yr.

Hi H.!

I was worried about my first son, too. He's very cautious and didn't walk until he was 13 months old. You didn't mention whether he's pulling up on furniture and starting to cruise yet. Once mine started these activities, he was walking soon after.

I'm not sure how much you can "teach" walking as babies' legs and back muscles have to be strong enough to balance and support their weight. The age ranges for walking are quite broad, so I wouldn't let it worry you that he's not walking at this point. To get my son motivated, I'd get him interested in an object for a minute and then put it just out of his reach across the floor/table/room. Then I'd encourage him to crawl, cruise, or walk to go get it. Once he reached it, I'd let him play with it a bit and then move it away again and encourage him to go get it. Eventually get got tired of playing, and we'd try again later. Of course, he LOVED holding hands with someone and walking with them - he loved to "walk" this way as soon as he was able to stand.

I have read that walkers make it so easy for kids to get around that they prefer to use the walker than to learn to walk on their own, so we used an Exersaucer instead. If your gut tells you the walker is hindering his development, it may be time to put it away.

You might also want to consider the shoes he's wearing. The first shoes I bought for my son had such a thick hard sole that he looked like Frankenstein trying to move his little feet. He did much better by going barefoot in the house or wearing a little soft soled shoe with a suede bottom like they sell at Target for about $15, the same price as the Frankenstein shoes.

Don't let yourself get discouraged! Milestones are just estimates and every child reaches them when he/she is ready. If you start becoming worried, though, I wouldn't hesitate to talk with the pediatrician. And keep encouraging him to pull up, cruise and walk, and I'm sure he'll be off and running (literally) in no time.

L.

Don't worry. He's still young. My son was doing the same thing at that age. Walkers and exercausers don't hurt a thing. it's great for them to play in and a great break for you when he's in it! He'll walk when he's ready. My son didn't walk until he was about a year. I've known babies that didn't even try to walk until they were 14 months. So, just enjoy the time you have not chasing him around. Have fun and don't worry. Your son is perfectly normal.

I have three kids. My oldest (now 6 years old) took her first very tentative step on her 1st birthday. Six weeks lately, she finally decided that walking was a good thing. She had no interest in walking until then. She was content to sit on the floor and look at books. She's still that way. My middle took his first steps when he was 9 1/2 months old. The day he figured out how to stand up, he started walking and liked it. He is extremely active to this day (he'll be 4 on Monday). My baby (now 2 years old) took his first steps on Christmas Day, three weeks after his first birthday. We walked around holding his hands for months. He's the only of my kids that crawled or did any of the "typical" things that you read about in books.

My point -- every child is different! Your son most likely just isn't ready to start walking on his own. Enjoy it while it lasts. He'll be up and running before you know it. The walker is really a pretty good idea to build up leg strength and to build his confidence.

As for the bumps on the head, that is a normal part of little boys! Do your best to keep him safe. He'll be fine.

Good luck!

Research shows (and the American Academy of Pediatrics supports the research - talk to your dr.) that children will learn to walk slower when they use a walker/exesaucer. It does not teach them the proper way to stand as they will lean forward for support rather than on their legs the right way. Also, they are more prone to accidents when left unattended even for a minute. Having said that, my kids used a walker only as a tool for me to harness them for a few minutes, but never for long periods of time (and gave up on them after like 7 months old). The best way to get your child to walk is to practice. Hold both hands while standing behind your child and have him walk from the toy area to his high chair to his room, etc. Put him down and have him walk anywhere you need to go (this takes more time I know) around the house. When outside in the yard, walk with him the same way. After a while, try with just one hand. When he's free playing, have him down on the floor so he can practice pulling up and sitting down from a standing position. Also, have him move toward objects while he's standing holding on to something. Eventually, he'll be able to stand and balance with ease and then the steps will come. He's 10 month old? Put the walker away! He's too big for it! And, bumps on the head are going to happen. Its a fact of life and a necessary part of learning! Just love him when they happen and get him right back out there. Best of luck!

No worries, he will walk when he is ready. My 4 yr old walked before she was one, but my youngest waited until 13 months. As for getting hurt, it's normal. As long as it's not blood or broken bones let him fall and learn from his mistakes. The walker is good but if he able to stand on his own or with help you should get him a push walker. They have them at Walmart and other stores but he won't need ot long so I recomend buying a used one and save money. You cen get one at a resale shop, or maybe on craigslist.com. Just be ready for it to happen right away, almost overnight...Baby proof your house!!Good luck.

I used to take a bath towel, roll it up long ways, and put it around my baby like a harness so that I could hold the ends of the towel like a handle. This will hold the baby up, and you just hold the ends and let the baby walk or run around freely while you are holding the towel and keeping baby from falling. Just be ready to run, because the baby will love this new freedom to roam, and you will have to try to keep up. LOL! Both of my babies thought this was great fun, and they started walking around their first birthdays. I also learned not to try to compare them to other babies who walked sooner than that.

I have 3 children I used the exersaucers (3 different ones)and to me it just strengthend the leg muscle. Dont leave him in for prolonged time. I also used the fisher price walkers (with the wheels) they have a new one out. They move as the baby moves. My mom also helped with my first child by putting a rolled bath towel across his chest and under his armpits like a sling and walking with him. She taught all 5 of us kids to walk that way. Hope it helps but remember each child walks at there own pace and even if he is starting to stand up by holding on to furniture its because he is getting ready himself and it could take even a month or so before he does venture out on his own

Awww, I know you get anxious for them to start walking. But don't worry. There's nothing wrong with your baby boy. All kids are different. If he's already showing interest in standing, then he'll be walking in no time. Maybe keeping him out of the walker a little more will peak his interest in standing on his own. Kids learn at their own pace, just be patient, enjoy it while it lasts cause they grow fast!!

Yes, everyone here is right! They all start walking at their own age, and your son will do just fine.

Yes, a walker will strengthen his legs...but..

Yes, it teaches him an improper way of balancing himself that will delay his walking on his own.

You're doing fine, and you don't need to worry about your baby boy. He'll be running before you know it!

I wouldn't worry about him walking yet, my daughter's pediatrician says that walking starts usually around 12 months and some don't start until like 15 months. My daughter is 12 months and walks holding onto stuff but has no intentions of venturing away by herself. You could try one of the walking toys that he holds onto and pushes around. It might give him a little more stability than walking by himself.

Oh honey I wouldn't worry about it at all... My daughter was 14 mos before she walked and my son was 16 mos. They'll get it in their own timing. He might just not be ready yet. The walker is actually helping strengthen his legs so don't worry about that either. One day you will look up and all of a sudden he'll just take off walking accross the room! If he's showing interest in walking, you and your husband can sit just a few feet apart facing each other and make it a fun "game." One of you hold him up and face the other, call him and encourage him to come and see if he'll take a few steps, if not, then he's not ready. But continue w/ this game so that he'll get the idea that it's "fun" to walk. Good luck and don't force it... it will come. :)