Just two weeks ago I wrote about my 15 mo. (almost 16 mo.) old son who is not yet walking...he crawls great, will pull himself up on anything and everything, cruise furniture, and walk well holding on to just one finger...he had his 15 mo. checkup and his Ped. said he is just fine...she checked muscle tone, etc. She said he is just cautious and to just give him a little more time before considering early intervention (mostly if he doesn’t continue to make progress).
Don't you know...the day of his apt. he took 5 steps to me with my arms open, and did the same thing for my husband 5 minutes later!! This was about 2 weeks ago.
This past weekend, he again started to take 5-8 steps from one person to another; however we need to really encourage him and kind of "push" him to do it. He is definitely cautious.
I hate to think I am pushing him to do things, because I don't really want to be like that; however I will admit that I am anxious for him to walk, as I have worried...even though I have been reassured he is just fine and taking his time.
My question is: are these all signs that he will soon take off on his own, rather than us having to encourage him. He's our first child, so I don't really know what to expect.
Thank you so much for listening to me again on the same topic! I guess I just need to be told that everything is going to be fine. If any of you have experienced this know the feeling. Thanks again.
Eventually he will find no harm has come to him. He will also figure out that there are things that are just as interesting as people. Then you are doomed. Just kidding but he will start getting into things and you will wonder why you encouraged him to be mobile in the first place. :)
Very quickly he's going to get so fast you'll have a hard time catching him.
Each child is different. He is the cautious type so you will need to encourage him to soar. He will need to learn that is is alright to fall down, you just pick yourself up and dust yourself off and start all over again. For his personality type he will need loads of encouragement and praise when the thing is complete.
He'll be fine and then you will be posting us about how to stop him from running. ;-) the joys of motherhood. Hang in there with your cautious little one.
I didn't walk until I was 18 months old. My mom said I crawled so fast I didn't need to walk. But... then in that month I was potty trained, walked and talked in sentences. So for my Mom it was a whirlwind.
Crawling is actully very good for babies. It takes more coordination to crawl than to walk. He has to figure out how to get 4 limbs moving him instead of 2. He will walk when he is ready.
By encouraging him and making it fun you are not being pushy at all. That is what moms do, we see the direction our kids are going and help them get there. I think you are doing a good job, and he is on the right track.
Good luck, and have fun helping him get there!
E.
If he's taking that many steps alone, it's only a matter of time before he continues to gain confidence and be all over the place! Even though it feels on the late side, don't stress, sounds like he's fine and will soon be walking. Think about it, you didn't see those first 5 steps day of the appointment coming, just like you may not see it coming when he just starts walking full time one day! Consider his personality when you're encouraging him to walk - does all the applause and cheers make him shy away more? Maybe he needs you to pay very little attention to his steps before he will do more? I don't know this, but it may be a possibility if he's an overly-cautious kind of guy. The reward for his walking is his freedom (which he will soon discover) and doesn't have to be clapping etc. from his parents. Unless that helps him of course!
Good luck! My son is 15 months old, and started walking right before 14 months. He had a few days of walking maybe 5-10 steps at a time and then after about 1-2 weeks, he was walking full time. During that time, he just got to doing more walking/less crawling with each day.
Yes, he will get there on his own but definitely keep encouraging him. Also, he may still crawl a lot of time for a while before exclusively walking. I remember this with my son and remember worrying just like you. Now he is 4 and he runs so fast, jumps and climbs! Hard to believe I was worried :). Hope this helps...
