Walking Issues in 11 Month Old. Very Concerned

Great ''watching''', S.- not all parents are so vigilent and pay such close attention- . Here's what I'd do ( I'm a retired special education preschool teacher- so been there -- done this -- MANY, many times) --- you call the developmental preschool program near you ( if your local school district still has classes- they can tell you- if not- your doctor's office will know what clinics in your area provide services for '''birth to 3'''-- -in Seattle- it's Boyer Clinic, or Little Red Schoolhouse in the Everett area--- just find out who provides birth to 3 in your area -- or contact me- I can find out ( if you want my home phone- just let me know)=---=== the clinic will make an appointment to evaluate her walking - and they can do everything you need done--- don't panic---many of these issues need a wee bit of support before a child starts Kindergarden== and then your little treasure can '''fly'' and do everything you dream of ---

( a child who is walking this young--- certainly if there is a problem it doesn't sound huge--- but good for you for checking)

Many blessings,
J. - aka - Old Mom

Hello S.,

everything you describe sounds like a normal beginning walker to me. A certain degree of bowleggedness is physiological at that age, it distributes weight and balance in a way that helps babies learn.
My oldest niece also exclusively tip-toed around for the first several months of walking. All her ped suggested was to keep her barefoot as much as possible and it would even out when her weight increased and her walking got more secure (it did - this was 11 years ago).
Remind yourself that while internet research can provide valuable knowledge, many sites overstate things, provide half-truths and plain mis-information. I am sure your doctor would have caught it by now, if there were any serious congenital or developmental issues.

I never considered it a problem, but yes, that's how my son learned to walk...and yep...nearly all kids are QUITE bow legged in the beginning. Nothing to be done for it but to let them grow. It not only takes several years of growth/development for the bones to become straight and true...but her organs have to move inside, first. ((The toddler "potbelly", which creates a bit of that waddly-walk, that all toddlers have...is caused by the fact that there isn't room under their ribcage for al their organs, as yet. Tends to happen between age 3-4. As a side note, when that happens, all of a sudden her pants are going to start falling off! You'll get a few extra months to a years worth of wear out of them. ;)

One of the many problems with disorders, is that very very few of them are completely and totally different from everyday life. All kids are bowlegged...that's not new...but a very small percent are going to be waaaaaay bowlegged. Most kids learn to walk on their toes (but most don't learn to walk on them curled under so that they're walking on their knuckels...although some do), but like you said...that's listed as a symptom for CP. Most healthy kids are full of energy...does that mean all kids are hyperactive? Where are the lines between the "yup...all kids do that" and *something* being off?

It's usually a pretty subjective place. Kids learn/do/react in a very wide spectrum. In addition to other parents Doc's really are a GREAT "is this normal" place to ask because they see hundreds of kids every week. It will probably FEEL like a brush off though, because unless something is wildly ABNORMAL, many many many things fall into the range of normal.

Like Peg said, if you feel after talking with other people and the doc, that something is still wrong...have her evaluated.

Hi, If your doctor is anything like mine was, he'll tell you that she'll grow out of it which didn't make me feel any better. Believe it or not, I listened to my Mother and we got my daughter some really "stiff" high top shoes. I really don't think they would have to be High Tops but a really good stiff walking shoe. I made her wear them all the time and sure enough...she stopped walking and running on her toes. Also, it only took one pair of that type of shoes for her to stop. As for the draging her feet at times I'd like to say that she just started walking and she WILL get better in that department. :) Enjoy your little one and please don't stress too much.

Hi S.. I have read the other responses and I agree that an evaluation is a great idea. I have twin boys who were 5 weeks premature. they shocked me by walking at 10.5 months but they never sat well or crawled much. Did your daughter sit or crawl for very long? For my boys, skipping over these stages was a problem with their motor development. they were walking on their tippy toes also and having a lot of problems with eating/textures. I had a friend who is an OT (occupational therapist) and I brought my boys in to see her for a really informal evaluation. I was about to move to Oregon and just wanted to know if I should pursue a formal evaluation once we moved. Within seconds, she picked up on several things, especially the tip toe walking. She said they had issues with proprioception. To read more about this, here is a pretty good explaination: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1699
Anyway, we had my boys evaluated by early head start when we arrived in Oregon (they were 18 months at that time) and they qualified for free services for speech and adaptive skills (eating, moving, etc.) We had an OT that came to our home once a week and it was great. We have stairs in our new house and this was really helpful for the boys to work on their cross-pattern coordination (which they missed when they skipped crawling). My boys are 3.5 now and are doing beautifully. They talk up a storm and their motor skills issues are gone. I'm so glad I did this "fine-tuning" when they were young. Kudos to you for being proactive now. the earlier the better.

I think this is more typical than you might think. Mine both did that (a boy and a girl). My mom said I did that too. She said the doctor told her my ankle tendons were a little short, and therefore it was hard for me to put my entire foot down. The best treatment for me (ugly as they were but was available in late 70s early 80s) was Saddle shoes! I had two or three paid, and they forced my feet to stand on the ground. The heavier soled walking shoes seemed to help my son. My daughter tiptoes a lot and I think that's why, but she runs and all that just fine so we haven't worried. I would start with the heavier soled walking shoes. As far as dragging goes, she may very well be just testing her abilities a little. My son drags his feet, but that's just because he gets bored and feels like kicking rocks and things sometimes. I have a Sister in law that is 52 and was born with CP. It would have shown itself before now I think your child would have other delays besides that. My younger sister was very pidgeon toed at birth and she had to have operations to correct it. SO, There are many possibilities and almost as many solutions. I am sure something will work, or she may just grow out of it. I still have short ankle tendons so I have a hard time with that yet, and find that walking up hill sometimes helps stretch it back to where I want it. Good Luck!

Hi S.,

Did your daughter spend any time in an Exersaucer or Johnny Jump-Up? The tippy-toe thing is sometimes due to their being upright before they are ready. I would recommend a pediatric occupational therapist; talk to your ped to get a referral. This would be the first step in gathering information before diagnosing CP or any other diseases. It may be that she just needs a little help.:)

Hi S.,

It may be nothing and totally normal, but it's better to get it checked out. Many times early intervention can make a huge difference. Getting her evaluated and started on physical training (if needed) can help her catch up if there is an issue. She may have short tendons or CP or nothing at all. But at least you can get answers and set your mind at ease.

A.

Hi S.. I don't know much about the tip-toe walking, but my third child was also very bow legged when she started walking at 11 months. We called her Yosemite Sam! Anyway, now she's almost 19 months old, and it has almost completely corrected itself. You hardly notice it now, so I bet you'll find the same thing will happen for your little one. As far as the tip-toe walking, I've seen it in older children (4-5 years) that I've had in my classroom who have had sensory issues, but I don't know anything about how it pertains to babies/toddlers. For the older children, it wasn't a big deal and, eventually, they were able to change the habit with some sensory integration therapy.

Hi, S.,

My name is S., I am 62 years old and I have 5 children, 20 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren. I live in Auburn, WA. I am raising my 3-year-old great granddaughter.

I had the same concern about my girl, who is 3-years-od. I took her to a specialist and he explained to me how foot and ankle bones develop. He told me that this is not uncommon or probematic unless her pattern of walking gets worse over time. Normally kids outgrow this but some can take up to 5-years of age to do so. He will see her again in a few months for follow-up.

Best luck,
S.

How great that she is walking! My son has VERY mild CP and he didn't walk well until 18 months. (He kept falling over, he only walked on his toes with one foot). I agree that you should have her checked out. Does she use her hands well? Has she met all her milestones?
My son now plays Hockey and is very active. We got a lot of help from Shriner's Hospital (located up at Doernbecker). Even if she does have CP she can have a great and wonderful life!

Our pediatrician always watched our babies walk during their one year check up to look for signs like that. I'd just be sure to show him/her at baby's one year check up.

If you have a Shriner's Hospital nearby, you might consider taking her in for an evaluation. They would be able to tell you how to proceed . . . you may need to have a sponsor - any Shrine member would be able to do this. My daughter was quite pigeon toed when she was younger and outgrew it. We bought her high quality shoes and watched her. She does in-toe a little, but when wearing good shoes, it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. Get her checked out.

Washington has a good early intervention program. My son did a weird thing where he arched his head back all the time and it delayed him sitting. In our case, they did an evaluation and then we did weekly then biweekly PT. He was back on track in a couple months.
Hopefully it will turn out to be one of those developmental things that your kid just does and you can work thru, but if it does turn out to be something more serious, they will be able to help you, and the sooner the better. The evaluation is free, and if it turns out she needs help, they can develop a custom program for you- and if it turns out she is fine, then you can relax :)

http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/iteip/

good luck!

It sounds like she may need physical therapy, but I wouldn't worry so much about cp. I have a younger brother who has a MILD case of cp but by a year old he had quite a few strange things going on (I was in college so I remember well). For example, he kept one hand fisted all the time and coudn't use it because the left side of his body had nerve damage. He also used to drool like a faucet - completely soaking his shirts every hour - because he coudn't swallow very well. He was very delayed in his motor skills and coudn't even sit up at one year old. He does walk on his toes but he didn't start walking until he was two. If the toe walking is all that your noticing, then she may just have tight leg muscles and I'll bet that pt would make all the difference. If your seeing a lot of other really strange things too like what I mentioned above, then I would definately talk to your ped. about those things too, but it sounds like she'll be just fine! Hope this helps. D.