Not walking yet?

Walking is a developmental milestone that has a huge potential age range. Your child could be as young as 10 months when she takes her first steps, or as old as 18 months, and still fall within the normal range.

It’s easy to worry about whether your child is battling developmentally when all of the other children her age are walking, and she’s still crawling, cruising, or scooting along. That’s not necessarily what you should do though.

Consider your child’s other developmental milestones. Is she developing normally otherwise? Did she sit, crawl, and meet all the other milestones for children her age around the same time as other kids? If so, it could be that she’s simply lacking in opportunity or even confidence.

If your child has spent a lot of time in a walking ring or bouncer, then it may be that her muscles are not used to the posture necessary for walking. In that case, it’s time to ban the bouncer. Alternatively, it could be that you’ve been carrying her everywhere, and handing her objects she points at, and she has not seen the need to walk. Then again, some children can technically walk, but hold on to items, as though they were still cruising, because they’re too nervous to walk on their own.

If you can’t pinpoint the reason why your child is not walking yet, or if your child has missed any other developmental milestones, then you should definitely seek your doctor’s advice, followed by a neurological specialist. There are many medical and mental reasons that your child may be having trouble, and the sooner you seek treatment, the better.