Why isn't my child walking OR crawling at 13 months?????

[oliveoil]

dd1 didn't crawl at all, walked at about 18 months.

dd2 doesn't do anything at all, sits on the floor, can move round in a circle on the spot.

My friend's baby is 5 days different in age than dd2 and is running all over the place. Doesn't usually bother me but yesterday when I saw them together, I wondered if there is something I haven't done with them both being late walkers.

Do you think sleeping bags delay walking?

[gigglinggoblin]

dont know about sleeping bags, have never used them. ds1 didnt crawl til he was about 15m, walked at about 18m. i put it down to the fact that he was such a big lump it was difficult to balance (tho am probably completely wrong). other two have both walked before they were 1. no idea why, but thought it might make you feel better to know its not just him (ds is fine developmentally now, he is 6)

[mancmum]

I think it is all out of our control.... I did not walk until i was 20 months, DS was 15 months and DD was 13 months...

your kids are just late walkers -- nothing wrong with that... they will be better at other stuff... just relax and enjoy the rest cos once you have 2 kids going off in different directions, you won;t sit down again!!

[amy2310]

No they dont my DD was walking at 9months and she was in sleeping Bags. Your DD2 will do it when she is ready dont worry my niece was 18months when she finally decided to get up. I know its annoying and worrying but she'll be fine you'l be dreading the day shes up keep me posted xx

[compo]

my ds is 18 months and still no walking here. I try not to worry because he cruises and climbs all over the furniture and up the stairs. But it is annoying seeing walking baies less than a year old!

[oliveoil]

I know I shouldn't worry and I am not normally a worrier BUT when I saw them together...hmmmmmmmm. I went through all this with dd1 and she walked (eventually) but I always think there is something I should do to encourage.

[rubles]

Personally, no, I don't think sleeping bags affect it. Did your dds like being on their fronts?
My dd was like yours and went straight to walking (at 14 months). I remember being in groups and all these other toddlers that were younger than her were motoring around and she just SAT there!
She hated being on her front and got really frustrated after only seconds - so I would put that at the root cause, if anything.

Mind you for ages of first walking they are still in the normal range. It's just that others are a bit earlier.

[frogs]

Genetic, apparently. My three walked at 18 months, 20 months and 18 months. The younger two were both bumshufflers and never crawled at all. dd2 only learnt to walk when she did because I got so fed up with her wearing out her trousers bumshuffling across the paving that I put her out in the garden with a bare bum. She was up and walking within the week.

[nailpolish]

i think rubles is right- my 2 dd's both have slept on their fronts from birth and i think this has something to do with them both being early crawlers, as when they wake they push them selves up on hands and knees

could be total rubbish though

[kid]

My DD didn't crawl, she did bum shuffle at around 12 months. But didn't walk until 21 months.

DS crawled at 7 months and walked at 11 months, I don't feel I did anything different with either of them.

DD just decided one day that she wanted something that was on the table so she took 6 steps to get it!

Its so much easier when they don't crawl or walk if you ask me, they stay where you put them and you don't need eyes in the back of your head!

[amy2310]

The only thing is there is a fine line between encouraging your child and pushing them (as Im sure you're aware!) I learnt from my niece that the more you push them the furthur backwards they go. If they don't want to do something then they wont (unfortunately they learn from a very young age to be stuborn!!) I know you know all this but just give it time she wil walk when she is ready. As long as she is healthy and happy keep hold of her for as long as you can. My DD was 9months when she started walking and now she has Bow Legs so the later the better in my opinion. I think when they start walking you realise that they're not your little babies any more and that when you lose them to independance.

[Harrizeb]

Nope sleeping bags didn't stop DS - I had fondly hoped that it might keep him still once he was in them - but no he figured out how to walk when in his sleeping bag much to SIL amusement!!

A friends DS was walking at 9 mths and her younger 2 have followed the trend, DS walked at about 14 mths and another friends little one the same sort of build just commando'ed every where until he was about 17mths.

Frogs PMSL!!!!

Take care

H x

[Harrizeb]

wish I'd got it on video it was funny to watch him.

[Bozza]

Nothing you could have done other than supplied them with different genes! DS didn't crawl or shuffle but started walking at 12-13 months. DD crawled (badly) at 10 months and walked at the same time as DS. DS was an odd one though because he really struggled with pulling himself up. DD was doing that for months before crawling or cruising whereas DS could walk before he could reliably get himself up.

[Miaou]

Interesting commrents about being on fronts - dd1 never crawled and didn't walk until she was 15months, and she hated being on her front too.

[GillL]

Two girls I know didn't crawl at all. They shuffled on their bottoms until they were 2 years old and then started walking.

[kath4kids]

I didn't walk till 18 months dd3 was 19 1/2 months. She only pulled herself to standing at 13 months as she wanted to see what i was doing with her baby brother. She sat on the floor and played with what was in front of her, never crawled but bumb shuffled at about 15 months.

Apparantly if they are loose jointed then they bumb shuffle and dont walk early as their ligaments cant support their skeletons, so check whether she/he is double jointed. (thats what one paediatrician told me anyway) It is so frustrating though when all their peers are running round and yours is just sat there.

But the up side is she is still an easy to manage toddler on the whole, quiet and contented. Her brother was totally diff. pulling himself up at 8 months walking at 14. Now it's flipping hard work when they both run in different directions. sorry long

[clary]

oliveoil as others have posted here not all babies crawl. Some bumshuffle (and because they thus have a "good view" are late walkers); some just go straight to walking.
Does dd take her weight on her feet? Does she want to cruise or stand at all? These as I understand it are more important indicators than crawling, for which there are no age parameters because not all children do it!
A friend of mine had a very late walker, they were concerned because she wouldn't stand at 12mo, ended up under the hospital because she had a problem with a hip joint.
She's fine now (age 2.5) but it was a concern for a while.
Not wishing to alarm you , if she stands up Ok then I guess she's just taking her time.

[dollybird]

DD bum shuffled from 10m and was really fast at it! She didn't even take weight on her legs till 10m either and she was ref to hosp to check her hips (as ds had dislocated hip from birth - he took weight on his legs at a week!) and they were fine. We all worry, but generally they do things in their own time. Agree with the comments about making the most of it!!