Parents of Late Walkers/Delayed Motor - Advice?

[bearbaby]

(sorry - this got a teensy bit long - but it's been causing me a lot of anxiety)

DS has his one-year appt in a couple weeks.  I have been concerned about his gross motor skills though our Pedi (who I like very much) seems to be of the "later does not mean delayed" mindset and has so far not been concerned with milestones when I share them.  But I could use some advice on what to ask Pedi at 1-year regarding any concerns, should I push for EI or am I being overly worried?

DS: 99% for height/95% for weight.  11 months last Saturday.  Does not crawl - though several babies in our family didn't, so that isn't my PRIMARY concern.  Can get himself sitting and back laying down by himself, rolls with expertise, can get to all fours without any problem - moves more by "scooting" and spinning around on his bottom than on his belly.

Capable of pulling up - prefers to do it using your arms (as in - he doesn't need your assistance, he can get himself standing no problem, but is not inclined to do so often using an inanimate object).

Can stand holding onto something, but doesn't cruise along inanimate objects.  Can walk holding onto your fingers - he'll walk the whole length of the house doing this - but is nowhere close to balancing himself yet.  (Ability to walk like this is literally a development within the last week). 

We have an old school-style walker and as of 1-week ago it "clicked" and he is a pro - totally able to get wherever we wants in it, using steps/running (not just pushing off and rolling). 

Everyone sees him as of the last week and is like "oh, he's gonna be off running before you know it!" but I've been worried.  In the experience of those with delays - am I stressing over likely nothing, or should I lobby hard for an eval at his 1-year, in your experience?

(Other gross motor seem great - he can toss a ball, manipulate large objects, etc etc etc)

[litasail]

I would not be concerned.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using proboards

[mrslisa]

DD2 would not stand or cruise. At 15 months we had her hip x rayed and everything came back fine. At 16 1/2 months she stood up from sitting in the middle of the floor and walked across the room. That night she walked all around Costco. She went from no steps to walking pretty well. I have a pretty laid back attitude and feel that every baby is different. DD3 is very chill. She is happy to sit and watch the world around her. She is 7.5 months and not trying to crawl or pull up. She can roll but doesn't really want to. I think size and personality have a lot to do with it.

[applev]

I wouldn't worry. It sounds like your DS is doing everything except standard crawl and walking which sounds a lot like my two boys. They did modified crawl for a looooong time (one did a bear crawl, the other an army crawl). They pulled up and stood around 11 months and we thought for sure they would start walking soon. Nope. Fourteen and a half months for both. My pedi was not at all concerned by the late walking. He just wanted to make sure they were interested in moving and could get around somehow.

[gibbinator]

That all sounds really normal to me. A lot of kids don't walk until after their birthday, and many kids skip crawling altogether (I don't think it's even considered a milestone anymore). He really doesn't sound delayed at all!

When ds started PT for his delays it was because he was 14 months old and not transitioning - i.e. not pushing himself up to sitting, pulling up to standing, sitting back down, laying down, rolling, crawling. He could walk and bum scoot though.

[h]

DS2 didn't walk until 15.5 months. He is totally final and has not ever shown any motor delays or been slow to hit other milestones. Our pedi never seemed concerned. Some kids walk late.

I would not worry at this point.

[bearbaby]

Thank you all - you are reiterating what everyone has been saying to me, so I will be honest with the Pedi about where he stands (lol) as far as mobility, but try to stop losing sleep.

He's definitely interested in getting around and finds very creative ways to get to whatever he's trying to reach. The fact that he's finally starting to work on walking as of the last week (seemingly overnight) is helping me too, I think.

[mollybrown]

My son was one of those late walkers that just stood up and walked one day, at almost 15 months. He was a great walker from that day...he almost never fell. My DD walked at 11 months, and it took much longer before she was a good walker.

I was freaking out when DS wasn't walking, but knowing what I know now, I wouldn't worry.

[jenjen]

DS would only walk using a push toy until he just one day left the ottoman and started walking. He was about 16 months old and we had just had EI evaluate him. He never once just stood on his own without holding something. If he can bear weight on his legs and is doing other things, I think he's fine for now. If you are concerned, our EI was free for the evaluation. It often takes a while between the initial discussion before getting an evaluation and then a while before therapy which is why I called. Of course (like many others) once EI had their eval he started walking a few days later.

[nancybotwin]

DD didn't walk until almost 19 months. She now runs faster than most of the kids in her class (though her teacher reiterated that we should keep her in ballet and gymnastics for her gross motor skills...DH told her "it's ok. You can say my kid isn't the most coordinated.")

[Marmee]

I'll just let you know what my baby is going through. She got her EI evaluation at about 10mo & was doing almost exactly what you describe, except minimal walking & pulling to a stand required us to hold her hands for leverage. She got put at gross motor age 5-6months & delayed. They determined she was weak through the core/hips which is why it's hard for her to crawl. Anyway she's almost 11mo now & just had her first PT appointment last Tuesday. In the last month she's gotten pretty good at cruising, can stand not holding into anything for 10-20sec & as of yesterday she now can crawl on all 4 short distances. Would she eventually learn to do them all without PT? I'm sure she would but I prefer to err on the side of caution.  I fully expect she'll be getting PT until she walks.  If you feel unsettled about his progress, I'd push for an eval (I had to!), if you are fine with him being slow then you can wait it out. Good luck!

[mudslide]

I wouldn't be too concerned. But if it is bothering you, definitely say something.

[leonard131]

I wouldn't be concerned. M was 12 months when he really finally started pulling up and crawling. He didn't start walking around things until about 13-14 months.   We are working with PT and at almost 17 months he is just strating to walk on his own. He can cruise anywhere and everywhere if you are holding his hand or he is pushing something ( pushed a little boy who is 40lbs in Tiny Tyke car thing). Out PT has said all along he is fine, a little low muscle tone, but also just doesn't want to do it yet.

This weekend he really started taking more then a couple steps at a time but still only wants to do it on his terms. It is stressful and frustrating but I keep thinking that once he is cruising that I will forget all about this.

Your little guy sound fine. Our friends little girl showed now signs of walking and then at 16 months just got up and starting cruising. There was no stopping her. You just never know.

[karinothing]

It doesn't sound like he is delayed. DS didn't walk till 15 months, although he did walk with a push toy for a while before then. But he never stood on his own or took one step until one day he just walked.

[sparty04]

DS didn't crawl until after 11 months or walk until 14.5 months

[game blouses]

DS was more delayed than that at 12 months - he didn't pull up or cruise, and only army crawled - and we got an EI eval. He barely qualified for services. He worked with a physical therapist for 6 months and was crawling normally by 14 months, and walking by 16 months. At 19 months now he is totally caught up.

The PT was useful because we learned gross motor techniques to get him moving. The most helpful was sitting him on a ball and rocking him back and forth for core strength, and physically moving his legs in a crawling motion several times a day to train his muscles. The day he started walking was the best day of our lives.

It's hard not to worry about it, especially because it seems like all babies are walking by 12 months, but some kids just need an extra push. GL!

[Deleted]

That all sounds normal to me. I know it's hard not to worry, I'm worried about DS's speech but I bet he's actually fine. At 1yr old, DS was taking a few tentative steps while holding onto something (like a walker). He didn't take his first unassisted steps until 14m, and walking at 15m. That's all within the range of normal. Our pedi said he's not concerned about non-walking until 18 months. Your son sounds fine!

[Deleted]

Sounds normal, but you can self refer to EI if you're concerned. I had a gut instinct concern about DD's speech and called EI for some info and they told me just to bring her in for an eval. 2 years later, she's still getting speech therapy (which has been tremendously helpful). Ironically, she also qualified for OT at first because she was dragging her right foot at her EI eval. We did OT for 6 months and then she graduated.

[nabum]

I wouldn't be concerned.

[indifferentstars]

Based on what you said, I wouldn't be that concerned but if you have worries, you can self-refer to EI even if the pediatrician isn't concerned.

I had speech concerns at DS's 9 month appointment which the pedi blew off so I self referred to EI. My son qualified for speech therapy as he was only communicating at a 5-6 month level (at nearly 10 months by the time the eval happened) and then to my surprise, he also qualified for PT due to gross motor delays (he wasn't transitioning to sitting himself at that point, nor pulling up, crawling on all 4s, etc. He could sit if placed in that position and could army crawl but nothing else was going on at the time of his eval).

So, if it will ease your mind- call! It can take a while, so keep that in mind.

[Deleted]

E didn't walk until 14 months so I wouldn't be concerned about it just yet.