Any suggestions to help get my 15th month old son to walk??

Question

We have been trying for months now! He will walk behind a toy. (like a little toy lawn mower, or Vacume cleaner). And he will walk holding onto my pinky finger. But he will not stand without any thing to hang on to and he will not get passed taking those first few steps alone. We took him to the Dr yesterday for his 15 month check up and he said a physical therapast will be needed if he is not walking by next month. Does anyone have any tricks???

My son was a month premature he weighed 5 lbs 10 oz. But he caught up fast!! He is now 26 lbs. Is it the weight that is holding him back? I have high top walking shoes on him but he just doesn't want to do it.

Answer 1

I had a premie who didn't walk alone until about 14 months, was he early? My others walked at 12 months and 9 months respectively.

Yes, the 9 month walker was my son who hasn't stopped since. You don't know how lucky you are to have a boy who hasn't walked by himself - you got an extra 6 months of peace.

In my opinion, 15 months is within the realm of normal, ESPECIALLY if he is walking well behind a toy or merely holding on to your pinky finger. Walking holding your pinky finger is useless for balance - so he is walking just fine! He is just a little timid. One day he will take off by himself and you're off and running. I bet it will be any day now.

Edited to say: I saw that he was a premie and that he is a chunky guy. Both those things make it more likely he will walk late. Any day now he'll take off, follow the tips here there are some good ones. He will slim down a lot when he starts walking!

Answer 2

But he is walking, yes alright it may be aided by what he sees as a little security , but he is putting weight on his legs , standing and moving forward one foot in front of the other. My son was like this, he was a big baby, is yours?. At 15 months he would stand up but would not move in any direction even with a toy to aid him, he would sit down and giggle. At nearly16 months he took his first steps from my mothers arms to mine.He still preferred to crawl for ages. He is 41 now, fit and strong never any health problems. By the way he was born prematurely at 7 months. My second son was born when the first one was 12 months old, he walked at 10 months very strongly. I had 2 toddlers together. Do not worry just yet, I am sure he will do it at his own pace, once he does you wont be able to keep up. PS one trick we did use , hold a toy in your hand, IE teddy or toy car, let the baby grip that instead of your finger, once he is walking steady gradually let your bit of the toy go, the child thinks you are still holding him up and hopefully continues walking holding the teddy, feeling secure because he is gripping something. PPS I have said already my son was prem and also over weight, best they do not walk too soon damage their legs. I am sure he will be fine.

Answer 3

He just isn't ready to let go. My son had the same problem. He didn't walk until he was almost 17 months. Behind toys and with help and with the furniture he was fine but the minute he let go he would sit down.

Then one day out of the blue bam
he got up and walked across the room to get something. soon after he was running after the dog.

I say don't worry about it, it will happen when he is ready to take off on his own.

Answer 4

Have him stand up and hold onto a table, carefully of course. Get a snack that he really likes and walk about 6 steps away from him. Trust me, if he wants that snack bad enough, he'll walk. But the dr. is right....15 months is a little late. If the snack doesnt work, I have no idea. It worked for our son.

Good Luck!

Answer 5

He will do it in his own time, don't worry. My niece refused to walk with out support for an awful long time. She crawled everywhere until she realised that she was being left behind by her friends.
Leave him without shoes on as much as possible. If he can feel the floor beneath his feet he will feel safer. Just keep encouraging him to do what he already can do but don't force him to do more. If you and your partner sit on the floor facing each other get your little one to take a step from one of you to the other and make it fun. You can gradually increase the distance when he feels safe with this.

Answer 6

My son was 16 months old before he walked alone. His doctor told me that if he wasnt walking by 18 months, further investigation would be needed as to why he won't or can't walk. Put him at a distance from you and hold something he REALLY wants and encourage him to walk to you and retrieve it. He seems scared to just let go. When he's holding your pinky, try easing your finger away and see if he notices it. He will walk, dont give up hope yet and dont be alarmed yet.

Answer 7

i don't think there's a physical therapy issue. the fact that he pushes toys shows he can walk. he just doesn't want to let go. he may be afraid of falling or just is waiting until he decides it's the perfect time.

my son took his first unassisted steps at 14 months but i swear he could have easily done it 2 months earlier. he waited until about 20 family members were all in one room and then giggled an all-too-satisfied giggle at the praise and attention.

if you think he may be afraid of falling, wrestle with him a little on the floor so he gets used to ending up on the floor without hurting, since when he falls when he's walking he'll generally fall safely on his diapered bottom or on his knees.

Answer 8

Yes. I know you probably have heard these but here are some that worked for my daughter. Hold a toy in front of him, but high. So that he will try to reach up for it. Also, sit across from someone else on the floor and just try to get him to walk back and forth.

Answer 9

Since he will walk while holding on to your fingers, try doing that for a while, then giving him some round clothespins (you can find them in the craft section of WalMart) along with your hands. Then, slowly let go and leave him with the clothespins. He may be scared at first, but he'll soon realize he is walking on his very own!

Answer 10

DONT ruish him. my daughter is 16 months old and shes just started up on her feet, not as wobbly now but they will do at their own pace. PLus premies usually take longer honey. do you walk behind him holding his hands?. Another thing dont pick him up. I stopped picking my daughter up and that helped her get going

also new studies show that 8 percent of babies ( could be higher cant remember ) dont walk until between 15 and 18 months old