how do i get my son from walking on his tippy toes. he has been doing it since an infant and he is now 4 years

Answer 1

Is he doing it for fun or because it's easier? If it's the former, then keep him in shoes with a hard sole as much as possible.

If it's easier for him to walk like this, bring him to a podiatrist to have his gait evaluated and possibly treated.

Answer 2

Frequent toe walking can signal several different problems, the most serious of which is cerebral palsy. The problem could also be physical: It's not common, but some children have short Achilles tendons, which means it's difficult or impossible for them to walk flat-footed without help. This problem is generally easily treated, either with surgery or with non-surgical approaches to stretching the Achilles tendons.

Toe walking with no accompanying physical problems is called idiopathic toe walking, and is frequently seen in children with language or other developmental disorders If your child has this condition, your pediatrician will want to do an evaluation, including a neurological exam, looking for language and other developmental delays. If the results of this exam are normal and your child does not have any significant delays, he won't need therapy and will most likely grow out of the condition on his own.

Answer 3

I've heard that some little kids do that.

I think you should ask the pediatrician if there's reason to think he has some tendon problem (or something), and if the pediatrician says he seems fine maybe you could try having him wear a firm shoe that would make tip-toe walking a little more difficult.

You probably know, yourself, that bare feets or socks make it kind of tempting to flit around on tip-toes. I'm not saying orthopedic shoes - just a shoe that is a little more confining (one that is firm, maybe leather, comes up high toward his ankle). Maybe even a firm running shoe that comes up high would help.

Answer 4

Toe walking can sometimes be a sign of Autism. Look for twisting, or flicking of the wrists, repetitive eye blinking, if he lines toys/objects up, etc... Not to scare you by this at all he may be just fine, but ask your pediatrician about it.Write down observations of your sons behaviors for a couple days, or write each time you see him toe -walking, and bring it with you to the office.

Answer 5

children that have a learning disorder walk on their tippy toes, talk to your son's pediatrician and see what he says too, it may be that he is used to walking that way too, but never fear there is always an answer

Answer 6

my daughter sometimes does the same..when we had her 4 yr appt the ped had her run down the hall and htold her to walk on her feet and she can with out pain or problems,with her its habitual toe walking and all i can do is keep telling her to walk on her feet and she does...if he complains of pain wwhen walking on his feet he ould be seen by the ped to check and make sure it isnt a physical reason he is doing this...my daughter is not autistic,have learning delays or cerebral palsy,its a carry over from whe she was learning to walk.and she has been walking normally more now then on her toes,i keep reinforcing to her to walk on her feet

Answer 7

My sister had this problem until about the same age. My parents took her to multiple specialists, and nobody could figure out why she was doing it. Then, amazingly, one day, she just stopped. Very strange. If you haven't seeked medical attention, I would recommend it. Hopefully the problem will just go away on its own.

Answer 8

If you think it is unusual, definitely ask your doctor -- there are some medical conditions that would account for toe walking.

Answer 9

my friend had exactly the same problem, and if you dont get him to walk normally, then theres a greter chance of him having big calves, pains in the calves and quite high arches, so i suggest to get to the pediatrist or however u spell it, s/he can give you insoles for the shoes he wears

Answer 10

my step daughter is 2 and she does the same thing, so did her father and her grandmother. from everyone that i've spoken with it's really just a habit that they'll eventually grow out of. as long as it's not causing any problems for him then it should be fine, just double check with the pediatrician next time he has a visit.