“My second child is 14 months old and hasn't taken her first steps. Is something wrong?”
My first child took his first steps at 10 months, but my second child is 14 months old and still hasn't taken her first steps. I am concerned. Could this be a sign of a developmental issue?
11 Answers
Amitha J. Mundenchira
Family Practitioner
Every child is different. 18 months is the upper limit of normal for walking - so, your second child is probably a late bloomer compared to your first child. I would recommend assessment by your physician to make sure that there are no issues with other developmental milestones.
Every child is different. Some children can take up to 17 months.
...Sorry for the late response.
...Sorry for the late response.
Yes possibly, he should be checked by his pediatrician.
Some normal healthy kids don’t walk until 15 months. Be sure to schedule the 15 month well child check. If she is not walking by then, it’s time for a good developmental assessment.
This can be normal (milestones aren’t uniform across every child, even in the same family), but warrants a visit in person to your child’s doctor. Without knowing more about your child’s other developmental milestones and an examination, this is difficult to answer.
Hard to tell without examining child. I would recommend following up with your pediatrician.
Richard Aballay
Richard Aballay
Dr. Lisa Ann Shepherd
Family Practitioner
Some children do not walk until 14-15 months of age. They should definitely be cruising around furniture by that age (actually 9-12 months). However, if you are concerned, I recommend you tell your pediatrician about your child's development.
Many children take their first step at age 12 months but it is still within the normal range for the first step to take place from 12 months to 18 months. What is important is that your child continues to progress in her skills. If your child was a little late at rolling over, crawling, or sitting he may need a little more time to progress to walking.
Developmental milestones are almost always concerns of new parents and experienced parents alike. A general statement is that infants will walk when they want to!
Research has shown that he typical age for walking was 12 months, but the results ranged from eight-and-a-half months to 20 months. More importantly, there is little or no link between such early motor milestones and later development.
The following link is a great article explaining the above issues based on sound research. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2304753/Why-shouldnt-worry-baby-starts-walk.html
Parents should only be concerned if walking has not occurred by 18 months</span>. In such cases, other developmental issues have usually arisen before this reported delay, signifying a more serious problem. The cited article should answer all your other questions!
Research has shown that he typical age for walking was 12 months, but the results ranged from eight-and-a-half months to 20 months. More importantly, there is little or no link between such early motor milestones and later development.
The following link is a great article explaining the above issues based on sound research. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2304753/Why-shouldnt-worry-baby-starts-walk.html
Parents should only be concerned if walking has not occurred by 18 months</span>. In such cases, other developmental issues have usually arisen before this reported delay, signifying a more serious problem. The cited article should answer all your other questions!
It could be, but the chances that this is just a slower muscle development is about 95% more likely.
The short answer is "Yes, it could be, so have her properly evaluated." While there is quite a wide range of normal developmental behavior, and milestones are not set at fixed intervals like hurdles on a race track, they can serve as useful reminders to observant parents. Just get a professional opinion on your daughter's different rate of motor development from her brother's. Probably it's nothing, and she may be farther ahead than he was at her age in other areas of maturation. Remember that Einstein didn't begin talking till age 3, and was slow at math in his formative years. You may have a future Olympic athlete just taking her time getting started.
