The development of each child will vary in stages, including the stages of walking. There are children who may be able to walk at the age of less than one year, while other children can only walk at the age of more than one year. This is certainly normal. However, actually when can a child be late walking?
When should children start learning to walk?
Walking is an important developmental process in children. Children must go through various stages until they can truly walk on their own. Starting from learning to roll first, sit down, then crawl, spread, then walk alone.
Generally, most babies make their first steps at the age of one year. Furthermore, at the age of 15 months most babies can walk alone without help. However, there are also babies who can only walk alone at the age of 17 or 18 months. You don't need to worry about this.
When can the child be said to be late walking?
You may be worried about children's motor development if the child continues to crawl and crawl while other children his age can walk alone. However, do not rush to assume that your child is running late. It could still be in the category of normal child development. Then, when is the child said to be late walking?
If your child still cannot walk alone without help at the age of 18 months, this might be said that your child is late walking. This can be unusual but may still be normal or it can also indicate something is wrong in a child's development.
What causes children to walk late?
Children can walk too late because they lack support from their family and environment, so that the child's muscles are not strong enough to walk alone at 18 months. To get strong muscles, the child's muscles must continue to work and be trained by doing various activities that are assisted by parents.
Meanwhile, if parents or families rarely do activities with children or children sitting too much (not supported for learning to walk), the child's muscles may not work well. This can make children run late.
In addition, conditions such as hypotonia (decreased muscle tone) and hypertonia (high muscle tone) can also cause children difficulty walking because they are less able to control body balance.
Not only that, pelvic abnormalities or pelvic dysplasia in infants can also cause delays in walking. A slanted pelvis in a baby can make the baby feel pain when he has to support his weight while walking. Pelvic dysplasia can be marked with one leg shorter than the other.
When should I see a doctor?
Checking with a doctor may allow you to let go of a little of your concern about the delay in the child's development in terms of walking. You can consult a doctor and find out what causes a child to walk late, if there are any abnormalities or other things.
It's best if your child is seen by a doctor if:
- Children cannot walk at more than 18 months of age
- Children walk only on their toes (tiptoe)
- You have concerns with your child's feet
- The movement of one child's foot is different from the movement of one other leg (like a limp)