Table of contents:
- When should children start learning to walk?
- When can the child be said to be running late?
- What causes the child to walk late?
- When to see a doctor?
The development of each child has different stages, including the walking stage. 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, when can it be said that children are running late?
When should children start learning to walk?
Walking is an important developmental process in children. Children have to go through various stages until they can really walk on their own. Starting from learning to roll first, sit, then crawl, creep, then walk alone.
Generally, most babies make their first steps by the time of one year of age. Furthermore, by the age of 15 months most babies are able to walk on their own without assistance. However, there are also babies who can only walk on their own at the age of 17 or 18 months. You don't have to worry about this.
When can the child be said to be running late?
You may be worried about your child's motor development if your child continues to crawl and creep while other children his age are able to walk on their own. However, don't rush into thinking that your child is running late. This could be in the category of normal child development. Then, when is the child said to walk late?
If your child is still unable to walk on their own without assistance at the age of 18 months, it may be said that your child is walking late. This can be unusual but may still be normal or it could also indicate that something is wrong with the child's development.
What causes the child to walk late?
Children may walk late because they lack support from their family and environment, so their muscles are not strong enough to walk on their own at 18 months of age. To get strong muscles, a 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 the child or the child sits too much (not supported to learn to walk), the child's muscles may not work properly. This can make children walk late.
In addition, conditions such as hypotonia (decreased muscle tone) and hypertonia (high muscle tone) can also cause children to have difficulty walking because they cannot control their body balance.
Not only that, pelvic disorders or pelvic dysplasia in babies can also cause delays in walking. A sloping pelvis can make the baby feel pain when he has to support his weight when walking. Pelvic dysplasia can be characterized by one leg appearing shorter than the other.
When to see a doctor?
Seeing a doctor may be able to allow you to release a little of your concern about delays in child development in terms of walking. You can consult a doctor and find out what causes the child to walk late, whether there is an abnormality or something else.
We recommend that you get your child checked by a doctor if:
- Children have not been able to walk at the age of more than 18 months
- The child walks only on his toes (tiptoe)
- You have concerns with your child's feet
- Movement of one child's leg is different from the movement of the other leg (such as a limp)
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