Tips wanted

[JAC DO]

I care for a little girl 18mths and she is brilliant at bottom shuffling but won't walk and does not cruise around furnitre, but will bear weight for a few seconds when held, just looking for any tips to get her walking as number 3 is due in December.

[uf353432]

In my experience you can't do much to force it - they do these things when they are good and ready and not minute before. :laughing:

[tulip0803]

Bottom shufflers can often be late walkers - if she is not bearing weight for more than a few seconds at 18months the HV should be looking a bit more closely. Two of the bottom shufflers I know did not walk until after 2 years - one of those needed special shoes from the hospital for foot/ankle probs others have walked between 18m & 2 years.

Unfortunately as uf says you cannot rush them in any way. To encourage standing/cruising I put activities on the sofa or ottaman which encourages children to stand against a low surface to play but it does not hurry them if they are not ready.

[Penny1959]

As already said bottom shufflers do tend to walk later - and often miss out the prolonged cruising stage - going from nothing to walking in a few days.

I would also put things in places that mindee will need to stand to reach such as on the sofa or a child height table. I would provide as many opportunities as possible for those short periods of standing such as encouraging child to stand by highchair / booster seat/ pushchair / car before lifting in - saying something like 'A could you just stand there please while I .. pick up my bag/ fetch you a bib /get the wipes' or any other reason that gives the standing a purpose.

I would also provide activities that encourage leg movement / strenghtening such as lying down and pretending to swim - so lots of leg kicking, sitting in a ball pool and kicking the balls.

Can you go to soft play and encourage going on the slides (as well as in ball pool) to encourage standing to go up steps in a safe enviroment - while in there also try playing 'boo' - you stand child behind shape - holding gently to support them peeping out from behind the shape to spot others (such as little boy in red T.shirt, lady in black trousers)

But as the others have said - you can't really do much about it - mindee will walk when wants to - but you do need to assess if mindee has difficulties in standing.

So if mindee does not get used to this and seems to have difficulty in holding own weight (ie it is not just a habit of not standing) then I would be advising mum to seek advice.

Penny :)

[The Juggler]

the push along walkers are good especially with toys on the front. my LO's will stand if lifted and bear weight whilst leaning over to play with the toys on the front.

Also I have a low coffee table and I set my small world up on it. the non-standers/walkers are all keen to get up to it and hold on /bear weight so they can play with the small world. :thumbsup: