Benzu (a new pet name courtesy of his dad) will be 11 months tomorrow and he has yet to walk by himself.
His older sister Pristine walked before she hit the big one so it’s natural that I get a lot of “why isn’t he walking yet?” or “he’ll be 1 soon, he SHOULD be walking already!”. It’s those kind of pressure that drove me to maniacal type of mom teaching my older daughter Pristine to walk very early 8 years ago because somehow, the people around me seem to point out that it’s my “fault” if my baby don’t walk before her first birthday.
I agonized about it. I cried and thought I was a bad mother when she was wobbly and would fall so many times after a few baby steps.
But does it REALLY matter if babies walked later than average? No, not even a little because in the end, normal, healthy babies will eventually learn to walk. All of them.
I am much calmer now. Though we give practice opportunities and Benzu watch his big sister run all over the place, he still prefers to cruise holding on to a furniture or crawl {faster than a hungry Komodo dragon!}. And it’s OK. Questions will start to pour again whether he has stood up on his own little Flintstone feet or took his steps unaided. I won’t bat an eyelash. I know he will walk when HE is ready.
He might be a late walker but I’ll treasure these precious time until he wriggles out and run away every time I scoop all of him in my arms, exploring the new-found power of his busy little feet.
Finding Backroads 
Not even a late walker: this is very normal. Plenty of babies only start walking alone when they’re one!
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I was a bit sad when my baby starts to walk at 9 months old and 2 weeks before she turned 10 months she was already walking and I felt like I was robbed of the precious moments where I’m holding her still in my arms and the fact that she changed drastically right after she learned how to walk was really something hard for me to handle because in just a short time she went from a baby that’s always with mummy to a toddler who wants to explore things on her own 😦 So grace, I know what you mean let it work naturally and on his own sweet time :))
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Starting to walk at 9 months is so early! They do want to go out and explore the world once they walk, don’t they!
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That’s wonderful to hear Grace that you’re letting things take their natural course! Honestly, like you said, if he takes his sweet time learning to walk, that’s HIS choice. Everyone, including babies, have their own life journey to see through and this is just one of those things in his journey ^.^
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I am not in a hurry at all. I strongly support his ‘sweet time’. 🙂
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Hi – Haven’t commented in ages!
My eldest was 18 mths (she was a bottom shuffler), my 2nd was pulling up by 11 mths, but did not walk until 21 months (I was getting a bit more worried!), my 3rd (and last) was 15 mths
Try not to worry, and enjoy it, as once they start they don’t stop!!!
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You are so right with, once they start, they don’t stop!
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