17 month old walking delay??? Need advise,please =)

[brittone2]

Originally Posted by AnnieW625

For whatever reason I still can't explain it helped with DD1 walking, I just kind of figured because it was wider and had a more substainsial sole, but was still flexible. I had her in Robeez and or Pedipeds but she just wouldn't walk, she'd stand up take a step and sit down, I put the Crocs on her and she actually walked while holding my hand. Once she was walking all of the time I still primarily kept her in the soft soled shoes until 2, but it was nice to have the Crocs as an option for the park and outside play, and her trying to ride her plasma car, which she did before she was walking well. I have done the same thing with DD2, primarily soft soled shoes until 2.

Well, I'm not saying it didn't work for your DD, just offering up that generally speaking it is unlikely to help most kids not yet walking, and is likely to be more difficult and/or a safety issue. They are light, but they are bulky.

My older kids love their crocs, and my 2 yo could probably handle them just fine now.

[boolady]

Originally Posted by brittone2

...generally speaking it is unlikely to help most kids not yet walking, and is likely to be more difficult and/or a safety issue. They are light, but they are bulky.

I'm not in the medical field, and my pediatrician generally stays away from giving random advice, but she specifically told me to keep DD out of Crocs until she was at least 2, not because they would cause walking problems, but because they're too bulky for young kids to run around in and too loose on the foot and the practice saw a lot of the 2 and under set with injuries from falling while wearing them.

[missliss55]

DD#3 would have fallen a lot if she wore crocs. Even now (and she is walking just fine...still working hard on a good run though) she needs shoes that offer some good stability. Crocs wouldn't have worked for her as new walker and I honestly would worry about her in them now. But every kid is different.

[KHF]

My DD wore Crocs from about 2 years old on and did fine. She was a late walker (15 months) but still did fine in Crocs. DS had some, but I had to take them away from him after 2 trips to the ER for head injuries after wearing them! I still haven't let him back in them.

[AuGoldie]

Originally Posted by missliss55

DD#3 would have fallen a lot if she wore crocs. Even now (and she is walking just fine...still working hard on a good run though) she needs shoes that offer some good stability. Crocs wouldn't have worked for her as new walker and I honestly would worry about her in them now. But every kid is different.

Not sure about crocs... I've also heard about a lot of kids falling/ tripping with crocs but I'm wondering if a nice sturdy pair of stride rite sneakers might help her as I do think she feels kind of insecure/ wobbly in her robeez style shoes. Might try that soon =)

[brittone2]

Originally Posted by AuGoldie

Not sure about crocs... I've also heard about a lot of kids falling/ tripping with crocs but I'm wondering if a nice sturdy pair of stride rite sneakers might help her as I do think she feels kind of insecure/ wobbly in her robeez style shoes. Might try that soon =)

The thing with sturdy is that it also usually means inflexible. With a thicker, sturdier sole, it is also is tougher for them to spread their toes (important for balance) in shoes, and make the small corrective movements in the foot that help with balance. The sensory feedback they get through the soles of their feet helps provide input that is useful as they gain their balance.

[Giantbear]

Originally Posted by AuGoldie

Not sure about crocs... I've also heard about a lot of kids falling/ tripping with crocs but I'm wondering if a nice sturdy pair of stride rite sneakers might help her as I do think she feels kind of insecure/ wobbly in her robeez style shoes. Might try that soon =)

depends on why she is having issues, with my daughter was rolling her feet inward, so we switched to regular shoes and she was walking within weeks. For us robeez were too flexible

[brittone2]

Originally Posted by Giantbear

depends on why she is having issues, with my daughter was rolling her feet inward, so we switched to regular shoes and she was walking within weeks. For us robeez were too flexible

You'll find therapists who agree and disagree with using shoes to provide "support" to a child rolling in with their feet. Different schools of thought. eta: my mentor was an incredible therapist and happened to be married to a pedi orthopedic surgeon.

[jerseygirl07067]

Originally Posted by brittone2

The thing with sturdy is that it also usually means inflexible. With a thicker, sturdier sole, it is also is tougher for them to spread their toes (important for balance) in shoes, and make the small corrective movements in the foot that help with balance. The sensory feedback they get through the soles of their feet helps provide input that is useful as they gain their balance.

As a PT myself, though I admit I don't work with kids, I am a big advocate of kids walking without shoes in the learning stages, so their feet feel the ground better, and they learn to use the intrinsic muscles in their feet for balance. I fully agree with the above, but will say that different things can work well for some, so I try to keep an open mind.

My kids were all late walkers, DD1 19.5 months (I did take her for an eval, my PT friends told me I was overreacting but I knew something wasn't right and she was out of the range since it was beyond 18 months. Turns out she had low tone, but honestly at 8 yrs old, you'd never know it now!) DD2 walked at 17.5 mos and DD3 at 15.5.

The eval is a great idea, keep us posted on what you learn. The thing to look at, which I believe Brittone 2 already mentioned is not so much the fact that your dc is not fully walking but why the slow progression.

[sweetsue98]

Originally Posted by AnnieW625

For whatever reason I still can't explain it helped with DD1 walking, I just kind of figured because it was wider and had a more substainsial sole, but was still flexible. I had her in Robeez and or Pedipeds but she just wouldn't walk, she'd stand up take a step and sit down, I put the Crocs on her and she actually walked while holding my hand. Once she was walking all of the time I still primarily kept her in the soft soled shoes until 2, but it was nice to have the Crocs as an option for the park and outside play, and her trying to ride her plasma car, which she did before she was walking well. I have done the same thing with DD2, primarily soft soled shoes until 2.

DD1 also had EI because she was delayed in walking, dragged her foot and she was recommended crocs. It worked really well for her too.