shoe question for "late" walker

[josephsmom]

DS is 16 1/2 months and just beginning to stand up on his own and take a few steps. I guess it will still be a month or so before he is really walking. We generally keep him barefoot at home and in Robeez or very soft sneakers outside. He will soon be starting at a childcare center that has a gravel playground. The director wants him to wear shoes outside, and she is probably right. I followed the StrideRite links from an earlier thread (thanks, Beth) to get some ideas. I found that the pre-walkers only go up to size 3, and I think he's a size 4. Would you suggest that I use the Natural Motion shoes, or does anyone have other ideas? Thanks!

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[egoldber]

Until he is really walking, I would only use Robeez. If he is not walking, he won't be able to walk on the gravel playground anyway. He may be able to pull up, but until he is really steady, he probably won't want to walk on it. Even when Sarah started walking, it was probably a month or so before she was really steady in shoes vs in Robeez or barefeet.

Also, the Nikes that I have for Sarah are a size 4. I got them at Kids FootLocker.

HTH,

[josephsmom]

Thanks, Beth. BTW, how long was it between Sarah's standing up on her own and really beginning to walk? I think our children have some things in common: "early" talker, "late" walker. I was so thrilled for you on the day you posted that she was walking. Did she crawl much before she walked? DS has done a lot more scooting on his bottom than traditional crawling, and has only been crawling well for about a month and a half. I hope he doesn't get too attached to crawling now! He gets very excited when he stands up, but he's still quite cautious about cruising and walking with hands held. Any suggestions?

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[egoldber]

Helene, Sarah first started standing on her own around 16 1/2 months. She then took a few steps at 17-18 months. She started what I would call true walking at 18 months and 29 days. :)

Sarah crawled for a long time. She started crawling "army style" at about 10 1/2 months. She did this for many months. At 14 months she started really pulling up and around the same time started doing a true hands and knees style crawl. Physically, our two do sound very similar. She wasn't an early talker, but bless you for thinking so! :)

As long as he continues to make progress and isn't delayed in other areas (like language), I really wouldn't worry about it. Some babies are just more cautious. If he's not walking at 18 months, though, be prepared for your ped to refer you out for a developmental assessment.

HTH,

[josephsmom]

Actually we've had a developmental assessment and several follow-ups already, and he's been in physical therapy since he was 11 months old. His gross motor skills have all been delayed. He lost his newborn reflexes late, rolled over late, sat up late, etc., etc., etc. We (and the developmental specialist) think the bottom line is that he's his mother's son. I walked at 18 months myself. But that didn't stop me from worrying when he started missing his early milestones! He was diagnosed with hypotonia in the trunk area (I think you mentioned that Sarah had some hypotonia issues as well), and he's definitely cautious. We have an MD appointment later this week, so I'll discuss shoes then as well. Do you really think, from your experience, that Robeez are OK for pulling up and cruising on a gravel playground? Thanks!

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01

[egoldber]

Well, the concern I would have is about balance. When Sarah first wore "real" shoes, she fell ALL the time. And on the gravel, he could really hurt himself. If it were me, and if he is just cruising, I would keep him in Robeez. But I can see why you would want to put him in real shoes. You could send him with two pair and see which he does better in. It is a dilemma. Good luck!

[sparkeze]

Gravel playgrounds are going to be tough in any type of shoe IMO. Our playgroup recently went to a playground made of gravel and my DS, who's been walking for over 3 months, walked tentatively in his Robeez (didn't hurt his feet though!) and another little guy who's been walking for a couple weeks really couldn't walk on the gravel. he was wearing Robeez too.

If your DS is standing and cruising but not really taking a lot of steps completely alone, it may be awhile before he actually starts walking well enough for gravel. One of my friend's son started standing and cruising, but didn't walk for 3 months. And even then he only walked about 10% of the time until another few weeks went by. It seems to kind of depend on how much they "want" to walk too.

As Beth said, real shoes make it a lot harder to walk. In our experience, Robeez has really helped DS to keep from falling, but he still falls a lot. You may want to wait until your DS is walking well to get him fitted for real shoes.

[Caitlins Mommy]

I agree with what everyone has said.Walking in regular shoes will be harder for your ds to walk in.And more than likely,if he is still cautious,then he really won't want to walk on the gravel.I would ask the care giver to just let your ds walk on the grass,and not the gravel,untill he masters walking pretty good.Or have someone hold his hand if he goes on the gravel.I hope the new daycare works out for you and you son.


Mommy to Caitlin Hope 9/28/96
Trying to give Caitlin a brother or sister

[josephsmom]

Thanks, everyone! Both the physical therapist and the ped said that, at DS' stage, the purpose of shoes is to protect the feet, not to provide support. So the Robeez are great in general, but maybe not so great for standing and cruising on gravel. They both recommended a slightly sturdier (but still very flexible) shoe for the playground, and to continue with bare feet at home and Robeez elsewhere. I'll let you know what I find and how it works out. Thanks again!

Helene
mommy to Joseph 12/29/01