Playgrounds for a Toddler who won't Walk?

[Crl1817]

Just echoing the early intervention suggestions. Our pedi thought we should wait with ds (his issues were speech and fine motor) because he almost met his milestones.

I thought about it for a couple of weeks and decided not to wait. I called EI and self-referred, no need to have a doctor's referral.

The evaluation is free, but it can take a little time to schedule. I always suggest scheduling and if your kid has caught up by the time of the evaluation, no problem. You can also always decline services so it's not like you are committing to anything by scheduling the evaluation. They come to your house and do the evaluation, which was fun for my kid--they had all kinds of toys and got right down on the floor and engaged him. (This was in Virginia, the process may vary a bit by state, for example I believe CA has regional centers and doesn't come to the house?)

My ds benefitted immensely from early intervention--turned out the evaluation showed more subtle issues than the milestones alone did and he was rated at 25 percent delayed in fine motor skills, expressive language and had sensory issues. I am so glad I didn't wait like my pedi suggested.


Sorry I can't help you on the disney playground front. I would be sure to stay right with a crawler anywhere though to avoid trampling.

 

[Dbk8784]

My son is 19 months and just started walking a few weeks ago. We did a Disney trip at 15 months and 17 months. I didn't let him crawl around in the play grounds because he likes to put everything in his mouth. I did hold his hands and walked around with him so he could play and get some energy out. It was more work for me but he liked walking around feeling like a big kid. If your son likes to hold hands and walk that is the perfect place for him to get some practice in as it is padded and if he falls it won't hurt. Walking will come, my son is also super cautious. Once he figured out walking was faster to get around it came quick.

 

[acourtwdw]

I took my great nephew to WDW at 17 months. Before our trip he would walk only if someone was holding his hand and even then he was a little unsteady. By the time we got home he was walking like a champ. Now he's 22 months and a runner.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Mine are way past playground age, so I can't comment there. But, lots of late walkers in this family.
My cousin's son holds the record for the family, though. He didn't walk until after 24 mos. My cousin took him to specialists at Children's Hospital, Boston. The diagnosis: he didn't want to walk. He's 15 now, tall and skinny, and has played lots of sports throughout his childhood (baseball, basketball...) though his current passion is golf.

Have a great trip!

 

[mjkacmom]

Mine are way past playground age, so I can't comment there. But, lots of late walkers in this family.
My cousin's son holds the record for the family, though. He didn't walk until after 24 mos. My cousin took him to specialists at Children's Hospital, Boston. The diagnosis: he didn't want to walk. He's 15 now, tall and skinny, and has played lots of sports throughout his childhood (baseball, basketball...) though his current passion is golf.

Have a great trip!

Here's the thing - some kids are delayed for no reason, but some are delayed for a reason. If it's the latter, the earlier it is caught, the better the results. It costs nothing to have a child evaluated - there is no downside.

 

[puffkin]

I always roll my eyes at how people are so insistent on waiting for your pediatrician. I know there are awesome pediatricians out there, but they only have a very general knowledge about a lot of the things they look for in Early Intervention. Plus the pediatrician only sees your child in a strange environment a few minutes a couple times a year. Trust me, even the best will have no idea if your child really needs EI or not.

You are the parent, go with your gut. Obviously since you are posting on a message board here you have some concerns. I would suggest calling and getting an evaluation done. It takes some time to get set up in the system so it doesn't hurt to start the process now. And its FREE. Honestly, the earlier the better. ONce you sit through an evaluation and see what they test the kids on and what they ask you, you will see how woefully unequipped the pediatrician is to make these diagnosis.

You've gotten lots of great advise on this thread. I would also urge you just to call and get the process started. We found out with my youngest (severe toe walker) that sometimes a reluctance to do physical activity can actually benefit or distract from other skills. IN his case, he was focusing so much on mobility (due to toe walking) that his speech was lagging. EI is a multi-pronged approach. They are the experts and will be your starting point to give you all the help you need....and best case scenario they ease your mind if nothing is wrong. But it is much easier for everyone to start services sooner rather than later if needed.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Here's the thing - some kids are delayed for no reason, but some are delayed for a reason. If it's the latter, the earlier it is caught, the better the results. It costs nothing to have a child evaluated - there is no downside.

Absolutely. Which is why I made sure to note that my cousin's son was taken to a specialist.

 

[Bdsquared]

Hi! Just wanted to add my 2 cents. I also could have written your post! My dd, now 4, crawled at 10 months, walked at 20 months.

We started to see a pediatric physical therapist when she was 10 months old to help her to crawl. She eventually started to walk, but she was so afraid of falling, she wouldn't walk on her own. She was always very off balance and very cautious. We eventually started to see an occupational therapist as well, which helped dd more than the PT. The OT had all sorts of techniques to reduce dd's anxiety. The key for us was to get her anxiety down first so that she wouldn't be so afraid to walk, jump, climb etc.

She is now 4 and functions like a typical 4 year old

Every child is different but these professionals have amazing ideas and tools to help any child and I just highly recommend checking it out.

Good luck to you and your family, and have a wonderful vacation!

 

[kangamangus]

Another poster who thinks EI is a great idea! My ds (now 11) walked fine but his speech was almost non existent...we went with our gut and had him evaluated even after doctor told us not to worry. The EI gave us great suggestions, we started speech therapy and today at 11...well we can't get him to be quiet

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Frankly, if your pediatrician hasn't already suggested Early Intervention, they're not going to. I also had a late walker (he was actually a late everything--sitting up, crawling, and walking). When he wasn't sitting up on his own at his 9 month checkup, I was worried, and they told me not to be because there was nothing physically wrong with him. "He'll do it when he wants to" they said, and there was no reason, in their opinion, to send him to a therapist. Well, when he was approaching a year and still wasn't sitting up on his own, I called Early Intervention myself. They came out, he was evaluated, and they got him started immediately. TWO DAYS after they gave me some tips on what to do with him (really, nothing more than tough love and breaking through his stubborness) he was sitting up and crawling. We then had to force the issue with standing, cruising, and eventually walking. He did finally walk independently at 15 months. And while he's not quite 5, I'm SURE there's a marathon in his future one day. He is a heck of a climber, which is a mixed bag.

So I just encourage you to call Early Intervention. If there's no medical reason for his lack of walking, the ped is just a wasted trip/call, IMHO.

 

[DisneyMooners2010]

I totally understand! Our 19mo daughter was cautious too and only walked on her own after we bought her a new pair of shoes (they were New Balance, so maybe she had balance issues ).

We were just at WDW last week and her favorite place to play was actually an area to the left of the Casey Jr. Splash area in MK (also right next to the Minnie/Daisy/Goofy/Donald character meet). It's out of the way and is set up like a circus stage with lots of random chairs, couches, funny mirrors and props. If your child will walk holding onto furniture, this would be a great place. Our DD loved trying out all the different chairs (a good portion were her size) and we had to take her out of that area kicking and screaming. We were the only ones playing in there, so it was a nice play to get away from all the craziness.

Also, be sure to use the baby centers. Our daughter loved playing in there. They had movies and chairs that were just her size as well as some books/toys. Epcot had a bunch of character figurines and she could have spent hours just playing with them. That is something that doesn't require walking

Have a great trip!

 

[Angel Ariel]

Another one echoing to go to early intervention! DD went to early intervention at 9 months because she wasn't sitting yet. Her muscle tone is fine...if anything, she's too tight, but she just wouldn't/couldn't do.it. she didn't start crawling til this last May, at 22 months. Then it was like a switch went off this summer, and her motivation has just taken off! She started pulling to stand at the end of august, cruising by mid september, climbing stairs without help by the end of september, and now she's working on standing unassisted.

She has always been very very cautious, but in the last month I've seen her motivation to move and get places overtake her caution to an extent. Her EI intervention has been invaluable. Now I have hope that maybe she'll be walking when we take her to Disney next year

 

[ClaireW]

Not a playground but if you can pick a quiet time to do this, both our little crawlers loved the carpeted area where the large aquariums are at The Seas in Epcot.

 

[LilyWDW]

Can't help with your question but there is something to keep in mind. Remember that when talking about these things, you are looking at the average age of when things happen. That means there are children that will do it earlier and children that will do it later. Personally, I skipped crawling and went right to walking WAY earlier then I should have... but that just means that I am on one end of the curve instead of in the middle.

Now, I am not saying not to talk to someone about it if you want to... but hopefully that can ease some anxiety about it all.

 

[MichaelaF]

I don't have much to add except that ours was a late walker too, and I'm surprised at how many folks are concerned....your LO is still definitely still in the healthy range for walking - especially if you know his personality is what it is. You know your babe better than any of us! Like you, I was getting honestly pretty frustrated at people constantly telling me "He'll be walking any day now"....for going on 6 months. He eventually woke up one day (a month ago) and just decided he was suddenly okay with walking now. Every kid is different.

But...I do feel your pain. It's super frustrating!

 

[Angel Ariel]

I won't speak for anyone else, but I wouldn't necessarily go so far as to say that I am concerned that the OP's child isn't walking at 18 months. I just wanted to echo the thoughts that early intervention is a fantastic resource, and that if the OP has any concerns about her child not walking yet that EI is incredibly helpful in identifying appropriate goals for a child and helping them get there.

There's no harm in having an evaluation. EI evals aren't alarmist, IME. If there's no delays, they'll say so and everyone moves on. If there's a delay, they'll let you know and they'll talk to you about how they'd address it. There's no requirement that you follow through with any of their suggestions. But *if* there are delays, the earlier they are caught, the better...so IMHO there's no harm, only good, that can come from it.

ETA: FWIW, we didn't think our DD was delayed when our ped first recommended we go to early intervention. We knew she was a bit behind on gross motor skills, as she wasn't entirely sitting independently at 9 months (she did so at 10 months), but we figured she was just on the slower side of the curve for gross motor. We were totally shocked when she came back with global delays in other areas that we (we being her ped and us) had previously not been concerned about at all.

I don't say that to be alarmist at all...I say it because sometimes there are signs of delays there that EI professionals will see that others don't - even parents and pediatricians. I am incredibly thankful that we had her evaluated and found out about her delays as early as possible.

Again, OP, I am *not* saying your child is delayed or anything like that. Just that an eval doesn't hurt anyone

 

[Bluegrrl]

My mom is a nurse-midwife, and she says that every kid is different, and that things like growth charts/crawling/cruising/etc really don't mean anything. (OK, they mean something, but not everything). Sure, there are "milestones", but don't beat yourself up about them.

My DS skipped crawling altogether, and went from laying down on his back to full on cruising and walking. He barely even did "tummy-time", he hated that.

I was worried that he missed milestones and had issues, but it turned out that A. he's a stubborn Irish redhead and B. he liked to be held. We encouraged him to walk by holding his hands and "walking" him, and teaching him to climb stairs. Now he won't stop running. What also helped was going to an indoor play area that we have here local. It's a play area that only allows kids 6yrs and under to go, and has lots of crawler/walker toys. Seeing all the kids there running/walking made DS want to "run with the big dogs", and it really helped him. He got to actually see kids in action and he wanted to mimic them. Started seriously walking after 2/3 weeks there.

And while docs say that kids should have "X" amount of words by 1 yr old or something, DS was a slow talker. But he's a boy, and they are generally slow to talk. I have even considered speech therapy. I haven't done it because I realized that DS can A. make his needs known and B. is a boy and C. I'm reading/talking to him and he is picking up words. It's just a process, and he isn't talking because he just doesn't feel like it - I know that because he yelled "Help!" to my husband as I was putting him into his bed! Did not want to go to sleep!

Two things you may want to consider during your visit:
-Do you really want him crawling around in a playground at a germy playground vs safe in a stroller? Cause when my babe was that young at the Dis, he was in our hands or in the stroller.
-If you need the wiggles out, how about swimming with him? We swam with DS at our resort pool, and DS loved it! Not only is it cooling and fun, but it's also good for exercising the leg muscles. We didn't put him in the kid pool, my mom held him and swam in the shallow area of the big pool. No lifejacket, just held him and got him to kick. Now ds is a total fish!

Anyway - good luck and have fun!

 

[mjkacmom]

And while docs say that kids should have "X" amount of words by 1 yr old or something, DS was a slow talker. But he's a boy, and they are generally slow to talk. I have even considered speech therapy. I haven't done it because I realized that DS can A. make his needs known and B. is a boy and C. I'm reading/talking to him and he is picking up words. It's just a process, and he isn't talking because he just doesn't feel like it - I know that because he yelled "Help!" to my husband as I was putting him into his bed! Did not want to go to sleep!

I wasn't willing to take the gamble that there were no issues preventing my 18 month old from talking, and waste very valuable time getting the issues resolved. There are SO many different reasons besides "doesn't feel like talking" - physical, neurological...

There is absolutely no down side in getting an evaluation. There can be a huge downside in waiting it out.

 

[JediBonas]

Another poster who thinks EI is a great idea! My ds (now 11) walked fine but his speech was almost non existent...we went with our gut and had him evaluated even after doctor told us not to worry. The EI gave us great suggestions, we started speech therapy and today at 11...well we can't get him to be quiet

Same here. Our pedi said they might be late talkers and to give it time. We decided to have them evaluated and they were significantly delayed in expressive speech. They've been in speech therapy for a year, nearly 3 years old, and just now really starting to talk. It's been a long road with a lot ahead of us but I am so thankful for Early Intervention.

 

[snoopy5512]

I would try to let him cruise in line holding his hands. But 18 months would be my cut off for waiting on EI. Good luck!