Baby Not Walking at 15 or 18 Months: When to Get Help

A baby who is not walking at 15 months is usually still within the normal range. The World Health Organization's motor development study, which included babies from India, found that healthy children start walking alone anywhere between about 8 and 18 months. If your 15-month-old is pulling to stand and cruising along the sofa, they are most likely on their way.

By 18 months, most children walk without holding on, so an 18-month-old who is not walking should be checked by a paediatrician. See a doctor sooner, at any age, if your child is not yet bearing weight on their legs by about 12 months, feels very stiff or very floppy, uses one side of the body more than the other, has lost skills, or has other delays. Getting checked is not a verdict; it is how you find out whether your child just needs time or some help.

What is the normal age range for walking?

The WHO Motor Development Study followed 816 children in Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the USA and recorded when they reached six big motor milestones. The "windows" below run from the 1st to the 99th percentile, which means almost all healthy children in the study fell inside them.

Milestone	Window of achievement (months)
Sitting without support	3.8 to 9.2
Standing with help	4.8 to 11.4
Crawling on hands and knees	5.2 to 13.5
Walking with help	5.9 to 13.7
Standing alone	6.9 to 16.9
Walking alone	8.2 to 17.6

Walking alone had one of the widest windows of all six milestones. The study also found that 4.3% of babies never crawled on hands and knees at all, so skipping crawling is not a problem in itself.

The CDC sets its milestones at the age by which at least 75% of children have the skill. Its checklist says that by 12 months most children pull up to stand and walk holding on to furniture, by 15 months they take a few steps on their own, and by 18 months they walk without holding on to anyone or anything.

What to look for if your baby is not walking yet

The steps before walking tell you more than the walking itself. Ask yourself whether your child:

Sits steadily without support and gets in and out of sitting on their own.
Moves around the floor in some way: crawling, commando crawling on the tummy or bottom shuffling.
Pulls up to stand on furniture or your legs.
Cruises sideways along the sofa or bed, holding on.
Stands with both feet flat, rather than on tiptoes.
Takes steps when you hold one or both hands.

If most of these are in place, your child is building the skills for walking. An NHS Grampian physiotherapy booklet for parents notes that children who commando crawl, bottom shuffle or have very flexible joints often walk later than their friends.

Babies born early

If your baby was born prematurely, doctors use corrected age, counting from the due date rather than the birth date, when judging milestones in the early years. A baby born two months early who is 16 months old may be compared with 14-month-olds. Our guide to prematurity and development explains this.

Walkers, floor time and other Indian myths

"A walker will help her walk sooner"

It will not. The American Academy of Pediatrics says baby walkers can actually delay walking, and has called for a ban on the manufacture and sale of walkers with wheels because of serious injuries, especially falls down stairs. NHS physiotherapists add that walkers can encourage toe walking that continues later. A stationary activity centre with no wheels, or plain floor time, is a safer choice. Many Indian families receive a walker as a gift; it is fine to say thank you and keep it in the cupboard.

"He is always in someone's lap"

In joint families, babies can be carried almost all day by loving relatives. Lap time is precious, but babies also need plenty of time on a safe floor to roll, crawl, pull up and fall. The traditional Indian habit of floor play on a mat or durrie is a real advantage. Our post on tummy time and Indian floor culture covers this.

"The floor is too slippery"

Polished marble and vitrified tiles can make crawling and standing harder. Put down a rug, a cotton dhurrie or foam mats where your child practises, and let them go barefoot indoors. The AAP notes that babies' feet develop best when they are not confined in shoes, and the NHS booklet says children who are not yet walking do not usually need shoes.

"His father walked late too"

Family patterns can be real, but they are not a reason to skip a check at 18 months. Let the doctor decide whether waiting is safe.

When to see a doctor or physiotherapist

Usually fine to keep practising and watching

Your child is 12 to 15 months old, pulls to stand and cruises.
They bottom shuffle happily and are pulling up, even if not yet walking.
Their other skills, such as babbling, pointing, playing and using their hands, are coming along.

See your paediatrician

Your child is not walking by 18 months.
They are not sitting on their own by 9 months, which the AAP says to tell your paediatrician about.
They are not bearing any weight on their legs or trying to stand by about 12 months.
Their arms or legs seem stiff or floppy, or they move one side more than the other.
They cannot stand with both feet flat.
They have lost a motor skill they had, such as sitting or standing.
There are delays in other areas too, such as speech, play or hand skills.

The points on stiffness, one-sided movement, standing flat and other delays come from the NHS Grampian physiotherapy booklet's list of reasons to seek advice. Losing skills at any age needs a prompt check.

What the doctor will check

Your paediatrician will examine muscle tone, strength, reflexes, hips and feet, and ask about birth, milestones and family history. Some late walkers have low muscle tone, which an NHS Grampian leaflet says often runs in families. These children often take longer to crawl, stand and walk, and generally catch up without specialist input. Some children need a referral to a paediatric physiotherapist, a developmental paediatrician or a paediatric neurologist.

In the UK, NICE guidance for doctors suggests considering a simple blood test called creatine kinase for boys who are not walking by 18 months, to look for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle condition. Ask your paediatrician whether this is needed for your son. Rarer causes include cerebral palsy and genetic conditions; our overview of cerebral palsy and our post on gross motor delay in toddlers go into more detail.

Under the government's Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, District Early Intervention Centres assess children up to 6 years for developmental delays and offer physiotherapy, so ask at your district hospital if private care is hard to reach.

What helps at home

The NHS Grampian booklet suggests short, playful practice that lets your child do as much of the work as possible:

Weight through the feet. Sit your child on your knee with feet flat on the floor and encourage them to lean forward to reach toys on the floor.
Pulling to stand. Place toys on a low table or the sofa so they want to stand up to reach. Help from the hips rather than pulling their arms.
Kneeling play. Let them play kneeling at the sofa or a low stool, then encourage them to pull up from there.
Cruising. Put favourite things a little out of reach along the sofa so they side-step to get them. Practise both directions.
Stepping between surfaces. Start with small gaps between a chair and the sofa, then make them bigger.
Supported steps. Hold both hands from the front, then one hand, keeping your hand low. A sturdy push-along toy helps some children.
Climbing. Let them practise climbing on and off the sofa or a low bed, with you close by.

Falls are part of learning. The booklet notes that toddlers can fall many times an hour as their balance improves. Keep sharp table corners padded and stairs gated. You can track progress with our free developmental milestone tracker.

If your child needs extra help, Carely's paediatric physiotherapists and occupational therapists work with babies and toddlers at home in Bangalore, using your own floors, furniture and routines. See our services or message us on WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal for a baby not to walk at 15 months?

Yes, it can be. The WHO found healthy babies start walking alone anywhere from about 8 to 18 months. If your 15-month-old pulls to stand and cruises, keep practising and mention it at the next check-up.

Should I worry if my 18-month-old is not walking?

It is worth a check. By 18 months most children walk on their own, and the CDC advises talking to your doctor if a milestone is missed. Many late walkers are healthy, but a doctor should examine your child to make sure.

Do baby walkers help babies walk?

No. The AAP says walkers can delay walking and cause serious injuries, and it has called for them to be banned. Floor play and a stationary activity centre without wheels are better options.

Do bottom shufflers walk later?

Often, yes. NHS physiotherapists note that bottom shufflers and commando crawlers tend to walk later than children who crawl on hands and knees. They still need a check if they are not walking by 18 months.

Should my baby wear shoes to help with walking?

Not indoors. Babies' feet develop best when they are not confined in shoes. Once your child walks outdoors, choose flexible, well-fitting shoes for protection.

Sources

By The Carely Team