For those of you with preemies that are now older and walking...?
Answer:
I agree with the last statement as to how many weeks early she was born will be about how many weeks she is behind. My son was born at 36 weeks. He didn't sit by himself until 10 months like your daughter, he just started crawling around 12 months and didnt start to walk until the end of 14 mo and didn't walk without holding on til 16/17 months. Your daughter being terrified is the issue after she gets over her fear I'd think she will move quickly after that. Focus less on her walking and more on getting her over her fear. Rewards for her efforts may do wonders as well. I hope for the best for your late bloomer as my son was also a late developer in that area. All children develope at their own rate do not be discouraged. When all else fails talk to her doctor.
How many weeks were you when she was born?
I've read that is how to correctly calculate your child's age.
For example, if you baby's born on Dec 1 but has a due date of Dec 15, you will go by the due date for milestones, not necessarily the date of birth.
You could also try having her around other babies her age that are walking. I'm stay at home with my only child and she was a late walker...that is until I started taking her to playdates with other walkers her age, she was finally brave enough to take her first step a week later!
Goodluck!
Both of my children were preemies, but only by 4 and 5 weeks early. They haven't had any delays with development, but they were both late walkers. My daughter walked at 18 months and my son at 17. They both could have walked earlier, but just wouldn't. The suddenly one day they just did. I can't complain because once they did, they NEVER fell like other kids do that walk younger.
I don't have an children that were preemies, however... walkers nowadays have safety measures added... such as a locking mechanism that locks the wheels if they go to the edge of the stairs, and walkers are also made too wide to fit through doorways now.
I understand the aversion to walkers, as I am not a fan of them, BUT they have taken steps to make them safer.
My little one was barely a premie. He was born at 35 weeks. His didn't have his sucking reflex at birth, and his physical development, was at the slower end, but still within normal limits. His verbal skills, however, have taken a little therapy. It sounds like you are working with the doctors to do what is best for your little girl. Just remember that every child is different and develops at their own stage. I know this is no comfort while you're going through this. The only things I could reccomend are getting the jumpers that hang over the doorway or now they have some that come in their own stand for more security. This could help strengthen her legs as well as getting a stationary walker. Not the saucer thing, but amazon.com has this thing that is a table and the child sits in a seat beside it and can walk all the way around the table or there is one that only goes forward and backward about 4 steps, but the whole thing is still stationary. I run a daycare and regulations keep us from having walkers, but we are allowed to have these, they do much better in safety ratings. Just enjoy your time with your little girl no matter what! It sounds like you're doing a great job. Maybe look into the baby carriers that help support a child on your hip (I've seen them at Wal-Mart) or keep a strollder handy. :) Best of Luck!
My best friends daughter was born at 34 weeks. She is 15 months old now and is tempting to take her first steps. She is small weight wise, only about 17lbs. She was later sitting and crawling. She can't say anything yet... except for baba, mama, and dada. But rarely says those. Early intervention is a great program for her to be in. Sometimes it has nothing to do with age for kids to not be walking. Its written in books within 18m is still considered normal for walking.
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