https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 01:25:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking/page/2#post-1341987 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 12:48:22 +0000 Bookish 1341987@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: LOL! What a goober. Glad everything worked out :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341982 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 12:47:41 +0000 googly-eyes 1341982@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yay!! So glad things are working out and he started walking! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341920 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 12:30:29 +0000 purrpletulips 1341920@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Congrats - we had a reverse problem in DD being moved up from the infant room early because she was crawling so well and plowing over the other infants who weren't mobile yet. They do things on their own time and I truly think just like to drive us crazy with worry. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341393 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:24:20 +0000 yoursilverlining 1341393@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: Glad to see your update! I didn’t see this thread until now, and I’m glad you talked to the daycare about your concerns. My LO was moved up to the Toddler room at 13 months and didn’t start walking until 16 months. Like your LO, one day she just stood up and walked halfway across the room then sat down! She didn’t do a lot of the pre-walking stuff that many kids do; she just waited and now walks like she’s been doing it all along. </p> <p>FWIW, our daycare is fine with moving non-walkers up into the toddler rooms because they think (and I agree) that it provides motivation for the crawlers to see their friends cruising, walking with walkers or walking on their own. My LO was also totally developmentally ready (outside of not being able to walk) to move up and honestly was bored in the infants room. I would have been super irritated if they had kept her back just because she wasn’t walking yet – so I’m glad to hear everything worked out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341363 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:18:31 +0000 SeptMomma12 1341363@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaMoose: The same thing happened with crawling. He literally crawled two hours after we made the early intervention appointment. I'm beginning to think you may be right! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341356 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:17:55 +0000 Adira 1341356@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: What an awesome update!! So glad to hear your daycare wouldn't keep him with the infants indefinitely and also that he just started walking!! Some kids just wait until they're totally comfortable and confident and then they go for it like they've been doing it forever while others are more willing to experiment earlier and tumble a lot! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341345 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:16:01 +0000 MamaMoose 1341345@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: Great news!!! Your little dude was like "mooommmm chill, I'll go ahead and walk if you're going to get so upset about it!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341340 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 10:14:31 +0000 brownie 1341340@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: this is a great update. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341263 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:55:33 +0000 pregnantbee 1341263@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yay! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341204 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:44:24 +0000 littlek 1341204@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: That's a great update! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341077 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:07:12 +0000 Smurfette 1341077@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: YAY!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341069 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:01:21 +0000 Bao 1341069@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: yay that's great!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1341065 Mon, 13 Jan 2014 08:57:56 +0000 SeptMomma12 1341065@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So I just had to update you ladies who all made me feel so much better last week. I ended up speaking with the daycare owner on Thursday night (the director is gone when I pick up) and she completely understood my concerns. Told me that even if he isn't walking, as soon as he hits 18 months they will move him up regardless because developmentally, he needs to be with the older kids at that point.</p> <p>And then, no joke...LO started walking for real on Friday afternoon!!!!! He was in the living room playing and literally just stood up and walked into the kitchen where I was making dinner (at least 20 feet). As if it was normal and he had been doing it for months. Apparently he just needed his crazy mommy to start losing sleep over it! He still needs a lot of practice before I would say he's walking comfortably, but he kept it up all weekend, about 50/50 walking and crawling. Ugh, kids!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330912 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 12:00:45 +0000 jedeve 1330912@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't worry too much. When I worked in a daycare we had one kid who didn't walk until around 15 months or so. It was more difficult - he just sat outside while other kids ran around him, and so I get your daycare's concerns. But I wouldn't worry too much about peer influence at this point. He is still mainly learning from you, not from other kids. Who knows, maybe next week he'll be cruising and it won't be a big deal! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330830 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 11:31:10 +0000 misolee 1330830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>As a mom and a former daycare teacher, I understand that schools put broad guidelines in place. It's not personal but guidelines are in place so that everyone in class will benefit. </p> <p> The toddler room kids do have certain expectation such as standing in line and moving to other classrooms for gym or music. If the teacher has to carry or help your child walk, not only would it slow down the class, but it actually wouldn't encourage your child to walk at all. </p> <p>My daycare also has a toddler playground while non-walkers do not go to that playground. I would be concerned with my child getting hurt or being bored. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330526 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 10:25:05 +0000 MamaMoose 1330526@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: Are you sure none of the 11-13 month olds are walking? My LO was walking at 10 months and lots of kids at her school were walking before they were a year. So your LO very well may still be around other children who are walking.</p> <p>Honestly I sort of had the opposite concern from you as I didn't want my LO moving up until I felt she had met all the physical milestones to be on par with her classmates. I know our Toddler 2 room has climbing structures, and tables with little chairs that all the kids climb in to for meals. I would worry about my LO getting hurt in there when lots of other kids are running around if she weren't walking yet. If your LO is getting knocked over or ran into every time he tries to pull up or take steps, I would assume that would discourage him from trying. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330481 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 10:14:36 +0000 MsLipGloss 1330481@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@SeptMomma12: Aww hon, you didn't do anything wrong! I am so sorry you feel that way, ETA: but as a fellow perfectionist, I completely understand why you do. Your LO is just on his own timetable, because that how bosses role, yo! </p> <p>Fwiw, my LO was the youngest in her toddler class. Even though she could walk and uses about 8 words at home regularly, because the older kids in her class (the late walkers, and several others that were 3-4 months older) were so much bigger and louder, and were running all the time, she often sat off to the side with one of her teachers during activities. Now that the older kids have moved up, she has really started to let her personality shine through! She plays so much more, she babbles constantly, she has become a leader to the younger kiddos, and she is so much happier! So, don't think that your LO will not continue to progress if he is with younger kiddos . . . it may be just the environment he needs to feel more at ease so that he can start to get his sea legs. :heart: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330353 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 09:42:57 +0000 SeptMomma12 1330353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thank you everyone for the replies. I am planning to give the director a call today and talk about my concerns. I completely get the safety issue, and understand that the toddler class is not structured for non-walkers, so it does make sense to keep him in the "first steps" room until he is walking. Besides the classroom set-up, the toddlers are expected to walk to the gym by themselves, which he can only do holding someone's hand (or the wall!) and therefore would require more teacher attention. However, along that same line, I know of one kid who is moving up who doesn't even finger feed himself. And his parents were told "Don't worry, the teachers will work with him on that." So I sorta feel like my kid is being singled out. </p> <p>Anyway, I want to confirm that he didn't miss the window to move and also talk about how they can help motivate him when he's now going to be in a classroom of kids younger than him, none of whom are walking. Like Mrs. Bee and several others said, my biggest concern is that when all the kids who are walking go away, and he's once again surrounded by crawlers, he won't have any motivation to walk. Unfortunately I don't think telling him "all your friends left because they are walking, so if you walk you can join them," is going to work on a 16 month old;) Also, he seems to be at the start of a language explosion, and it concerns me a little that being surrounded by 11-14 month olds again might slow that down.</p> <p>@MrsLipGloss, I think you got it right. I know it's not personal, but it's also so hard for me not to take it personally. The perfectionist in me is saying I must have done something wrong that they don't think my kid is "good enough" to keep up with the other kids:( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330322 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 09:34:00 +0000 Alivoo01 1330322@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>No personal experience, but when we were touring Montessori's, the director at one facility pointed out that this one lil boy was the eldest in the class, but he's there because he couldn't walk yet while his peers were in the next class up. They said, once he walks, they'll move him up.</p> <p>Keeping that fact in mind, when we were touring daycares, we inquired what their progression method was, and they said it was by age, unless they felt the kid was developing much slower than his peers.</p> <p>But conceptually, I would think being with older kids is a great motivator! Think of younger siblings who learn to play what their older sibling is into/playing. They want to be included so they grow up "faster". </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330202 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 09:01:34 +0000 Smurfette 1330202@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with MrsBee, being around kids that are all walking would give him more motivation to walk. I would talk to the director about it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330191 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:58:21 +0000 LemonLong 1330191@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our facility has the same policy, LO wasn't moved over until she was walking. It's a safety issue- the walking toddlers don't have a ton of control yet, so she definitely comes home with more scrapes, bumps, and bruises in that room! Plus they sleep in cots, sit in chairs at a table to eat, go outside everyday, and have climbing equipment in the room/dress up/play kitchens all which would be harder for a crawler to use without help and more teacher attention than the other kids. I don't think it's meant to be punitive to your child. He's just not ready yet and they will probably move him once he decides to walk. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330170 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:51:35 +0000 Mrs. Bee 1330170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I do think being around kids that walk will give him more motivation to walk. Maybe they're holding him back because he would require extra attention because he's not walking yet. For me it's not that big of a safety issue as Olive was one of the last walkers in her class (18 months).</p> <p>I would find out if they will move him to the other class as soon as he starts walking before making a decision. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330168 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:50:16 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1330168@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree that the policies a lot of people are talking about totally depends on the facility at your daycare. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330162 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:46:57 +0000 Bao 1330162@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I worked in a daycare and the kids got moved up no matter what so that's strange to me. Also, I'm with you on the no walking thing, your LO sounds EXACTLY like my LO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330101 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:18:17 +0000 Mamaof2 1330101@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ours moved my DS up when he wasn't walking because they thought that him being around 11 other kids who WERE walking would encourage him to walk too and it did!!</p> <p>Same with PT - they will NOT hold a kid back for that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330099 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:17:57 +0000 littlek 1330099@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO's BFF at daycare got held back because he wasn't walking. He actually ended up catching up very fast and they are in the same classroom again. :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330093 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:14:56 +0000 MsLipGloss 1330093@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: @littlek: I agree with it being a safety issue. Also, being around older, super mobile kids may actually discourage your LO from working on his walking to the extent that he may be too nervous/hesitant in a busy/mobile classroom, and may just sit/stand off to the side. I also think being with slightly younger children may give your LO a chance to assume more of a *leadership* role with his class as well (if that makes sense). </p> <p>I really don't think your daycare is trying to punish anyone for anything. It's so hard not to take things personally when it comes to your LO! Please try not to worry too much! ((hugs)) doll!</p> <p>ETA: Also, there were twol kids in my LO's group that we held back because they were late walkers (17/18 months). They just moved up to the 18-24 month group (the kiddos are 20 and 21 months now) a couple of weeks ago </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330084 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:10:52 +0000 mrbee 1330084@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless your son is bothered by it!</p> <p>Who knows, maybe this will help motivate him!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330079 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:04:27 +0000 looch 1330079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Well, in our daycare, you can't go to the 3 year old room unless you are potty trained, because there is no changing station in that room.</p> <p>So it could be that the facility for the 2 year olds is the issue in your case. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/lo-being-held-back-at-day-care-for-not-walking#post-1330067 Thu, 09 Jan 2014 07:55:05 +0000 T.H.O.U. 1330067@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly it really is a safety issue. They should be willing to move him as soon as he's walking. Those other 18 month old kids (or will almost be 18 months by February) are going to start running, kicking, etc. They will be required to do things like line up on a wall, gather for a circle time, go to their seats for lunch, etc. If your son can't keep up, its not fair to those kids to have to have a teacher pick up and carry your son everywhere. I also know for us the toys change drastically between the toddler room and the older 18-2year old room. There are no more walkers, etc. They have a play kitchen, dress up, book shelves, etc. Would your son even enjoy those things if he can't stand and walk? </p>