Walking on tiptoes

[diamonds78]

Wondering if all you parents out there can offer me some much needed advice. My beautiful son who will be 3 in May is still walking on his tiptoes and eveyone is commenting to me about it, even strangers!
He CAN walk flat on his feet and will do so when told but his intial reflex is always to walk on tiptoes and im getting concerned. My health visitor is a nightmare and can turn even the smallest thing into a drama! she did comment on it at his 2 yr review and told me to keep her posted but i dont really want to involve her unless i have to. In your experience is this something kids generally grow out of by themselves or should i seek professional help for him

[cazzz1975]

they can grow out of it naturally, there are shoes you can buy that specifically prevent tiptoe walking, I would keep an eye on it but dont panic yourself, a lot of kids grow out of it before school.

[diamonds78]

Thanks Cazz, prob cause im a single mum i worry more but i know he can walk properly when prompted and it certainly doesnt slow him down or keep him out of bother, it does however make him very clumsy which is when i get concerned

[ethanryan]

hi my mom said that i did this till i was 5, she spoke to doctors who said it is just a stage, i grew out of it and my feet are fine now.

[bigmamma]

My son did it at around that age too and very soon grew out of it as well . xxx

[andrea81]

Just to add - although is probably a stage, my cousins little girl did this quite a lot and we all thought it was a habit, but after she had a few accidents with falling in school, they took her to doc and then specialist who found that her tendens in her ancle were either 'too long. She had to have physio!

Worth checking out!

[redcrx]

is he also walking on tiptoes when he has shoes on? or when running?

My son spends most of his barefoot time walking on tiptoes but is flat on his feet when running and in shoes.

Perhaps have a word with your GP if your HV is that bad. They may refer you to a paediatrician but they will have a better idea if theres a reason.

[diamonds78]

Hi Andrea, yes my health visitor mentioned about that being a possibility, but well meaning family members have told me not to listen to her and that if he can get to A to B himself and can walk flat when prompted then theres nothing wrong with him and they've made me feel like a paranoid mum.
Red, yes he walks and runs on tiptoes in shoes as well as barefoot although it hides it a bit more but it is still very noticeable.
He is always tripping over and walking into things and i seem to spend my day saying "Jack! Walk flat on your feet!" im like a broken record!

[redcrx]

diamonds, if youre feeling paranoid then the best thing to do is to find out for definate if theres a reason. Im sure a medical opinion will make you feel that bit better. If he walks both ways without noticable discomfort then hes probably fine but best get it checked eh?

[andrea81]

The little girl I mentioned could walk on flat if prompted, her mother and school were always encouraging her to do it and she could. But the doc sayd it takes a lot of energy for her to keep her balance that way and needed the correct physio.

You will certainly not be paranoid. Good luck though x x x x

[debbbie33]

my daughter has been walking on tiptoes since she was 2years. she is now nine and has never grown out of it. we constantly tell her but she reverts to tiptoes the minute our back is turned. leave it until he goes to nursery then mention it to the staff and if they say anything take their advice.

[diamonds78]

He already goes to nursey, in N Ireland we have a slighty different education system. He goes to a private nursey at the minute for daycare as i work part time but in sept he will start playgroup as his pre school year, His present nursery have mentioned it to me but they dont seem to be overly concerned by it. I have made him a doctors appointment for next week just to get it checked as i dont want him to have an underlying problem with tendons or ligaments that could prob be easily fixed, these things are always better to be addressed when young and it will put my mind at rest if nothing else, thanks for all your advice and ill keep you all posted on the docs verdict!