Said It Here

Why is my tall toddler refusing to walk unassisted?

Some toddlers past the typical walking age refuse to walk independently and instantly sit back down, often getting frustrated when they cannot keep up with older siblings. While they want to move, trying to rush them usually causes more upset, so following the child's lead remains the best approach.

Overview
People affected2 accounts across 1 forum
Workarounds found6 items attempted
Community agreement17 total upvotes

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

Found another way around this?

Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.

  1. 1
    holding both of her hands while she takes steps
    Did this help you?
  2. 2
    allowing the baby to cruise furniture and stand up on her own
    Did this help you?
  3. 3
    waiting and letting the child progress naturally at their own pace
    Did this help you?
  4. 4
    giving the toddler something light like a small ball or piece of paper to hold with both hands while standing
    Did this help you?
  5. 5
    lifting the child up by their arms and letting them waddle
    Did this help you?
  6. 6
    providing praise and support when they pull themselves up on furniture
    Did this help you?
Tried another approach not listed above?+ Share your workaround ↑

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.

r/Parenting2 people · September 2026

“She’s about 15 months and refuses to walk unassisted.”source ↗

“she refuses and will instantly sit back down.”source ↗

“anyone wholesome has a taller baby, when did they start walking on their own?”source ↗

MyUnassignedUsername · r/Parenting · 14 upvotes

“i figured that was most likely the answer! we can see that he wants to and he’s getting mad that he can’t keep up with his brother. was hoping for a way to push him a little lol.”source ↗

jagerrrr23 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“i figured that was going to be the answer! he’s just soo close and he’s getting mad that he can’t keep up with big brother, was hoping maybe somebody would have a trick to get him moving lol.”source ↗

jagerrrr23 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

“i’m not worried in the milestone ways, just more trying to help his frustration with not being able to keep up with his big brother lol. will continue with following his lead”source ↗

jagerrrr23 · r/Parenting · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised