When babies and toddlers start to walk, we often see their feet doing different things and worry there might be something wrong.

From toe walking, feet turning in (pigeon toes), having extremely flat feet and appearing to have bowed legs.

If you've got a toe walking baby it's not necessarily something to worry about, but it depends on the situation.

Some things are normal and there are some situations where you will need to see a health professional.

The same applies if your little one has flat feet, or if they've got bowed legs or are pigeon toed.

In this article I will walk you through the age your baby will be when you can see these different walking styles and at which point you will need to be concerned and seek professional advice.

The Truth About Toe Walking: Dangers Parents Need to Know About

When toddlers first start walking, we see their feet doing really funny things.

So they might be walking on their toes, their feet might be turned in, they might have really flat feet, plus many more things.

And when we see this, we might actually get concerned that there is something wrong.

Now, some of these behaviors are completely normal, but there are points where you do need to be concerned.

So in this article, I'm going to walk you through what is normal when your baby starts to walk.

As well as what age you can see these funny things happening.

And more importantly, at what point you need to be concerned and seek that additional medical advice.

But before we get into it, make sure you click on that free PDF document in the description box below, which covers the developmental milestones you can be expecting for your little one in their first year of life.

This will give you an invaluable piece of mind, as you'll know when to be expecting skills and when to be concerned.

Toe Walking (Walking on Tippy Toes)

One of the first things parents will often comment on is their child is walking on their toes.

Toe walking is completely normal under the age of two.

And it is because when children are first starting to learn to walk, they will try different foot postures.

And that might mean that they just walk on the ball of their feet, and their heel doesn't make any contact with the ground.

Now, your child is more likely to toe walk when they are cruising along furniture that is too high, because essentially they need to get up onto their toes, so that they can hold onto the furniture.

And you will also notice that other children will just toe walk on and off throughout the day just for the fun of it.

Also, if your child is under two and you notice one of the following things, then they also should go to their doctor for a checkup.

So if you noticed your child is walking on their toes more than 50% of the time or all the time.

Or if you notice that they are only toe walking with one foot.

Or they cannot make full contact with their feet on the ground when they are standing.

So when you've got them up in standing, and you might support them and try and push their body down so that their feet are flat on the ground.

If they cannot get their feet flat on the ground, then that is also another indicator that a checkup is needed.

The other reason you might take them to the doctor is if their toe walking is impacting on their ability to get around.

So if they're constantly tripping and falling over, then that might be another indicator to go and see your baby's doctor.

Flat Feet

The second thing parents will notice, particularly when their little one first starts to walk is that they have flat feet.

Now, this is extremely common and completely normal because of two things.

Firstly, a child's bones and ligaments in their feet are really flexible.

So when they are standing up, they tend to flatten and appear to be flat-footed.

Also, they have a fat pad on the inside of their foot, which tends to hide the arch.

Now, at around three to six years of age, your child will develop an arch in their foot, and it'll become a lot more apparent as that fat pad absorbs and their muscles and ligaments in their feet get stronger.

Now, it's important to know is having a flat foot does not typically cause your toddler any pain? And they do not need any orthotics typically or inserts within their shoes.

But if you noticed that your little one is complaining of pain.

So you might see that because they are limping when they are walking, or you notice that their foot is extremely stiff.

So you have limited movement of the ankle up and down and to the side.

Then that is when you need to take them to their doctor to make sure that there's not an underlying reason for the stiffness, or the pain that they're getting on walking.

Feet are Turning In (Pigeon Toed)

The third foot posture parents may also notice is that when their child is walking, their feet are turning in.

So this is often referred to as in-toeing or being pigeon-toed.

And it's happening because of one of three reasons.

Either the thighbone, the shinbone, or part of the feet are rotated in.

And that makes the feet turn in when your child is walking.

Now, this generally tends to correct itself over time.

And that is because the bones tend to rotate and straighten.

But if you notice that your child has in-toeing and is walking with a limp, or complaining of pain in the leg or the hip, or in-toeing is worse in one foot.

Or lastly, the in-toeing is getting worse in general, then you definitely need to take them to their doctor to have a medical checkup.

Bowed Legs

Parents will also notice and comment on if a child has bowed legs when they start walking.

So your child has bowed legs if when they are standing and their feet are together, there is a gap between their knees and their lower leg.

Normally, this is happening because either one or both legs are curved outwards.

And generally, children with bowed legs will not have any difficulty achieving their walking milestones, and their coordination tends to be on par with their peers.

Children who have bowed legs would generally outgrow it, somewhere between one and a half to two years of age.

But if you notice that your child has severe bowing of the legs, or you might notice that one leg is bowed more than the other, or they are walking with a limp or complaining of pain, then you definitely want to go and take them to their doctor to make sure there's no underlying cause.

Now, those are the things that you will notice when your little one starts to walk.

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