Tippy Toes and Normal Development

A Dad asked me today if it was okay that his almost 2 year-old was walking on her tiptoes. His 5 year-old daughter also walks on her toes, but she has cerebral palsy, and has gone through years of botox injections and wearing orthotics to help her to stand on flat feet and to maintain the flexibility of her calves. 

I asked Dad if she goes up and down or if she is always up on her toes. I did know the answer to this. I have seen this little girl grow from an infant only several months old to an active social little toddler. Along the way there have never been any concerns about her development, and Dad told me as expected, that no, she’s not on her toes all the time.

Dad was rightfully concerned after the experiences he has had with his older child. However, playing with balance and different movement patterns, like going up on tiptoes, are all part of typical development. According to the HELP Strands developmental assessment, children typically begin to be able to stand on tiptoes for a few seconds between 23 and 25.5 months of age and begin to be able to walk a few steps on tiptoes between 25.5 and 30 months of age.

More information on toe-walking can be found in a previous post here.