I know physical therapy isn't your thing, so feel free to ignore. ;-)

At what age should a toddler posses a fairly smooth walking/running gait? Catherine is almost 2 (22mo) and she still walks "funny." Kind of pigeon-toed but just a little. More like her knees are a little turned in instead of her feet (which are also but not a lot). This is a lot more obvious when she runs. She falls a lot when she runs. It also looks like she's not picking her foot up high enough when running so that her toes clear the ground all the time. I'm not describing well, but she is pretty wobbly. She seems to walk best in tennis shoes, even better than bare feet.

Is this normal for her age or yet another thing to keep an eye on? Thanks!

Hi Lesley:

No, I am not a PT, but I do address some gait issues as I am trained to treat muscles head to toe. Without watching Catherine's gait, it sounds as if she is experiencing some mild intoeing (pigeon-toed) that typically corrects on its own. Intoeing can be caused by a twisting of the shin bone called tibial torsion, which is typically gone when a child reaches school age. It can also be caused by a twisting of the thigh bone which is called femoral anteversion. Femoral anteversion can linger until 9-10 years and rarely requires intervention. Toddlers fall occasionally and we consider that normal. If a child begins to fall more frequently, then we address the intoeing and have a PT or orthotist evaluate the situation. Make sure she has flexible soles with good lateral support. I hope this helps :)

Robynne