Ideas anyone? What's going on with DS?

[Sterla]

This may be a bit all over the place, but bear with me!

Okay, so DS loves to walk everywhere with us - he's a real little explorer. So, when we go grocery shopping I always let him walk through the marketplace until we get to the trolleys and put him in.

A little while ago he outgrew his shoes (way too small) - he wore these shoes everywhere, they were basically his only pair. Then we bought him some sandals (pretty sturdy ones that cover the whole foot and heel). We had issues getting him into those, but can get him to wear them with socks (still a bit of fuss made).
He would walk along the pavement outside in the new sandals, but once we got inside the marketplace he always wanted me to pick him up. I just put it down to the shoes (since he made such a fuss when we put them on).

Then we bought him some new shoes (canvas sneakers). We went to a shoe shop, had him fitted, etc. We didn't seem to have a problem getting these shoes on him, and he was fine walking around in them from the start.

But then taking him shopping... he's doing the same thing he was doing with the sandals. He's fine walking outside on the pavement, but once we get inside the marketplace he wants me to pick him up. He won't walk, he just stands there, it almost seems like his legs are shaking! I've tried picking him up for a bit, then putting him down a bit further up, and he fights me putting him down, and if I do manage to get him down he stands there not moving. But if we go to a park, walk outside, etc, he's completely fine.

I thought maybe it had something to do with his shoes on that flat hard surface, but after today I don't know.
DH, DS and I went to our local Kmart. DS was fine walking on the pavement outside. He got a little funny when we got inside, but did keep walking, but then when we got to the actual Kmart he wanted to be picked up again - did the same, would't walk, just stands there looking at the ground, sort of shaking, asking to be picked up.
We go into Kmart, DH carries DS. We try putting him down when we're near all the kids books - he still doesn't want to be put down. Then we went to have a look at some clothes. The floor there, instead of being that shiny polished surface is a faux wood surface - and DS wants to get down, and he happily runs around, but stops whenever he gets close to the other floor surface.
DH even tried standing him on the shiny surface next to the wood surface, and it was like he was frozen where he was!

So, after initially thinking the shoes were the problem, I think we've now worked out he won't walk on the plain white polished floors in Kmart (similar to ones in our supermarket), he will sort of walk on the same surface if it has a darker speckly pattern, and he's fine walking everywhere else.

Has anyone else had this with their toddler? It has DH and I completely puzzled!

[Sterla]

Whoa! Didn't realise that post was so long - sorry!

[Santosha]

Wow. Initially I thought it might actually be the Kmart lighting freaking him out (some kids are really sensitive to fluros) but then you said that he's ok on different floor surfaces in the same store.
Hmmmmm....
What's the sole of his shoe made of? Is it particularly rubbery? Could it be sticking slightly on the shiny floor and making it feel strange to walk on?
Do his shoes maybe squeak a bit on the floor?
The change of shoes could be just a coincidence and something else has changed about his experience of these shops...
Is the floor very reflective? (could it be that he doesn't like seeing the lights reflecting off the floor - maybe this is interfering with his depth-perception as he can't see exactly where the floor is, he'd just see a reflection of the lights and roof, almost like walking on a mirror)???

Sounds very strange. Hope you get to the bottom of it - and find a solution - very soon.

[Sterla]

Santosha: Not sure exactly what the sole of his shoe is made of, but as far as I can tell they don't stick when he walks, and I haven't heard any squeaking.
The reflective thing could be right - especially since it was the shiny white polished floors that bothered him, whereas the darker speckly (and less reflective) floors that are made of the same stuff didn't bother him as much.
It could be the depth perception thing??? Who knows!

[Party-of-five]

will he walk on that floor barefoot?

[Sterla]

It's been a while since I've tried - I will next time we go out.

He was fine ages ago barefoot, but that was before all the other weirdness started!

[Party-of-five]

just thinking maybe it feel slippery in shoes so he might feel abit better barefoot
My DS wouldnt walk on grass when he was 4 but that was because he was scared of bugs...we used distractions to help him get over it but he was a bit older

[Arimeh]

Has he slipped on a floor like that before at all? Maybe he did once and its sorta put him off it?

[sloane]

Has he slipped on a floor like that before at all? Maybe he did once and its sorta put him off it?

that was my first thought as well.

[Sterla]

Nope, hasn't slipped over.

[Ginger]

my friend who has 2 dd's was telling me that when they look after their nephew every week (he's about 2.5 - 3yos old i think) that he simply refuses to walk on their polished floor boards. her own kids have never had a problem with them but apparantly he hates them and will only walk in the carpeted areas...so i guess that doesn't help much but it just reminded me of it!

[Santosha]

Still thinking about this... even ran it past DH at dinner. Love to try and figure out how these little minds tick!

I'd try him barefoot, which should rule out (or in) the shoe thing, though he may be wary out of habit now. Then, though you might look a bit silly, I'd get down to his level and see what it looks like for him. If it is the visual issue, the only thing I can think of is having something in front of him that interrupts his view of the floor. Maybe getting him to carry something in front of him or push a little stroller or trolley.

Would love to hear if you figure it out!

[Doodlebug]

What about those little static electricity zaps you get? I know the k-mart and big w near me are terrible for them and they both have the shiney floors. Maybe he's been walking on the shiney floor and had a little zap and that's got him freaked? I'm forever zapping ds2 in the trolly in those shops!

[Esme]

Hi,

DS1 did the same thing; like Santosha I blamed it on the shiny surface and what this did to his depth perception. He all of a sudden seemed to loose his balance when he looked down, like when you are standing in the sea and the water runs back past you IYKWIM. I just held his hand tight and ecouraged him to keep walking; after a while he got used to it and now it doesn't bother him anymore. HTH

[Heaven]

What a funny little thing! I can't work it out either, I was thinking he might have slipped before too.

Hmm...sorry, no ideas!