Hi mamas!
My 8 month old son has been "on the verge" of crawling since he was 6 months old. He gets up on all 4s and rocks and then belly flops forward. He gets up on all 4s and scoots backwards. Well, he WAS doing those things. Now he just kinda hangs out. He doesn't even try anymore. If he DOES try, he cries and gets frustrated and stops. People have told me that he might skip crawling, but he just seemed so close! I just wanted to find out how many babies out there skipped crawling altogether or how old they were when they began crawling??
My daughter was the same exact way, shes now 8 1/2 months old, and this past week she just started crawling. We thought she was going to skip crawling and walk as well. He will crawl, just work with him! :)
Crawling has actually been taken off of the list of "milestones" that babies achieve because so many skip it all together. Don't worry about a thing. My daughter didn't crawl until 11 months and didn't walk until 15 months, but when she did both it was literally from zero to 60 the first time. She walked from one end of the living room to the other the first time anyone ever saw her actually walk. Even when she did start crawling, she honestly didn't do it much. She is a healthy 3 year old now!!!
If he's scooting, even backwards, he's crawling. I can't find it at the moment, but I read an article from Parents magazine that said there are a bizzillion (OK, over 50) recognized different ways of crawling, not just the "up on all 4's and going forward" way. Many babies never crawl the "normal" way. Crawling is not even a recognized milestone anymore and has been removed from many books as one.
Experts say that if a baby scoots on their tummy, back, bottom, or crawls commando style, drags a foot behind them as they move or uses one to push off, rolls, drags their body and just use their arms and shoulders to move, has their bottom high in the air, or catapult like a cannon (the funniest I've seen) their body to get where they want and using both sides of their body to accomplish the movement they are fine. They usually do this anywhere from 6 months to a year.
Continue to put your guy on his belly and put toys out of his reach where he can see them to motivate him to move, however he chooses to get there. He may cry but you just keep encouraging him to move.
My oldest son never crawled. He walked at 9 months. A few moms in my moms group freaked me out by stating that he was missing a milestone and that it could be bad for his reading and writing. I called my mom...she told me I never crawled and that like my son I started walking early. To the comment about reading and writing, my mom said: "Well you learned to read at four and you're an English professor now, so I think he is going to be okay." Nothing like a seasoned mom to talk a new mom back off the edge of developmental milestone anxiety. Like my son, I was very focused and interested and could happily entertain myself without crawling around. My son also had an enormous head and I think he just could not support it while crawling. Now he is a very successfull student who had been reading at 12th grade level or higher since he was in 6th grade. He also competes in mini triathlons, so his physical develpoment is just fine too.
Please do not worry if your son never crawls. I am 100% sure it is not a problem, but I do remember how much I worred about it.
Both mine crawled. My daughter crawled on all fours. My son 'army crawled' for about a month before figuring out how to crawl on all fours. DD learned to crawl around 8 months, DS around 9 months.
My son was a bit late to crawl, but then he crawled a long time before walking.
He got very fast at it.
He walked when he was14 months, then he was all running all the time after that.
His arms & legss may not be strong enough yet.
Mine Army crawled for awhile then got strong enough to crawl regularly.
But not that young.
Then he would pop up to stand hanging on the couch or ottoman.
Then one day he would just venture out taking a few steps but not till he
was older than this age.
Well we are just dealing with this with number 4. He crawls, kinda, it's not an army crawl, his butt goes to high up in the air, but he looks like a little inch worm and does NOT get on his hands and knees. We also have hardwood in most of the house, and being in ohio he spends a lot of time in long pants and can't get traction, so I think that it was just how he learned to do it. He's a little over 11 months old and I've given up on him crawling the way most babies do. Last week he started to pull himself up on various things, but never actually got to standing upright, just up on his knees and this week he is cruising, using his toy baskets to stand up and pushing them to get to where he wants to go and getting into everything. So obviously he's not behind, nothing is wrong, he just changed up the crawling thing a bit.
he was also late to crawl, he would roll to get where he wanted to go. But regardless he did get where he wanted to go. Even with him pulling himself up I think not starting till 11 months is later than most, but this boy isn't playing around today he was all the way on his feet bent at the waist trying to get his upper half up to stand in the middle of the kitchen. Every baby does things in their time and their way. (and really, enjoy not having to baby proof everything for a little longer, soon enough that will change)
Mine army crawled backwards at 7 months, was crawling forward, and fast at 8 months, and walked at 11.5 months.
My DD was on the verge, then completely gave up. After a couple weeks, she crawled for about one week then started walking.
She was 'on the verge' since she was about 6 months too. She started walking (one or two steps at a time) along with crawling at 8 months, and was full-on walking by the time she was 9 months.
Although, my older brother never crawled. He went from scooting to walking. Same with my fiance. Neither one of them have any issues, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. Encourage him to crawl, but if he walks instead of crawls I wouldn't worry about it.
My first daughter skipped it completely and walked along things very early instead. My second daughter did it for less than a week and walked at 9 months.
neither one was interested in this milestone
my son is now 11 and a half months. He has also been on the verge since about 8 months. He gets on all fours - he goes backwards, and kind of scoots, and goes from all fours to sitting, then rotates. then goes to all fours, then rocks forward but usually just ends up on his tummy. It's strange, but he moves around! He'll straighten out his right leg underneath him all the time like he's going to do a bear crawl. Sometimes I wonder if he's just going to go straight to walking. But he just started pulling himself up about 6 weeks ago. I don't know whether to say he's crawling or not - does backwards count? ;) I'll keep you posted what he does! Your son might have just decided he's going to skip it an walk first! :)
My first daughter crawled for about a week and then got up and ran at age 14 months. My second daughter did the "commando crawl" arm over arm without much legs for a few weeks and then walked at 14 months. So both later to get up, but it hasn't stopped them since. They are 14 and 11 and doing great.
All of mine crawled but over the years I've seen many babies who were late traditional crawlers and then went to walking. Others did other forms of motion like crab crawling, rolling, bottom scooting, combat crawl and more. Then they went straight to walking. He will move himself one day any way he feels necessary and you'll be surprised.
K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
My son started crawling at 8 months old after about a month or two of rocking back and forth on his knees. He then crawled for 6 months before learning to walk!
It's good if they don't skip these milestones, though some do. I wouldn't rule out him crawling, even if it doesn't last long. He's still really young. Mine didn't walk until they were a little older - 14 months with the first and 13 with the second.
My older one pushed himself around on his tummy with one toe for a long time, and then crawled pretty much at the same time he started to cruise. My younger one crawled for a while before starting to cruise.
Dawn
My kids were early walkers - so I always worried about this.
"Research varies, but most therapists will agree that crawling is an important developmental milestone which should not be skipped, as it relates to other areas of development"
http://www.earlyinterventionsupport.com/parentingtips/hab...
Our daughter scooted and then stood up and cruised and was walking at 6 months unassisted. My husband apparently was the same.
My mom says I never crawled, I scooted on my bottom and on my 1st birthday she was so upset, because I could not walk. She mentioned it to my grandfather. He stood me up and I started running to my mother!
There is a big difference that is "normal" development. Your son will figure it out. Do you get on the ground and crawl with him? That is what helps some infants if there are not other children around.
