Walking Before Crawling

I have NOT heard that it is bad to walk before crawling.

In fact, I am 34 years old and my mom tells me that I never learned to crawl as a baby. I started walking at about 8-9 months old.

No problems here. lol!

Don't worry! I thought my son, now 18 months, would skip crawling and go straight to walking because he HATED tummy time and spit up a lot whenever I put him down on his tummy. But I kept putting him down and one day my husband was working on the computer and he pulled himself towards him (the army crawl). He did the army crawl for about a month and then one day he started to crawl. Because it took him so long to crawl he didn't crawl for very long, but developmentally it is important to learn to crawl. Just keep putting him down for a couple of minutes a day and sit near him with something interesting (like his favorite toy). Good luck!

I don't think there is anything wrong with it, but there are many benefits to tummy time and crawling. Tummy time and crawling help to develop the chest and shoulder strength needed for many activities later, even handwriting. I had a teacher and OT once tell me that since we've started putting babies on their backs, they don't get nearly as much tummy time as they used to. They are now seeing a decrease in handwriting ability in Kindergarten kids that can be at least partially attributed to this decreased strength. Handwriting doesn't just happen in the hand.

So, I would keep trying the tummy time. Even a couple of minutes at a time is good and the more the do it, the easier it is for them.

K.

S.,

The only concern about not learning to crawl is that the "alternative hand-foot" coordination in crawling builds the same part of the brain a child uses to read. It doesn't mean that your child will necessarily have a learning disability, just that reading may not come as naturally or that he will have to build that area of the brain through other means. In fact, in many remedial reading classes, teachers set up obsticle courses where the kids have to crawl to build that coordination and brain development.

Don't worry too much. All four of my children hated tummy time with a passion. We were lucky to get 10 seconds of tummy time out of them. Yet they all became excellent crawlers when they were between 8-10 months old. My oldest two could read well before entering Kindergarten and my 3 year old is starting to recognize words also.

Good luck,
S.

I am a pediatric physical therapist. You will hear from many parents "my child walked first and never crawled, and they are fine". That's all peachy, but as a pediatric PT I can NOT stress enough the importance of tummy time (reflux or no reflux). Children need to be on their tummies to develop the muscles in the back of their neck and trunk, as well as for WEIGHT BEARING through their arms, which can affect hand strength, fine motor skills, and eventually hand-writing (I know, he's just a baby! crazy to think about handwriting, but in my profession, we have heard from many teachers that since "back to sleep" started, handwriting quality has decreased.) There are many children who skip crawling or seem to walk first; you still need to encourage play time on the floor and crawling games. Our general "rule" is that for every hour a baby is AWAKE, he/she should spend 20-30 minutes on his/her tummy. That may mean several 5 minutes sessions to start, with breaks in bewteen, and gradually increasing to 10 minutes and more. Monitor when you do tummy time as related to refulx. In terms of anatomy, being on your tummy actually helps stretch out the front of your neck and chest muscles, which in the long run actually can HELP reflux (rather than being tight and constricting in the front)and developmentally, we start of "flexed" (newborn scrunched up position) and tummy time is supposed to be the natural way of stretching that out and in turn strengthening in the back side of our bodies which were technically over-stretched from being scrunched up in a ball for so long. (I hope that makes sense) I don't think you need to discourage the fact that he likes standing--many babies do and should like this (depending on the age). But DO encourage tummy time--it will take time, toys, patience, and maybe even you or daddy to be on the floor with him at eye level. Hope that helps. I'll be curious to hear how many parents respond "My child never crawled and is "just fine' "! But now hopefully you have some knowledge as to WHY tummy time is important! Good luck. If you want more info, feel free to send me a personal message.

Let me recommend Cat Burns who does developmental movement and can give you exercises to help recapture the reflexes and brain development that he might miss by not crawling. ###-###-####, www.mamabebe.org

you are not alone & neither is your child! get this... NEITHER my son (now 3) nor my daughter (now 2) crawled AT ALL.... my son went straight to walking at 9 months & my daughter found it easier to scoot on her butt & then she walked at 14 months. my husband & i both crawled before walking so i have no idea why either of them never crawled! i suppose it could have been due to the fact that my son hated tummy time too so i never forced him to do it, but my daughter liked tummy time & got plenty of it, but still didn't crawl. i don't think you need to worry unless you think he is behind in other physical issues as well, then in that case i would check with your child's doctor. hope this helps or at least puts you at ease!

There is nothing wrong at all with a baby walking before crawling. My doctor actually said she wouldn't be surprised if my daughter walked before crawling.

I have known many kids that hated tummy time. My daughter did too. We just started with a few minutes each day. Something is better than nothing.

It is thought to result in different development in the brain, not better or worse, just different, if crawling is skipped.

My daughter had reflux and didn't like tummy time. What I did was either lie her on my chest for tummy time or lay her with her arms and chest over a boppy pillow. I got down on the ground in front of her and played and this made things more enjoyable for her. When your son gets upset stop and do more a little later. 5 minutes at a time is fine, just do it several times per day.

tummy time is hard for babies. however, its very very important to have that tummy time to properly strengthen their necks and upper bodies.

crawling itself isnt that important. however, the crawling position is. they found with children who havent crawled because of fear of putting them on their tummies or whatever, they dont have nerve endings in the palms of their hands. also, depth perception isnt as good. they learn depth perception because of the space between them and the ground, and doing that 'pushup' motion

there are several toys on the market that encourage tummy time and i highy recommend you get one if thats what it takes to get your boy on his tummy.

http://www.target.com/Lamaze-Spin-Explore-Garden-Gym/dp/B...

i LOVE this one, i havent used it unfortunatly, but i think it really looks like fun. my son didnt have any trouble like this so good luck, and again, its not important that he crawls, but it is important that he gets tummy time and does the pushup stuff and all of that.

My son never had acid reflux, but totally hated tummy time! He did start pulling himself up before he crawled (at 8 months), but once he learned that he could get himself into all kinds of mischief, he worked more on the speed of his crawling than the standing up thing. He started walking at 13 months, and has been running ever since! He is now 18 months and never slows down (I can't wait for his nap every day- I love him, but he is nonstop action!).

I guess I really wouldn't be too concerned about "tummy time". My son is the youngest of three, and my two older girls hated it equally! The difference is that I really stressed it with my oldest (15 minutes everyday!), tried to with my middle daughter (maybe 3 times a week), and then with my son if he squawked, I just turned him over and let it go. Of the three of my children, the one who crawled, pulled themself up and walked last was the one we put the most into encouraging: my first and oldest.

Just do what you feel is right, and don't let anyone else question your judgement. Your son will do what is right for him when it is time. :)

Our son hated tummy time - it usually brought bring on tummy troubles like you mentioned.
He also had Pyloric Stenosis that had to be surgically repaired at age 3 months. He preferred to be upright. He never crawled and walked (ran!)at 8 months!
He turned out to be a genius (for real) and won awards all through school. He has his Masters, works for a very upscale publishing company, and is getting married.
What I'm saying is: don't worry about which milestones they achieve and which they don't. Your son has loving parents who will encourage him and he will do lots of other amazing things.

My husband, now 37 years old, walked before he crawled and he has never had any spinal or bone or body structure problems. In fact he is an excellent amateur athlete - he has run marathons, played ultimate frisbee in college, and plays softball every summer. Best wishes to you and your son. I have an 11 month old son myself. Aren't they fantastic?

My Mom says that I never crawled and my mother in law says that means I probably have poor reading skills. For what it's worth, I love to read, I was in all of the upper level classes and "gifted" classes in school, and have completed a Master''s degree. So, I think I turned out ok even though I didn't crawl.

Hi S.,

I wouldn't worry about your son wanting to walk before he crawls, especially with the acid reflux he's dealing with. Most children eventually find the benefit of doing some crawling even if it's after walking has been the norm. In fact a friend is currently experiencing the same thing. Her son had severe acid reflux, only scooted on his bottom, then walked and now at 14 months is crawling from time to time. Enjoy this time, it goes so fast! (I have three)

Crawling is not considered a milestone. It's not considered important for their development. Some kids just skip it! My son only crawled maybe a month before he started walking. He was much more into being upright! Even though he hates tummy time he still could crawl. And if he doesn't, don't worry! Enjoy!

At ten and a half months my daughter still couldn't pull herself into a sitting position and didn't crawl. If we helped her into a sitting position she did great and even started pulling herself up to standing. But we took her to see a Physical Theripist because I wanted to make sure we were doing everything for her. (it worried me that she didnt pull u to sitting at that age.)

Anyway, they had me do an exercise to help her crawl and to move her tru the motion of sitting up from laying down. So if you want to help him learn to crawl, try putting him over your leg with hands and knees touching the floor in the crawling postion with your leg supporting his trunk. My daughter HATED this, but they had me hold her there even for just a minute and we did that a couple times one day and the very next day she started figuring out that she was okay in that position and started crawling. The day after that she figured out how to go to crawling position then to sitting up byherself...

I dont know if it's bad to skip crawling cuz many many people will tell you that it's not, but i choose to believe the PT people who actually go to school and study this stuff. I feel we should follow our guts and if you're nervous about it, look into it. You can never go back and do something about it later.

S., my advice to you is not to worry about it. Our son didn't crawl until AFTER he started walking at 14 months old! Now, at 2 years old, he's running around and not missing at beat. Obviously, if you are still concerned, speak with your doctor, but our son turned out just fine!

Our son (who is now 2) walked at 10 1/2 months, and was never very interested in crawling. He turned out just fine!!

I am an adult that didn't crawl. It has affected me in the way that Terra said. My neck did not develop properly and is now straight instead of curved. I have pain in my neck because of it. I also did not develop my core muscle set and could never do sit-ups in school. I am on constant pain medication now (for the last 15 years) and still can't do a sit up. I am dyslexic and have trouble with eye-hand coordination. I also have a son that wouldn't sleep on his tummy. He learned how to flip himself over at 2 weeks so I couldn't even force him on his tummy. His head has a couple flat spots on it because of this. (I have seen helmets on kids to avoid this now. I didn't have that as an option.) I think it would be wise for you to continue to get him on his tummy and not encourage him to walk yet. Deal with the acid reflux, but even if he cries, he will develop good muscle tone from flailing about and strong lungs from crying. (Obviously, a little at a time.) I wish my mother had known to make me crawl, it might have saved me from a life time of pain.

Not all babies crawl and it is ok. It's actually not an "official" milestone so don't worry, especially if your son is throwing up from being down on his tummy.

First, let me say that your son will be just fine if he doesn't crawl first. I am a chiropractic physician and there are benefits to crawling and tummy time. First, it helps to develop the lordotic(or C-shaped curve) in the neck and lower back. The crawling does help develop parts of the brain due to the cross crawling (opposite hand and leg) effect.
Continue to try and get him to do tummy time, but I am sure there are perfectly developed children that didn't do tummy time and crawling first.
T.

My son walked before he ever crawled. he HATED tummy time and I very rarely even attempted it. He would scream and throw a fit within seconds of being put on his tummy. He had/has acid reflux too and had bad gas trouble due to lactose intolerance. He seems fine now - the walking first didn't seem to harm him any and our doctors didn't seem too concerned. He walks, runs, jumps, crawls, plays like any other kid now. (he's 2 yrs old now). So I wouldn't worry too much about it unless you start to see any other developmental delays along with not crawling. If so, ask a doctor.

Many children never crawl. Our daughter hated tummy time. She screamed as soon as we put her on her tummy. She stood leaning against objects when she was 5 months old and walked just before she was eight months old. She rode a two wheeler, with training wheels, when she was two and without training wheels when she was three. At four she is roller blading. I honestly wouldn't worry too much about tummy time - let your baby do as much as he can without getting himself upset - and let him stand/walk when he is ready.