My daughter just turned a year old. We went to the Dr. for her wellness check-up. The dr was concerned that our daughter wasn't "crawling" on her hands and knees yet. She is bellying crawling like crazy all over the place. Her dr. wants to see her if she isn't "crawling" in a month. I wasn't really worried before. She is developing normal in every other way. She is learning to stand on her own ect.... What can i do to encourage her crawling on her hands and knees? Should I be concerned?
Some kids just don't crawl. They go from the "Army Crawl" to walking. If she is showing signs that she's getting ready to walk then I would encourage the walking. The world will not end if she skips the crawling bit. But if she isn't then I would start picking her little but up when she's on her tummy so that she gets the idea that she's supposed to be on all fours.
My pediatrician always said that crawling was not a milestone. As long as she is learning to stand and possibly start taking steps, then I wouldn't worry about it. She may just not crawl. You can get her some sort of toy that moves (like a train or something) so that she can go after it, but if she army crawls, then she may just do that instead of getting on all fours. You can try to prop her up on all fours to give her the idea or crawl along side of her so that she can see you do it, but honestly, I don't think I would worry about it. Can she push herself up on her hands while on her belly? If she has the arms strength for that and muscle tone isn't an issue, then stop stressing and get a 2nd opinion if you think it's necessary. Good luck!
Don't get anxious. You've said yourself that she's preparing to walk and that the rest of her development seems fine. Does she look like she has the capability to crawl? Do her arms and legs look strong enough? Is she able to hold herself in that position? If the answer is yes, then she is most likely fine, fine, fine. Maybe she just doesn't want to get her knees dirty. Babies have all kinds of funky ways to get around, and we don't know why. I knew one baby who would look behind her and slide backward on her belly...in circles!
Use the doctor as back-up, but trust your instinct when it comes to how your baby is doing.
Congrats on your new little girl. I'm sure that you're doing fine, so relax and enjoy her!
I have been told that the motion of crawling (using alternating hands and legs) helps part of the brain develop that is used in reading and I believe math. It doesn't mean that you will have a stupid kid or anything, but I have heard that it helps some of the synapses in the brain make connections. It is hard though because my kids only crawled for about a month before they started walking. It isn't like you can push them down and make them crawl. I wouldn't be too worried.
Hey Ramona,
I agree with the other moms' responses. Some babies just don't do the "normal" crawling thing. My husband's youngest sister was nicknamed Scooter for the longest time because of how she "crawled". She sat on her butt and scooted. My MIL, FIL, & hubby said she never actually used her knees & hands. She went from scooting around on her belly to sitting on her butt & scooting. If your DD is already trying to stand, then don't worry about it!!! Yes the adage says "you have to learn to crawl before you can learn to walk", but no where does it say "you have to learn to crawl on your hands and knees before you can learn to walk". Take heart knowing that "milestones" are strictly guidelines for doctors to use to keep track of development. They are NOT set in stone, and each child is different. Think about this scenerio.....teenage girls typically start their menstral cycle around the of 13 or 14. But there are girls out there, unfortunately, who are 9, 10, etc when they start that "wonderful" journey.
Here's my parting gem....I have two beautiful daughters and one handsome son. I believe them to be the most wonderful, above all others. That is of course my mother's perogative. I would hate for my babies to be "normal"!!! Advice, concerns, thoughts, critisism will come at you from every conceivable angle during your journey as a mother. Follow your gut, your head, and your heart! Keep the information you agree with, throw the rest out with the garbage. After all, that beautiful baby girl is YOUR daughter!!!
Hope this helps you. I'm always here if you need someone to chat with!
Just make sure your daughter, could lift herself on her arms, hands and knees and that she has strength to carry herself using them if she wanted to.
Have you and your husband crawled around? Does your daughter have an opportunity to see other children crawling? Could be she never thought about getting around like that..
Our daughter scooted around and then walked very early
(6 months). She would really pull herself up to get her bottle off of a chair, a toy on the edge of the sofa. She also loved pulling herself up her Little Tikes slide.
She was just not interested in crawling.
my daughter never crawled
just got up one day and walked, i think its pretty normal not to crawl, i hear this question often
I think you shouldn't worry about it, if she is learning to stand on her own then she just may skip that step. she is learning how to get around her own way!!
My son did this as well. He started pulling up on things and realized he had knees (I guess). He crawled on his hands and knees for a week or two and then he walked. He is now the most active and smartest kindergartener I have ever known.
Don't worry too much. Put her up on her knees and show her how -- but she will be slower this way, because she is a pro the other way.
Libby
I took my 15 month old out to the driveway and let him crawl after bubbles. The driveway was rough on him and instead of being on his belly he would pull his knees up. Good luck!
I would not worry about crawling on hands and knees. I watched a developmental show once and it said there are 24 different ways of crawling. I have seen kids scoot on their bottoms instead of crawling. If everything else is ok there is probably no need to worry. As long as you don't feel there is any muscle control issues, which there probably is not since she is belly crawling. Just keep and eye on that and encourage the next step - walking!
Everything I've ever read says that "traditional crawling" is not a necessary developmental stage to be able to walk. Soon enough she will be running every where :)
My now 5 yr old son never crawled on his hands & knees. He army crawled for a while and then got up & started walking one day. I wouldn't be to concerned if she is developing fine in every other way. If the doctor keeps pressing the issue, I might think about getting an opinion from a different doctor. Hope this helps.
Please don't stress. My pedi never even asked about crawling. It's not one of the developmental milestones. I was all worried because my youngest did this funky one-knee-one-foot kind of crawl. NOTHING to be concerned about, her doc said.
My girls didn't start walking until closer to 1 1/2. I was stressing, but my pedi reassured me that every baby is different, and as long as all the other development is going well (including the fact that mine were pulling up), there's nothing to worry about.
My oldest now runs as fast if not faster than the boys, and the mantra for my 2 1/2 year-old is, "why walk, when you can run?"
Just remember - every baby is different, and though doctors are a great resource, they don't always know EVERYTHING. YOU know your child best, so follow your gut. If she's happy, keep her environment safe so she can explore, and get that belly-crawl on video!!!! You'll miss it dearly in 6 months to a year. :-D
Melissa
I would be slightly consirned. All kids develop at different times. She sounds like she is going to skip crawling. Try getting her some toys that say encourages crawling. Usually kids start walking from about 11 months to 16 months. If there not walking by 16 months doctors begin to worry. My son was walking by one year holding on to things. He walked on his own at 13 months. Dont worry when some one points out a "problem" it just means to focus on getting that part developement caught up with the rest of them. I have also heard that crawling is important for reading skills later on. This never ever made since to me. Good luck.
One of the PP mentioned that crawling is needed for brain development. I have read this in many places- research has found that it is common of children with certain learning disabilities to have never crawled. Now, it does NOT mean that your child has learning disabilities. Crawling helps in left/right movement and coordination such as the tracking needed for reading. However, you can help your daughter crawl by
1: putting something such as a harness or rope around her and gently pull her back up when she goes to her belly
2: crawl around with her
My girls and I always army crawled (we are also on the autism spectrum.)My oldest did it because she is impatient and it was faster to roll or army crawl then it was to learn to crawl places.
I don't know that I would be concerned. My brother never crawled normally, he just scooted around until the day he stood up and walked. Another thing to bear in mind is that the normal time frame for walking is up to 18 months. Crawling is not actually used as a developmental indicator in the way that sitting up, rolling, etc. are. If your pediatrician continues to raise the issue, by all means go get a second opinion, but I think it's a bit early to be worried.
Hi. I thought that crawling was not a "milestone" There are a lot of babies that do not crawl, they just walk. She seems to get to where & what she needs. If she is developing in other ways I would not be too concerned. She's pulling up? hand/ mouth ok.? eye contact good? cooing? If she is hitting all the regular milestones I would not worry. Do you have her in a gym class? Those are good classes to develop muscle strength . My son was a late crawler(so fat! lol) & he would just roll & watch the other crawlers. he did end up crawling then was a late walker. Go figure. Now he walks to school on his own. You get the idea.
I had this problem with my youngest. I would put soft objects in her way...like put her on a boppy. Arms over and legs behind. Or a small pillow or stuffed animal. She had to learn to pick her body up to get over or she had to drag stuff everywhere...Good Luck...remember each kid goes at their own pace. I wouldn't worry yet!