Army Crawling (Paranoid FTM Warning)

Ruthie04 · June 2013

DS2 started doing the one armed/ one leg army crawl at 6.5 months (for mobile users, he'll be 9 mos next week). He's insanely fast and is all over the house. He is pulling up, taking steps when we hold his hands, going from belly to sitting with the help of a nearby pillow/toy, and using a pincher grasp. He can get up on all fours and rock, but doesn't really seem to have any interest in crawling with his belly off the floor. He uses both arms to reach for objects and both legs seem fine when he is "walking."

DH and I didn't think anything of it until my parents came to visit and mentioned how strange his crawl looked. So, of course, I googled it. Some of the sites said you should contact his pedi if the one armed crawl continues for more than a month and we are at two and a half months now. Their nine month appointment is next week and I was planning to mention it to the pedi anyway, as he has now developed an uncomfortable sore on his forearm from crawling like that.

What do you guys think? Is this crazy crawl normal or am I right to be a little concerned it has gone on for so long?

ETA: I should mention that they are 36 weekers, so the pedi adjusts all developmental tasks down one month.

ELF4321 · June 2013

Rolling, crawling, standing, walking, talking ...... the never-ending series of "milestones" for new parents to worry about!

DD learned how to push herself around backwards on her belly at about 7 months and got really fast at it. And that was how she "crawled" until she was just turning 10 months old, when all of a sudden one day she decided to start getting up on her hands and knees and rocking again -- and within 48 hours from that was crawling like a champ.

DH never crawled at all when he was a baby -- went straight from rolling to walking.

One of my nieces learned to scoot herself around the room on her butt while sitting up -- she never crawled either.

It's all normal. Don't listen to other people telling you what your child "should be" doing. If he wasn't showing any interest in getting around/exploring at all, then I would worry. But your LO sounds totally normal!

IBackBevo · June 2013

Does he do one leg like a regular crawl and use the other like an army crawl to propel himself forward? If so, my DS does that exact same thing, too!!! We just thought it was adorable. I never knew it could be a sign of anything.

My nanny, who has had 20+ years of experience operating her own daycare, doesn't seem to think anything of it. My pedi said he didn't care how he got around just so long as he got around.

As an aside, my DS will very rarely crawl the normal way, but I think he crawls this strange way because he can get around significantly faster. He is CRAZY fast! Again, I never even fathomed it was something to be concerned about.

Ruthie04 · June 2013

IBackBevo:
Does he do one leg like a regular crawl and use the other like an army crawl to propel himself forward? If so, my DS does that exact same thing, too!!! We just thought it was adorable. I never knew it could be a sign of anything.
My nanny, who has had 20+ years of experience operating her own daycare, doesn't seem to think anything of it. My pedi said he didn't care how he got around just so long as he got around.
As an aside, my DS will very rarely crawl the normal way, but I think he crawls this strange way because he can get around significantly faster. He is CRAZY fast! Again, I never even fathomed it was something to be concerned about.

Oh no! I don't mean to freak you out!! That is exactly what it looks like. He's ridiculously fast, so I don't blame him for not wanting to crawl another way. I didn't think a thing of it either until my parents put that thought in my head and I consulted Dr. Google. DS1 does a variation of it, but he puts his other arm and leg a little more into it than DS2 who just drags that leg. I suppose it's probably nothing to worry about if we both have babies who do it!

IBackBevo · June 2013

Ruthie04:
IBackBevo:
Does he do one leg like a regular crawl and use the other like an army crawl to propel himself forward? If so, my DS does that exact same thing, too!!! We just thought it was adorable. I never knew it could be a sign of anything.
My nanny, who has had 20+ years of experience operating her own daycare, doesn't seem to think anything of it. My pedi said he didn't care how he got around just so long as he got around.
As an aside, my DS will very rarely crawl the normal way, but I think he crawls this strange way because he can get around significantly faster. He is CRAZY fast! Again, I never even fathomed it was something to be concerned about.
Oh no! I don't mean to freak you out!! That is exactly what it looks like. He's ridiculously fast, so I don't blame him for not wanting to crawl another way. I didn't think a thing of it either until my parents put that thought in my head and I consulted Dr. Google. DS1 does a variation of it, but he puts his other arm and leg a little more into it than DS2 who just drags that leg. I suppose it's probably nothing to worry about if we both have babies who do it!

I'm not too worried about it. My DS has his 9 month appointment next week so I will ask his pedi then. I really don't think it is anything to worry about. Honestly, I think my DS does it because he can get around faster that way. He is frequently chasing the cat around or crawling away from me (when I'm trying to pick him up) when he really gets going fast. I think it would be more concerning if either of us were noticing weakness, some expression of pain/discomfort or them not otherwise using the leg. However, my DS otherwise seems to use the leg fine so I think it is just an issue of figuring out the fastest way to go from point A to point B.

I also think my DS may do it because it is easier to go from that position to a sort of frog position (so he can pounce) than it is from a true crawl to a frog position. My DS will frequently be crawling and then all of the sudden in one swift motion go from crawling to pouncing on the cat. (My DS pretty much learned to crawl chasing the cat around. He is infatuated with our cat.) He usually catches the cat, too. My poor cat...it is a good thing she is so good-natured. We've tried to teach DS to pet softly and sometimes he does, but sometimes he doesn't. I figure if the cat gets too annoyed, she can just walk away from him and go into another room, but she rarely does. We recently lost our dog and another cat so maybe our DS is filling that void for her.

LuvWIfootball · June 2013

My first son did the army crawl for months. I remember telling my mom that he looked like a parapalegic (sp?) and she yelled at me, saying it couldn't be like that. Then she saw him and laughed. He looked pretty awful pulling himself along the floor like he did. At that time, I didn't have internet access (did Google exist 10yrs ago?), and I thought it was just because he was too fat/heavy to lift himself up on all fours. He also walked later than most babies because he was just too big to carry his weight. He's a perfectly healthy, skinny, 10yr old now, so I wouldn't be concerned if I were you.

TJ1979 · June 2013

I wouldn't be worried. But if it will make you feel better ask at the 9 month appt. Babie all get around differently.

Dragonfly1226 · June 2013

DS army crawled for about 2-3 months. He was very proficient at it. Then one afternoon I took him to a Halloween party with our friends from my new moms group. All the kids there were crawling on all fours. The very next day DS decided to start crawling on all fours. I could almost hear him saying, "Mom! Why didn't you tell me this was how all the other kids were crawling?!?" I wouldn't worry about it. Some kids skip crawling all together and just start walking.

mcgeeva · June 2013

It's completely normal. DS did the army crawl super fast with belly on the floor from 7 months and didn't crawl without his belly on the ground until 11 months. All kids are different I wouldn't worry

ccam · June 2013

DS army crawled for a couple months, too. He would get on all fours, rock back and forth and then just drop down onto his belly. I guess army crawling was just easier and faster for him. Then one day, he completely switched. It was like overnight. And now he crawls and flies around the house. I wouldn't be too worried about it. Mention it at their 9 month to put your mind at ease, but I'm sure its fine.

Ruthie04 · June 2013

IBackBevo:

I also think my DS may do it because it is easier to go from that position to a sort of frog position (so he can pounce) than it is from a true crawl to a frog position. My DS will frequently be crawling and then all of the sudden in one swift motion go from crawling to pouncing on the cat. (My DS pretty much learned to crawl chasing the cat around. He is infatuated with our cat.) He usually catches the cat, too. My poor cat...it is a good thing she is so good-natured. We've tried to teach DS to pet softly and sometimes he does, but sometimes he doesn't. I figure if the cat gets too annoyed, she can just walk away from him and go into another room, but she rarely does.

Haha. He sounds like DS2- only he does it with his brother instead of a cat. We have A LOT of conversations about gentle touching around here.

Ruthie04 · June 2013

Thanks so much everyone! I knew I was just being a silly, worried FTM. I think the one sided nature of the crawl as what really had me worried. I suppose DS2 just figured out what works for him!

Now, what do you think I can put on the sore on his forearm to alleviate the discomfort? It's almost like a rug/floor burn from the way he crawls. I know it doesn't bother him too much, but he doesn't like for me to touch it. By the end of the day, it looks pretty red and large. DH suggested a Ba.by L.eg, but if I know my LO, that'll be off in two seconds. Any suggestions?

Saraevh · June 2013

One of my good friends' son army crawled for MONTHS. Now he is running

I know it's hard and I find myself spazzing about stuff all of the time. I'm sure your ped will ease your mind next week.

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