Crawling and Walking

skylily · March 2014

At our 9 month check up, DS was still not crawling. Our pedi said that we were holding him too much. She placed him on his tummy and coaxed him to move forward. He had a fit and rolled over on his back wanting to be picked up. She recommended we spend 10 min. 3x a day trying to coax him to crawl - putting things just out of his reach etc. If he fussed, we let him fuss. If he was not crawling by his follow up appt (March 13th) she was going to give us the name/number for physical therapy.

Its the 11th. DS is still not crawling. DH canceled the follow up appt because he feels that we do not need physical therapy. DS still refuses to crawl. When he does want something out of his reach, he will roll around until he gets the toy he wants. I have set him on his hands and knees numerous times and he's cool with that until you leave his side and try to go in front of him. He proceeds to simply roll back onto his back. He no longer fusses when you put him on his belly. He just rolls over.

DS has taken a very strong liking to walking with our support. He loves to be stood on his feet while he holds the couch, and when he wants to move he'll hold onto your hands and "walk" around the room from person to person. He LOVES it.

Is it possible to skip the crawling stage? Could there be a developmental issue with his motor skills? Do we really need physical therapy to get him to crawl? Yesterday, DS kept squirming in my lap until I dropped him down on his feet so he could stand and hold the couch. Thoughts??? He will be 10 months on the 23rd. - - - Also, and I don't know if this is STILL playing a roll, but he was born 4 weeks premature. I was told by the same pedi it could take up to a year for them to catch up to full term babies but then months later she's telling me this. I feel distraught.

opheliainwaders · March 2014

That seems like weird advice from your pedi *just* on the basis of not crawling. DD is 9m, and doesn't crawl yet, but sits independently, and can hold onto stuff and stand. She scores on the low side of normal range for gross motor skill milestones (it's clear to us, and to our pedi, that she is a fine motor/verbal kid instead).

We don't adjust DD (also 4 weeks early), but we give her a grain of salt in terms of when she does things. That said, our Pedi said anywhere from 8-10m to start crawling is actually normal, though some babies will do it earlier or later. FWIW, DD does EXACTLY the same thing if we put her on her tummy (and frankly, only rolls as far as she *absolutely* has to to reach things), and also LOVES to stand and "walk." Our pedi was not concerned at all.

Did your pedi do a milestone questionnaire with you? Did your DS score low across multiple gross motor milestones, or just crawling? Did he score in the normal range on other types of milestones?

skylily · March 2014

On gross milestones he does seem to be behind. As to be told that - no our pedi has not said anything. At our 4 month check up they were going over the typical questions of what DS could or could not do and most of those answers were "no, not yet." It was weeks later that I was able to say to myself - "yeah he's doing that". At 6 months, I distinctly remember her asking if he could pick things up with either hand and then switch hands with the item. I said no again, and then a couple of weeks later I was watching him do just that. At 4 months we asked to know where he was on the growth chart based on his height and weight and she did tell us that he was in the lower 25th percentile, BUT not to put much stock in that because he was early. At 6 months I didn't ask bc our guy is small, but healthy. At 9 months he's behind now??? Maybe she forgot he was early. ... ....

I"m glad your DD is doing exactly the same as DS. He sits without support wonderfully and lately we've been playing pass the ball where I roll it between his outstretched legs and he works his arm to get it to roll back. The look on his face when it rolls back is priceless

opheliainwaders · March 2014

It might be worth going to the PT appointment, just to get a second opinion? It doesn't sound like he's having any huge issues re: muscle tone or things like that, so seeing the PT, and getting a sense of what to look for (and maybe any helpful exercises, since I am totally with you that keeping her on her belly is pretty much impossible), and when to worry (or not) might be worthwhile, even just for peace of mind?

Also! Playing ball is BY FAR the cutest, best thing in the world, eh?

LisaLisa1980 · March 2014

tell your dr to take a hike. Does your son show strong muscle tone in other areas? Does he sit on his own?

flummadiddle85 · March 2014

DS walked at 9.5mo. Then he started crawling the next day. I don't think you need to worry....

skylily · March 2014

Muscle tone seems fine. Doc even said that he has muscle tone, just no motivation.

He does sit on his own without support.

And yes, playing ball is awesome! I never thought I would get this much enjoyment out of a ball

ASmallWonder · March 2014

Crawling isn't a milestone. My 9 month old doesn't roll. He's done it maybe 4 times total in his life. At his 6 month appointment I talked to his pedi about it and she explained that obviously for some kids it's a physical limitation that needs to be addressed and for others it's a matter of preference and motivation, like you said. She said to be mindful of making sure he was making strides at becoming mobile in other ways - reaching, leaning, hands and knees, rocking and crawling - over the coming months. And he did all those things. Kid crawls like crazy now but he still won't roll lol I would suggest being mindful of the same things. If he seems to be progressing, he just may not be a crawler.

Snapdragon750 · March 2014

That's weird...your pedi must be sort of old-fashioned. Crawling isn't considered a milestone anymore and isn't really indicative of anything, especially if your baby is going right to walking! My first DD had physical therapy through first steps for gross motor, but that was because she wasn't crawling OR showing interest in pulling to stand, walking, or even rolling, and couldn't get to her tummy from sitting and vice versa, at almost a year old. She completely skipped crawling in favor of scooting, and First Steps was fine with that.

P.S. She finally walked at 15 months and now that she's 2 1/2 you'd never know the difference.

Snapdragon750 · March 2014

P.P.S. My second DD is 9 months old and not crawling either!

skylily · March 2014

From a non supported sitting position, DS will fall to his back and roll around. He does not move onto his tummy at all. The guy seems to hate being on his tummy unless he's sleeping. Breaks the rules but this kid refused to sleep on his back since the day we brought him home. He immediately rolled to his side (just like me - I can't sleep on my back either). We put him down for naps and the night on his side. He rolls onto his tummy throughout the night and sometimes he'll stay on his side.

But awake and on his tummy? NOT happenin.

MattysGirl81 · March 2014

Physical therapy?? That sounds crazy, IMO. DS is 10 months and gets on his hands and knees constantly, but does not crawl. He also hasn't pulled himself up yet. Pedi was not concerned at all at our 9 month appt. Our older son army crawled at 6 months, (he never did the traditional hands & knees crawl) pulled up at 8 months and walked at 14 months. Every baby has his/her own schedule. There are also plenty of babies who never crawl and go straight to walking. Don't worry about it!

jlpev · March 2014

Don't worry!!! My dd is almost 10 months & doesn't crawl. She pushes herself backwards & It pisses her off. She rocks back & Fourth but doesn't go anywhere But she does scoot around on her butt. Our pedi wasn't concerned. BC she found her own way of moving around. Pedi said she might not crawl. She will do everything when she's ready. But at 9 months she was waving & Clapping. The pedi said she just wants to do other things first

hattrk10 · March 2014

My daughter is a week shy of 11 months old and doesn't crawl. Sometimes she will tolerate tummy time for 45 minutes and other times she sreams as soon as I put it on her tummy. She was a very early sitter (4 months) but have never crawled. She doesn't roll either. She has rolled tummy to back maybe 10 times and back to tummy just once. She LOVES to stand and cruise along the couches or anything else that is in the room. I told feel as though she is lacking in muscle tone and her doctor doesn't seem to be concerned either. She said that some babies to skip crawling and go straight to walking. I'm sure that will be my daughter. She has taken to scooting on her butt to get what she wants and our doctor said the more important thing as that she is making an attempt to get around. Between that and the walking I saw we are good. It is frustrating though at times as I wish she would just crawl. Maybe I will be concerned down the road, but for now I'm okay with it.

brachysira · March 2014

It's nice to get reassurance from other parents. If your doctor thinks you need someone to look at your LO, I would take it. The earlier things are treated, the better. In many states, you can get free physical therapy until age 3 from Early On. If you wait, you may not be able to get services as easily. I have a preemie, and she loved to be walked and hated tummy time. She liked to be walked because it was better than having no mobility. We saw a PT as part of her preemie assessment (which you get where I am if you are born 8 weeks early or more) and she said she should not be walked and should be given lots of tummy (or if she rolled back) time. Almost immediately, DD started crawling and pulling up. It is not bad to go straight to walking, but it is also possible to use being walked as an easy way out. Preemies do have lower muscle tone and do need more attention. I don't think your LO sounds super delayed, but dismissing your doctor because they bring a problem to your attention sounds like a bad idea. Get the appts now unless they are super expensive and you can't afford them. You have nothing to lose when you try to help your child.

skylily · March 2014

You have a very good point brachysira. They did make me feel better but I don't want to be ignorant either.

DH canceled the follow up appointment that was scheduled for the 13th, but we have another one in a couple of months for his 1 year. DS will be 10 months old in less than a week. I'm STILL working on it. I just want a little more time. DS is weeks behind everything else, so I want my weeks.

Things keep changing. During this last week DS has taken to scooting himself off of the chair/couch trying to get to the floor. (I assume to stand/walk) He about gave me a heart attack when I seen how close he was to the edge of the couch. I placed him on all 4's on the floor and he flipped back over. (DOH!) BUT then I was cleaning my room and placed him on the bed while I put clothes away, on his tummy, and the little guy was rocking back and forth. He would get up on his knees and shove his upper body forward, then roll over, and back to his tummy and scoot again. I watched him do that on the couch too. I wonder why he won't do it on the floor????

brachysira · March 2014

The floor is hard compared to the bed. But I think that sounds like progress. We let DD dive off the couch twice before we learned she did not belong up there. Be careful!

08summerbride · March 2014

My oldest is a perfectly normal, active 3.5 year old, and she didn't crawl until a year, and didn't walk until 17 months.

Our pediatrician checked muscle tone etc and told at our 15 month appointment, she said we would consider intervention if there was no walking at 18 months. I did meet informally with our school's physical therapist and shared my concerns and she helped ease my mind.

lana22 · March 2014

seems normal not to crawl at that age, and strange to me that your pedi is so concerned, but not sure why you wouldn't at least give PT a try and see what they say there. you could also try a different pedi and get a second opinion? if you're canceling appts maybe it's time to find a pedi w/ whom you and DH feel more comfortable and trusting.

kristinyoung111 · April 2014

My daughter is 11 months and just started crawling. She would also just roll when you put her in a crawling position. Rather than crawling, she preferred to scoot on her butt or stretch to grab things, and in the past two months really got interested in standing, bending over, and trying to cruise. She just got the hang of getting up into a standing position on her own with no help, and is cruising well. Our pediatrician wasn't worried about the crawling at all. I've been told as long as they are moving and progressing in their ability to move, you don't need to really worry. I think the type of floors you have make a difference too. We have hard wood floors and friends that have kids and hardwood floors also said that their LO took longer to crawl.

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