Weird crawling

[GoBigOrange]

DS is 9.5 months old, has hit the majority of his milestones right on time and generally seems like he is developing fine. Except for crawling.

He is a bit caterpillar-like, in that he basically lies flat on his front, then pushes his rump in the air, walks his feet in under himself and scoots forward on his face/head. Usually with his right arm bunched up under himself and the left arm flapping out to the side. He doesn't tend to get very far of course before his body flattens out and he then falls over on his right side, left arm waggling like crazy in the air. He rolls onto his back, huffs to himself, then flings himself back onto his front and tries his bizarre method again. And again. He tends to do it only on beds or sofas. Possibly simply because wooden floors are hard and carpet burn on the face is unpleasant, or maybe for other reasons.

Efforts to help him get into a textbook hands and knees crawling position are met with instantaneous collapse (I'm not sure if he physically can't hold the pose or simply doesn't want to) and screams of fury. He is perfectly capable of lying on his front and pushing up with both arms to look around, he just doesn't push up with his arms when trying to go somewhere.

Anyone else have a child who 'crawled' like this? Should I worry or will he likely move on to more usual methods of locomotion at some point in the not too distant future?

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

Crawling isn't generally considered a 'milestone' because infants move in a wide range of idiosyncratic ways that could be considered 'crawling'.

Don't worry at all.

[Archer26]

I wouldn't worry. My DS 'commando' crawled for ages I.e never lifted his tummy off the ground. He did for ages and like your DS was able to use his Arms to push himself up, he just didn't want to!

Then one day he did it 'normally' and then promptly stood up.

I'm sure your FS is fine, just has his own method.

[cestlavielife]

Is there anything eg problems at birth /illness/premature etc that give you any reason to worry ?
If no reason to suspect any issues then he is only 9.5 months so just leave him to work it out
Hand knee crawling is though to be good for left/right brain coordination etc but doesn't need to be done first or immediately. You can play at being a cat when he is two....

[Out2pasture]

I gather like step said there is a huge variety of crawling techniques. the important feature is opposite arm to leg type movement (left arm right leg type of stuff).

[pilates]

Op, can your DS use both hands equally, e.g. holding and playing with toys?

[GoBigOrange]

Thank you all for your thoughts. Good to know that it probably isn't cause for concern, and is just DS being a bit different (and inefficient) in his approach to getting moving. It is just so completely different to anything I have ever seen a baby do before that I wondered if something might be amiss.

cestlavielife No, he was a full term and has always been totally healthy. His caterpillar impression is just so blooming weird though that I had to ask!

pilates your question is partly why I asked about this as it did seem a little odd to me that he always tucks the right arm and flaps the left, and never the other way around. He doesn't seem to favour one hand/arm when he is playing and is capable of picking up toys and banging them together etc. But I wondered if perhaps one arm is weaker than the other, meaning he can't bear his whole weight squarely even if he can use both hands quite happily. He is a fairly big lad, so quite a lot of weight to bear.

I'm probably borrowing trouble worrying about this, but he's been doing this for about 5 or 6 weeks with no sign of progressing to a more efficient way of moving so I wondered if there might be a reason for that.

[shouldwestayorshouldwego]

Firstly video it for his 18th birthday/ girlfriends/ you've been framed! Secondly the overwhelming probability is that he will walk just fine. One of mine was a bottom shuffler - actually quite efficient when trying to stop older sibling from taking your toy. In the 8 yrs since she learnt to walk I have never seen her bottom shuffle again. None of mine were even mobile before a year so I wouldn't worry too much at the moment.

[waitingforsomething]

Ds is the same age and his version of a crawl is just to drag himself on his tummy with his hands, using one leg to help him but not the other. He is fine for everything else too. I saw a HV today and she said as long as they're moving in some way and crucially making progress then it's fine. She was happy with him.

[StepAwayFromTheThesaurus]

There is no part of crawling that matters developmentally (as in, it's never a crucial step). Lots of children never go through a crawling phase at all and that's perfectly OK. Crawling was much less common in the past than it is now, and it is pretty uncommon in some cultures.

Motor skills are also very plastic in response to environmental conditions. You've said he only does it in certain places, and you're probably right that it's related to the flooring etc.

There's absolutely no reason to worry based simply on a quirky crawling motion. At 9.5 months he may well move on the crawl in the way you're imagining before he walks, or he may walk and then figure out crawling on hands and knees later.

[pilates]

GoBigOrange, just monitor him and if you still have concerns take him to a paediatric doctor to get checked out. Always trust your instinct with children, it rarely lets you down.

[cestlavielife]

Give him couple months ...can he bear weight on legs equally ?
If he was 18 months and still.doing this and not yet walking you would be conceres and need to check with physio but he not yet even ten months

[GoBigOrange]

shouldwestayorshouldwego Ha! Good point. Video evidence would be a good idea for future blackmail material.

cestlavielife He is very, very wobbly when we help him stand up so I can't be completely sure if he is weight-bearing evenly or not (too busy trying not to drop all 30 inches and 22lb of him in a heap as he shakes his hips like Elvis!) but he isn't obviously favoring one leg over the other.

Thank you for all the reassurance folks, I will try to just sit back and smile to myself at his daft flailing, feel grateful he still stays where I put him most of the time, and not worry about him.

If he hasn't sorted himself out and started moving in a more typical fashion by his first birthday though then I think I will raise it as a possible cause for concern with his doctor at that point.

[cestlavielife]

he should be able to stand up when you hold him ie stand supported leaning on something.my ds did not support standing til 17 months due to hypermobile joints and low muscle tone. my dd was also hypermobile and didnt stand supported til 12 months. my ds has other issues - but my dd has no learning needs at all (she just had some motor issues, didnt walk til two years old)

doe he sit well with straight back? can he manipulate toys well while sitting?
can he support himself on knees and remain upright?
does he pull himself to stand? that comes later but most babies will stand and support their weight if you hold them in position..... this shows the timeline quite well.
developmentalgym.com/infant-up-into-standing

you could ask hv or gp for the number of the paediatric community physiotherapist and ask for a review appointment - it wont do any harm, theyw ill ook at how he tries to crawl and his arm and leg movements, they might give you some ways to hold or support him - and if by the time the appointment comes through he is crawling/walking and you dont need it you can just cancel!

but if he is say hypermobile or wobbly or one-sided weakness then physio will help identify the issue and offer input.

[Littlesoul123]

How is he