Bum shuffling babies

hm2101 · 2025-09-05T13:38:57+00:00

Are there any other parents of bum shuffling babies out there? The only ones I seem to meet are those whose children are now adults so it’s all a bit of a distant memory for them! Or I read about it on old threads on here or Reddit. I’m doing what I can to encourage my 11 month old to work the muscles she isn’t using (eg helping her with standing) but I think she will still be a delayed walker. I’d love to hear experiences of other parents whose babies currently bum shuffle or did and are now walking. I just feel a bit on my own with this one! and yes - I have watched that one episode of Bluey!

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BunnyRuddington · 05/09/2025 17:49

Will she weight bear on her legs? So if you hold her hands will she stand for a little bit?

armquestion · 05/09/2025 17:57

Mine scooted around with one leg up in a kneel. She never properly crawled. When she started walking her ankles were very unsteady and she constantly tripped over, and was diagnosed with hypermobility at around 18mo.

Original poster

hm2101 · 05/09/2025 19:01

Yes - she is pulling to stand quite a lot @BunnyRuddington . Do you reckon that’s enough reason not to be worried?

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Original poster

hm2101 · 05/09/2025 19:03

thats helpful to know @armquestion ! I think hypermobility goes undetected in a lot of children who bum shuffle. The physio line is that they probably didn’t like tummy time and therefore adapted in order to move. But my little girl’s hips are particularly mobile so I’m sure there’s more to it than just tummy time!

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BunnyRuddington · 05/09/2025 19:41

hm2101 · 05/09/2025 19:01

Yes - she is pulling to stand quite a lot @BunnyRuddington . Do you reckon that’s enough reason not to be worried?

Edited

Well crawling isn’t a milestone anymore and it’s really good that she can bear weight.

And walking isn’t a concern until she reaches 18 months.

You can encourage standing by putting a couple of toys on the sofa at standing her against it so she gets used to standing and builds some strength.

Swimming will help her core strength too

jaybx · 06/09/2025 22:49

My daughter bum shuffled everywhere, she started walking at 17 months because she was so fast on her bum she didn’t need to try and walk or crawl 😂

wishIwasonholiday10 · 08/09/2025 06:57

My daughter bum shuffled but only from around 14 months. Was walking with us holding both hands around 2 and walking independently at 2.5 years. In our case it was due to hypotonia (low muscle tone) and in hindsight I wish I had done more to encourage her to stand. I think if your daughter is weight bearing there is less to worry about at this stage. Mine wasn’t really weight bearing much even at 18 months when we finally got a physio referral.

Original poster

hm2101 · 08/09/2025 10:17

wishIwasonholiday10 · 08/09/2025 06:57

My daughter bum shuffled but only from around 14 months. Was walking with us holding both hands around 2 and walking independently at 2.5 years. In our case it was due to hypotonia (low muscle tone) and in hindsight I wish I had done more to encourage her to stand. I think if your daughter is weight bearing there is less to worry about at this stage. Mine wasn’t really weight bearing much even at 18 months when we finally got a physio referral.

Ah thank you for your kind and helpful words. I’m so glad your daughter is now walking! I paid to go to a physio a few months ago and she said my daughter was also on the low end of muscle tone. Her low muscle tone is mainly in her shoulders and hips. I’ve been trying to encourage her to crawl (as per the guidance of the physio) but it feels pretty unlikely as she refuses to move with her hands and knees so now I’m trying to focus more on standing and walking

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wishIwasonholiday10 · 08/09/2025 10:22

hm2101 · 08/09/2025 10:17

Ah thank you for your kind and helpful words. I’m so glad your daughter is now walking! I paid to go to a physio a few months ago and she said my daughter was also on the low end of muscle tone. Her low muscle tone is mainly in her shoulders and hips. I’ve been trying to encourage her to crawl (as per the guidance of the physio) but it feels pretty unlikely as she refuses to move with her hands and knees so now I’m trying to focus more on standing and walking

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Not all children crawl although I have read it is good for developing coordination. My daughter never properly 4 point crawled and hated being on her hands and knees. Our physio encouraged us to work on standing/cruising and moving from sitting to standing although it was at a later stage than you are.