Why don't my babies crawl? Should I be doing something to encourage it?

[expatkat]

Is crawling a matter of encouragement, or just something that babies work out on their own?

Ds, now 3, never crawled. When he was a baby, people used to say, 'Force him to stay on his tummy, stick a toy in front of him, and don't pick him up. He'll soon realise he has no other choice but to crawl.' But all he ever did was bawl, and I couldn't bare to leave him like that indefinitely. It was frustrating for us both, for I was his sole means of transport.

Now dd, 7 months, is shaping up to be the same. 1 non-crawler seems hardly unusual. But 2? More than a coincidence? There's no family history of non-crawling, so is it me? Did I not put them on their tummies enough? Have I not encouraged it enough in other ways?

I'm not worried or anything; I'd just like to save dd from the frustration ds experienced (and spare my back too!)

I hardly ever put my ds on his front as he hated it but he still learnt to crawl. I don't know if having them on their tummy encourages them to crawl or not.

I don't have more than one child and as he crawled I can't offer much more advice I'm sorry. I am feeling for your back though especially if you have big kids like mine is. I can't see why it is something you are doing but I'm sure someone else will have a better answer than me.

DD didn't crawl until she was 8/9 months, then walked at 12 months 5 days. Just enjoy the days baby stays put while you can.

Have to agree with Lollypop that you should enjoy baby staying put for as long as you can. I found it a nightmare when dd first crawled/walked as she had absolutely no sense of fear and I felt like I really couldn't take my eyes off her for even a fraction of a second.

ds just started crawling today at 7 months despite spending zero time on his tummy - he always squealed like mad when put on his tum and only ever wanted to stand up but yesterday he started going on all fours whenever he was sat up and today started shuffling backwards - so I don't think it has anything to do with us at all - just pre programmed
sorry about your bad back btw

my dd hated being on her tummy too. She started to bum shuffle at about 8 months, crawled about 11 months, and at 15 months is quite happy doing a combination of the two!

How cruel people can be! Leave him to bawl on his front! No wonder you couldn't do that - poor thing! All babies do things differently and like different positions for getting about. My daught er hating being on her front to too. She didn't feel in control. It took her till 9/10 months to crawl but had sat up by 4/5 months and walked on her first birthday. She was quicker insome areas and not others. It is frustrating as you want that milestone to be met! Enjoy your baby and give positive encouragement when they do go on their front/reach for a toy as I'm sure you do!

Maybe I should be putting this under the 'worst mother ever' thread.... Our ds learnt to crawl at 6 months - he's always been an active baby, and it seemed like he really wanted to know how to crawl but couldn't. So we put his dummy just out of reach, and that did the trick..! A few tears at first when he couldn't reach it, but the pull of the dummy was too much and he soon got the hang of getting from A to B by crawling..!

Expatkat, I'm one of 11 children. Some of us crawled, some bum shuffled and some went straight to walking. We all had (more or less) the same type of upbringing. Each child just does what's best for them. I wouldn't worry about it.

Dot1 - we used a similar method to get DS crusing. Stood him up against the settee and put the remote control just out of reach.

DS didn't crawl/shuffle and I can empathise with the frustration it caused. But it looking back it was only for a couple of months before he got cruising at 10 months. 7 months is still quite young, she might surprise you.

Charlottes not crawling at 16 months (& probably won't, she has Down's) and she might not walk until she's 3, but it so doesn't matter, she'll walk when she's ready. Can you imagine it still being an important isue now, saying to each other when you're in you 30's and 40's etc, 'So when did you start to walk....ohhhhhh really, well I was 8 months, ummmmmm'!!!!!!!
Ha haaaaa. I actually think that while Lottie isn't walking I have it so easy, I mean i cna leave her in the middle of the room surrounded by toys and when i come back she hasn't moved, how fab. i don't look forward to having to climb over impossible to open stair gates and worrying about where they've crawled/walked off to!!!

My DD (12 months)didn't crawl 'till she was 9 months. Then started walking at 10 months and didn't crawl again - EVER! She never liked being laid on her tummy, even though she could hold her head up easily. She always wanted to be on her feet and nothing we did changed that.

I don't think there's a thing you can do. My dd1 didn't crawl till she was 14 months, and walked at 20 months. My ds2 crawled at 6 months (he's now 9months). I don't think I did a thing differently for them in their first few months of life. I'm sure its just the way they are. And which baby was easier to have around!
My ds2 is now 91/2 months and still can't sit unaided, as I've said he's been crawling for 3 months. He can stand up very easily. Its not just that he won't sit ,he really can't and just falls to one side, or arches his back and falls over. I mentioned it to my GP, she wants to see him again in a couple of weeks if he still can't. Any ideas??? And after I just said don't worry about not crawling, its so easy to be relaxed in hindsight but we did worry about dd1 at the time. I'm not worried about ds2 but I do find it very inconvienient.

Thomcat - that's such a good reminder! I'm currently obsessed about why my 17month ds isn't talking yet - and it's silly really, as I'm sure he'll be talking when he's our age...!

Thanks for all the good feedback.

Just want to reiterate that I'm not in the least worried, more curious really about what gets them crawling, nature or nurture, and selfishly hoping to avoid months and months of baby frustration.