Please tell me not to worry...

[Luckyelephant1]

I KNOW I'm probably being irrationally worried and I know some babies skip crawling altogether but maybe I just need to hear it from real people rather than baby advice websites or from people whose similar aged babies have been crawling for ages.

My dd is 10.5 months old and not crawling at all. She has an absolute meltdown if placed on her belly. She used to be pretty good at tummy time and when she was around 7 months movement looked promising as she learned to shuffle backwards on her belly. But even that's stopped and now she won't stay on her belly for more than a few seconds before screaming. She lifts her head and neck up a lot into an 'upward dog position' but won't move her legs up. From sitting she'll often lunge forward and we almost think she's about to crawl but she'll either stop herself or end up on her front again.

She does love standing holding my hands/furniture and is slowly starting to cruise so that's a good thing I know. But it's hard at classes when I see babies clearly much younger than her crawling around everywhere. I know it's not a competition but but still. Please tell me I'm being an idiot.

Sorry just to add we don't just place her on belly but try to get her on hands and knees, but she just slides her legs out again and ends up on belly.

My eldest dd was like this, she walked at 11 months but didn't learn to crawl until she was about 2.

You are not an idiot, just a paranoid mother 😁, and there is definitely nothing wrong with your baby. They develop in all sorts of ways, and none of them are right or wrong. My daughter never crawled, not once. She went from pulling herself up to walking at 8 months. I know of many babies who never crawled. I wouldn't give it another thought.

Oh wow, that's great on the walking and I suppose when that happens you don't care at all about the crawling!

I guess part of me wonders if it's something I've done wrong. Do I hold/cuddle her too much meaning she doesn't feel confident in exploring the world around her or something. She's very content to sit and examine her toys, if there's one that's a bit too out of reach she'll ignore it and play with a closer one.

My DD crawled just before 12 months, walked just before 18 months. She still quite cautious with physical stuff now, never going to be into extreme sports! She can swim though and does lots of dance classes. (She's 8)

You have done absolutely nothing wrong. She's just her own little person.

The deadline if you like for them being mobile is 12 months, so she has ages yet.

DS3 is trying desperately to crawl and he gets much closer by stretching out from a sitting position than he gets from tummy time, in fact we haven't really done tummy time since he could sit up.

Just keep putting toys slightly out of her reach and see what she does

DD is nearly 13 months, still not crawling. If that makes you feel better 🙈

Yes, my DS only started crawling just before first birthday and didn't walk until pretty much the dot of 18 months. TBH, I was quite glad both of mine were late movers - it's much better than having one you're having to chase around from 9 months!

Oh wow you could be describing my DS. Fiercely head strong, more so as a baby then a toddler actually he absolutely despised tummy time (we didn’t even make 7 months) and decided he wasn’t going to crawl and that was that. Learnt to pull up at 10-11 ish months, cruised for ages then walked at 15 months. None of this wobbly baby walk - he went straight to an arm swinging, confident stroll and then a run. He’s only 2 but I currently have zero concerns about the link with neurodevelopmental disoders a lot of the American PT websites we’ll leave you sweating over. Without meaning to sound smug, his speech and social skills are phenomenally advanced. He’s below average at meeting gross motor milestones, but I figure there is a range of averages for a reason!

I was a ‘never crawled until I stood up and walked at exactly one’ baby.

I’m quietly badly coordinated so I assume that was the issue, but it’s never caused a problem.

To add, he finally learnt to crawl just before 2 - a whole 6 months after he started walking!

Both mine were like this as well, first walked at 10 months but couldn't really crawl til he was 2. He's a very active 4 year old now. Second walked at 12 months but still can't crawl at 16 months. It's a pain when they are like this, as they take longer to get moving on their own, but they all develop in their own way. Try not to worry 😊

They don't all crawl!

You're hugely overthinking this. Some babies crawl first, some babies don't, it's not a big deal. My 2dc walked first and crawled months later, the third seems to be doing the same path now at 7 months, same as I did myself.

My brother never crawled. He's now in his thirties and it doesn't seem to have done him any harm!

I don't think tummy time was a thing when he was a baby either, to be honest (my mum certainly seemed surprised by the concept when I mentioned it wrt DD).

Oh yes never listen to the American sites as they are all just trying to sell their services to parents.

My eldest is nearly 4. She didn't crawl at all. I don't think I ever saw her actually crawl until she was about 20 months? Maybe even older. She hated being on her tummy from birth. She learnt to roll over from front to back as early as babies can, so then instead of screaming on her tummy she would just immediately roll on to her back. So it wasn't possible to keep her in tummy time anyway! She eventually started bum shuffling at 11 months which was so so cute, I wish I had more videos of it. She walked at 16 months, but this was a confident walk as she'd been walking holding our hands for months. She skipped crawling, and she skipped the initial walking stage that some babies do where they learn to 'walk' but by that parents mean they walk a few steps and fall over, get back up and repeat etc. She didn't do that, she waited til she was confident and able and eventual let go of our hand and was off walking properly then.

@AliceW89 haha yes mine is extremely headstrong as well! She has a lot of attitude!

Dc1 never crawled at all.
Sat for ever on the same spot. Did a bit a bum shuffling (that took everyone by surprise).
Then suddenly he was up walking! It was just before his first b’day.

Pretty normal for what I could see too.

Btw dc1 is now 19yo. He has no issue with coordination, very athletic. There is NOTHING that could make you say ‘you know this one skipped crawling as a baby’

Glad I started this thread, I'm enjoying reading all the different experiences. Like I said I KNOW I'm being irrational but I'm definitely a general worrier so reading these posts is helping to alleviate that. Also dd is very small (below 9th centile, but she's been small since birth) so I thought that may have been somehow linked but probably not.

Please don't worry. They all do things at different ages and lots of babies don't crawl. My dd didn't walk till she was nearly two and my god I was so worried. I really thought there was something wrong. She walked on her knees for ages then one day she just walked and ran and was great at gymnastics and all the physical things. Just enjoy her and let her be her own person and do things when she's ready not when google says she should !

DD1 sat there like a pudding (she looked like a little sumo wrestler) until 15 months when she got up and walked. Long, lean 6 year old now. Has never crawled in her life! Great coordination, fast runner.... Hates hockey, but that's because it's rubbish! Give it til she's 18mo.

Pretty sure that’s what DD will do. She’s 91st centile for weight, pretty sure she’s too fat to move.