How to help baby grow in confidence with crawling

[Maxamy111]

Hi, my DD has just turned 1….She has been a bit later on meeting all her gross motor skills so far and she only started crawling at 11 months…
This was on her carpet in her bedroom. She can also crawl downstairs on our living room rug but she seems to have a fear about moving off the rug onto our wooden floors.
If I place any toys outside of the rug she will crawl to the end of the rug and then stop and pivot back round.
I’ve also tried placing her on our kitchen floor (which is tiled) and it’s like she’s forgets how to crawl completely and just cries. Is there anything I can do to encourage her to move past this? It seems to be like a fear she has from kneeling on a hard surface?
We took her for her 1 year HV appointment and she wasn’t worried that she’s not yet walking or anything… any advice? I assumed once she figured out the crawling she would be off and away but it’s not been so….

thanks for any advice x

Just let her do it when she is ready.

Really not sure how to encourage her with crawling in hard surfaces sorry.

Walking isn't a concern until 18 months but did the HV check that she can stand and bear weight, even if you're holding her hands?

She didn’t check those things but she can stand with assistance and she will bear weight (only recently though) x

I’m quite happy for her to take her time, I just feel bad for her that she seems limited to a square in the living room x

Back off, leave her alone and let her do it when she is ready. She is so little still.

Do you have a cat 😂 both of mine were really interested in the cat. My first wouldn't crawl on hard surfaces on her knees only her feet like a monkey same with grass she just didn't like the feeling on her knees. She will do it in her own time but keep placing her sitting on the hard floor to familiarise her with it. I'm sure she will eventually move even if it's to get off the floor and back to the rug lol.

Her own toys may not be encouragement enough. What about something new (to her) and shiny? Saucepan and wooden sticks, bubbles, etc?

My daughter was also much slower on gross skills. She was barely crawling at 11 months and didn't walk until about 15. Very chilled out personality though, and a big talker. No concerns here, we were glad to not have a 9 month old running into door frames and walls like our first!

They don’t need to crawl. One of mine didn’t. If she can weight bear then I wouldn’t be at all concerned and would leave her to it. Make another appointment with the health visitor if she’s still not walking or showing signs of being close at 15 months.

Leave her be. She will have things she is good at and things she takes longer to develop. Each one will be different to the next child.

Your job is to encourage both the things she is good at and be patient with the things that she takes longer with.

Young children do the best they can to please us, but too much pressure can be harmful as they are very sensitive to facial expressions and can sense when you are anxious.

is she wearing clothing that covers her knees, like trousers or tights ?

Was just thinking the same thing. When DD was crawling I went to Primani and bought some cheap leggings so it didn't matter if they got wrecked quickly.

I don't think this is about her fear of hard floors, but more that they're uncomfortable and likely cooler. We don't have any carpet in our house and it was clear that neither of my two liked moving around on hard floors at the start, so we brought some additional cheap rugs to put in the living areas and this made a lot of difference to their independence and eagerness to move around (basically we carpeted our lounge and kitchen with them). As PPs said, also go for leggings and socks (if she’s a bum shuffler - their ankles rub on the hard floors it not covered) - this should help too, but I did find the addition of more rugs to be the big difference

THERE IS MORE FRICTION ON RUGS AND CARPETS. THAT MAKES CRAWING EASIER.

Why the hurry?

Hard floors hurt knees, quite sensible to stick to the rug😊 She'll do it it her own time.

It sounds like your little one is hesitant about transitioning from soft to hard surfaces. Try using rugs or blankets to create a gradual transition and make hard floors feel less intimidating. Spend time playing with her on the hard floors to create positive associations. Place her favorite toys just beyond the edge of the rug to encourage exploration. A cushioned play mat could also help ease the transition. Keep offering support and encouragement, and model crawling on hard surfaces yourself. Every baby develops at their own pace, so patience and positive reinforcement are key. If concerns persist, consult a pediatric therapist.

It's a non-issue, she's not at harm from not crawling on the floor. She isn't going to get to be an adult and still not walk on the hard floor.
If you really insist on getting her moving more then buy some cheap carpet runners to make a soft path

I didn't like the feel of grass as a young child, you could leave me on a picnic blanket in the middle of the garden and be sure I wouldn't move. As I got older I still don't particularly like the feel of sitting on grass without something under me but I do it.

Honestly my one year old isn't a great crawler, she shuffles. I'm not worried at all. I believe in the Montessori method and I think children will do things in their own time, additional needs excepted.

Hi everyone thank you for all your responses, I’m glad to say she’s figured out how to get off the rug and now happily crawls on the wooden floor. Still not interested in the kitchen but I tried myself and yes it definitely hurts the knees…for anyone else having this issue I also tried her crawling on grass and that seemed to help :) x