Not every baby crawls in the traditional manner.
Classic hands-and-knees crawl or cross-crawl. Baby bears weight on her hands and knees and moves one arm and the opposite knee forward at the same time.
Bear crawl. This is similar to the classic crawl, but baby keeps her elbows and knees straight and walks on her hands and feet like a bear.
Belly or commando crawl. This crawl involves moving forward while dragging the belly against the floor.
Bottom-scooter. Baby scoots on her bottom using her arms to move herself forward.
Crab crawl. Baby moves backward or sideways like a crab, propelling herself with her hands.
Rolling. Baby gets to her destination by rolling from one place to another.
Homemade roly-poly crawling toy
Your baby will love this homemade toy that encourages crawling. Use a clean, empty, transparent plastic water or soda bottle. Squirt some dishwasher liquid in the bottle, then add a bit of glitter and place a couple marbles inside. Fill the bottle with water, leaving about three inches of space at the top. Use nontoxic glue to secure the cap in place, then shake the bottle to make bubbles. The roly-poly is ready! During tummy time, place the roly-poly on one side of baby, just out of reach to encourage her to move toward it. When baby touches it with her hand, the toy will roll a bit, and she is likely to move toward the toy to make it roll again.
Late bloomers
While some babies begin to crawl as early as their half birthday, others take a bit more time to perfect the skill. There’s no need to worry if your little one isn’t the first accomplished crawler in her playgroup, but if she’s not crawling by her first birthday, or if you notice that she has difficulty moving one of her arms or legs, you should consult your pediatrician.
Did you know?
In certain cultures, babies never go through the crawling stage because their parents and caregivers carry them until they learn to walk independently.
Good to know…
Since the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended back-sleeping for all infants to decrease the risk of SIDS, many infants are now crawling later than the 6- to 8-month benchmark, and there has been an increase in the number of babies that skip the crawling stage and go straight to walking. Why? Most babies are getting less tummy time, which often delays the precursory skills needed for crawling.
