is normal crawling really that important??

[u/marissaaaababyy]

how important is crawling? my baby pulled to stand and cruised from like 9-11 months. he started to hitch crawl from 11-13.5 months & then moved on to walking. he walks perfectly normal & has always been super steady. will this affect his development, like reading and stuff? is that true?

i tried sooo hard to get him to crawl normally. he’s 17 months now

[u/Exciting-Ad-5858]

Cross-pattern crawling used to be considered essential as an indicator of brain development (the left and right sides of the motor cortex 'cooperating') - it's now recognised as just one way that babies demonstrate and learn that skill.

So, almost certainly fine, especially given that he's now walking fine.

If you're worried, keep an eye on:

• crossing the midline (by about age 2-3) - can he reach across his body, eg using his right hand to pick up an object placed on his left without twisting his torso or passing it via the left hand

• bilateral integration (age 2-3 years) - hands cooperating on tasks, eg use the left hand to hold the paper steady while the right scribbles

• symmetrical balance (12 to 18 months) - if he does a squat are his legs and balance even

• stairs (3 to 4 years) - can he use either foot to step up onto a thing

Basically you want to make sure that the two sides of the body are physically even-ish in terms of strength and balance, and that the two sides of the body can co-operate from a brain perspective

[u/Elimaris]

I believe the cdc took crawling out of the milestones because skipping crawling is common and the different start times, types or lack of crawling didn't indicate any developmental delays or the opposite.

I haven't seen anything that indicates though whether children who do/don't crawl later have better athleticism, perioperception, etc. No way to know AFAIK and it would probably be symptom not causal.

Iow there is no reason to think it's something to worry about.

[u/dangersiren]

I’m not a doctor but I think it’s pretty common for babies to skip crawling. I wouldn’t worry unless my pediatrician was concerned!

[u/1breadsticks1]

My baby scooted for the longest time. Then he figured out crawling around 11 months but preferred scooting anyway. Now he’s 22 months and runs around at top speed but recently decided to revisit proper crawling because apparently it’s fun.

Overall he’s quite a bit ahead in pretty much all of the categories so I can’t say not crawling hindered him in any way.

[u/Sure-Canary-1436]

Who said it will effect his development? My son hitch crawled and has been in OT since two months. He’s not delayed now and he walks normally. His therapist said hitch crawling doesn’t matter long term. It’s just how they get around until they can walk

[u/RemarkableAd9140]

Crawling isn’t a milestone anymore for a reason. Yeah there’s some research suggesting crawling and using both sides of the body that way can help with reading later, but I never crawled (rolled instead) and spent a decade in a literature adjacent field, reading books for a living. My son did the hitch crawl and then was on to walking as fast as he could, and his early literacy skills seem absolutely fine. 

As I understand it, it’s one of those things where “normal” crawling can impart some small benefits, but it’s not like not doing it is a death sentence or anything. Your baby isn’t destined to become a dropout because they didn’t crawl conventionally.