Is My Baby’s Unique Crawl a Cute Quirk or a Developmental Delay?

We’ve all seen those sweet 9-month-olds scooting around on their bums instead of crawling on all fours. But as it turns out, not every crawling alternative is a safe one. Some scoots are sure signs that redirection, like physical therapy, is needed so your child can graduate to walking.

As a third-time mom, I thought I was prepared for it all. But when my youngest son’s first birthday sailed by and he still hadn’t taken his first steps, I realized I had no idea how to handle it. Unsure why Arthur wasn’t walking like his big brothers did, I turned first to the closest resources at hand – other parents and the internet. In the end, it would take the help of a pediatric physical therapy specialist to get him on his feet.

Instead of crawling, Arthur had taken to scooting on his bum.  It became his signature move, and it wasn’t uncommon to see him shuffling along the sidelines of his brothers’ soccer games, using mostly his hands to propel himself around in a seated position. Without much prompting, other parents regularly assured us that Arthur would simply grow out of it, just like their kids had. I was amazed by how many fellow soccer moms had raised babies that chose to scoot instead of crawl.

When I would get nervous about Arthur’s development, I would turn to Google. I found plenty of reassurance there as well. Some websites urged me to trust my baby and let him lead the way. Others said it wasn’t uncommon for some babies to skip crawling and walk for the first time at 18 months.

It was a recommendation from Arthur’s pediatrician at his 15-month checkup that finally pushed us to seek professional help. Enter Rachael Weitknecht, PT, DPT, and board-certified specialist in pediatric physical therapy. Dr. Weitknecht quickly pointed out something I had failed to notice – that Arthur’s scooting always relied on the same leg and arm to lead. As it turned out, that was the real problem with his unusual crawl.

According to Weitknecht, “It’s when a pattern becomes persistent and consistent for a child that you start to just look for the reason behind it. So, if they are constantly turning the same way, scooting the same direction, using the same leg, that’s worth evaluating.”

Weitknecht says asymmetrical movements like that cause a shortening of the same side of the body, which can impact not only the musculoskeletal system, but also vision, balance and spatial orientation. In some cases, those patterns of uneven movement are present well before baby hits the crawling stage.

“You can see a pattern already in a child who’s 3 months old, or even earlier sometimes,” says Weitknecht. “It’s catching what that pattern is. That pattern might just be a consistent head turn to the same side and the inability to track their eyes to the opposite side to see toys or people.”

Weitknecht says parents don’t have to be experts, but they do need to push to get their children in front of the right specialists when they suspect that there might be an issue.

“More and more we have to be advocates for our children, so I think if your gut is telling you something’s not quite right, then no matter how many medical professionals you go to that look at your child and go – no, it will be ok – I think it becomes unfortunately your job to keep pushing that envelope a little bit further.”

Weitknecht’s advice is to start asking your pediatrician questions as soon as you have them.

It’s advice I wish I had taken for Arthur. Instead of looking to other parents or the internet for help, I should have trusted my intuition and sought medical help sooner. Luckily, Arthur ended up in physical therapy with plenty of time to sort out his uneven muscle development.

Over several months of weekly visits, Weitknecht helped Arthur start to use the neglected side of his body more regularly. In a few months, he was on his feet. And now two years later, he’s off the sidelines and scoring goals just like his big brothers. You’d never know he was once that little one-year-old struggling to take his first steps.

If your child is struggling to meet developmental milestones, or meeting them in an unusual fashion, talk to your pediatrician about getting an evaluation with a specialist. Crawling and walking aren’t the only growth factors to keep an eye out for, too. Dr. Weitknecht says she wishes all babies would see pediatric physical, occupational and speech therapists at every well visit. “Usually by the time the alarm bells are sounding – there’s a very big reason for it. So, if we could catch that earlier, it would be helpful.”