Crawling: traditional, commando, bear, or skipped

Somewhere between 7 and 10 months, most babies find a way to get from A to B under their own steam. Many go hands and knees. Some drag themselves forward on their forearms. Some rock back and forth on all fours for weeks without moving anywhere. And some skip the floor-based locomotion entirely and go straight to pulling to stand. All of this is normal.

The classic crawl: what to expect

The hands-and-knees crawl with alternating arm and leg movement typically appears between 7 and 10 months.¹ Most babies go through a visible pre-crawl phase first: rocking on all fours, sometimes moving backward before forward, rolling to a sitting position, pivoting on their belly, or lunging toward objects they want.

The underlying requirement is core strength, shoulder stability, and the coordination to move opposite limbs in sequence. Tummy time in the earlier months builds all three.

The variations: all normal

Not every baby crawls the same way. The common variations are all developmentally acceptable:

Commando crawl (army crawl): The baby moves on their belly, pulling forward with their forearms. Fast, efficient, and often the preferred method for babies who have strong arms from tummy time. Some babies never progress to hands-and-knees; they commando-crawl until they pull to stand.

Bear crawl: Hands and feet flat on the floor, bottom in the air, legs straight. More common on hard floors where knees are uncomfortable. Perfectly normal.

Bottom shuffle: The baby sits and scoots by pushing with their arms or hands. More common in babies who spent limited time on their tummies in early months. Bottom shufflers tend to walk a little later on average than crawlers — but still within the normal range.²

Asymmetric crawl: One knee down, one foot flat. Looks odd, works fine.

Skipping crawling entirely: is it a problem?

No. Some babies go directly from sitting to pulling to stand, cruising along furniture, and then walking — without ever crawling in any form. This is normal and is not associated with developmental delays.²³

The persistent claim that skipping crawling predicts learning difficulties has not been supported by systematic research. It has circulated in parenting culture for decades, but no major paediatric body — NHS, AAP, CDC — endorses it as clinically meaningful.

What tummy time has to do with it

Babies who get regular tummy time from the early weeks tend to develop the shoulder and core strength that feeds hands-and-knees crawling sooner. Tummy time also makes being on the floor feel less uncomfortable, which increases the time babies spend in the position they need for crawling.

If your baby skips crawling or uses an unusual variation, and they had limited tummy time, that is the most likely explanation — not a developmental problem.

When to mention it to your doctor

Crawling style is not, by itself, a clinical concern. The more important question is whether the larger motor picture is developing:

• Sitting independently by around 9 months
• Pulling to stand by 9–12 months
• Taking independent steps by 12–18 months (see Walking and first steps for the 18-month threshold)

If none of these are emerging by their typical age windows, or if your baby has lost motor skills they previously had, speak to your GP or paediatrician. A physiotherapy assessment, if needed, is more useful the earlier it happens.

← Back to the overview: Child development overview

Also in this cluster: Rolling: when and how · Walking and first steps

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Developmental Milestones." CDC, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
2. NHS. "Your baby's developmental milestones." NHS, 2024. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/babys-development/
3. American Academy of Pediatrics. "Developmental Milestones: 9 Months." HealthyChildren.org, 2024. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Developmental-Milestones.aspx