Parenting Advice (Yikes!)

2

Replies

  • meganmorsey
    meganmorsey Posts: 75
    Hardwood floors make it tough, but she will be just fine, don't worry :). My oldest didn't crawl until she was 10 months, which was only one month before she started walking. It's fine and NORMAL for babies to go to walking without ever crawling!
  • GretchenReine
    GretchenReine Posts: 1,374 Member
    You know my favorite thing about when my daughter was that young? When I put her somewhere she stayed there. That's a gift you should be cherishing!

    Once they start moving...all hell breaks lose!!! LOL
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
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  • blink1021
    blink1021 Posts: 1,115 Member
    My son never crawled he scooted a lot which is fine. He just walked faster than I thought he was standing up and attempting to walk at 10 months so do not be surprised if your daughter does the same. It does not mean something is wrong. Believe me I would rather walk than crawl :)
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    It sounds like there is interest in things, not in crawling, so why not combine the two.
    Put the baby down in the middle of an area and spread things out around but not within reach. The interest in the "things" should lead to crawling to get to them.

    Brilliant! Thanks!
  • grobbygru
    grobbygru Posts: 292 Member


    Plus why rush it? You know my favorite thing about when my daughter was that young? When I put her somewhere she stayed there. That's a gift you should be cherishing!

    ^^ amen to this
  • thebunches
    thebunches Posts: 40
    Kids develop at their own pace...and honestly, if she's working on one area (talking, fine motor-skills like turning board book pages, looking at books, etc) she probably isn't interested in moving around yet. Babies tend to do one thing until they master it...and THEN move on to the next. Sounds like she will probably be doing this part for a bit, then when she feels ready to take on something else, she'll focus everything on THAT.

    No worries, mama...8.5 months and she is sounding like she's right on target. :) I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who did a lot of things like this. Currently she's very focused on talking (speaking in 10-15 word sentences; learning 45-55 songs along with ALL the words to them, etc)...and she's NOT very interested in potty training. She did the whole "talk talk talk" and THEN started with the walking (@ 11 months)...and she only crawled for about a month (@10 months) until she just got up and walked. Then once she mastered the walking (mostly), she went back to the talking phase (@ 13 months). :)

    You're doing great!! Keep it up!! :)
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member

    Get on your hands and knees momma and show her how its done. She may want to skip the crawling part (however research shows crawling is very important for a child and the longer they do it the smarter they can get--something about it helps them use both sides of their brain--)

    If you want to make it easier on her get a big rug and block it off so she has a very kid friendly area. Get down on the floor with her and crawl around. She might just mimick you :))

    Great idea.
  • jacalou
    jacalou Posts: 61 Member
    I didN,t read all the replies but in case this hasn't been noted... Crawling is not considered to be a developmental milestone. Whenever your baby crawls is fine and if she never does, that is fine, too. Do not be concerned. :smile:
  • liz11599
    liz11599 Posts: 220 Member
    You have nothing to worry about. She's just fine!! Though if you're worried about her learing to crawl, then make it a game and YOU get down and crawl to "teach" her. Kids learn by example. In my opinion, crawling is a good precursor to walking because it teaches balance and spacial relation. Have fun with her. She's at a great age!! :smile:
  • Sklahsen
    Sklahsen Posts: 76 Member
    I have an almost 10 month old daughter who has preferred to be on her feet pretty much since she was 4 months old. She can crawl, but she has been able to stand and cruise on her own since she was 7 months old and that is her preferred method of getting where she wants to be. Loves to walk holding our hands. I wouldn't worry about it!
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    Kids develop at their own pace...and honestly, if she's working on one area (talking, fine motor-skills like turning board book pages, looking at books, etc) she probably isn't interested in moving around yet. Babies tend to do one thing until they master it...and THEN move on to the next. Sounds like she will probably be doing this part for a bit, then when she feels ready to take on something else, she'll focus everything on THAT.

    No worries, mama...8.5 months and she is sounding like she's right on target. :) I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter who did a lot of things like this. Currently she's very focused on talking (speaking in 10-15 word sentences; learning 45-55 songs along with ALL the words to them, etc)...and she's NOT very interested in potty training. She did the whole "talk talk talk" and THEN started with the walking...and she only crawled for about a month until she just got up and walked. Then once she mastered the walking (mostly), she went back to the talking phase. :)

    You're doing great!! Keep it up!! :)

    Thank you! She is CONSTANTLY "talking." She says Mama, Papa, Grandpa (Yep, the whole word!), Boo (my mom's dog's name is Blu), bye-bye, bath (more like bat, but she knows what she means), and go. When she's not telling me something specific like that, it's gagagagagagagaga bababababababa gogogogogogogogogo. :laugh: It definitely makes sense that this is probably her main focus right now.

    ETA: If you know me well, you could understand why my kid is constantly talking. :smile:
  • natalie7015
    natalie7015 Posts: 55 Member
    No worries Mom! My daughter crawled backwards for a few months and then one day just took off forward and never looked back. Both of my kids were big crusiers around the furniture before walking and before and during crawling. She'll get it. If you think that the hardwood floors are what is keeping her from crawling then maybe place a small cheap area rug with some of her favorite toys nearby. Kinda like a play area for her. We have a combination of hardwood and carpet in our living area too and my son used to get to the wood and his knees would slide out at first and he would cry and fuss but after a few weeks (month) he figured it out how to handle it all on his own. She'll get there. Every baby is different and she may just be still exploring her surroundings and discovering what musles work with other muscles! Just enjoy the time, once they crawl and walk its a whirlwind keeping up with them and keeping your house in-tact! Lol!
  • jeepwidow01
    jeepwidow01 Posts: 173
    You have nothing to worry about :smile: As much as we like to be "in control", these are things our kids are in total control of :laugh: My daughters liked to hold things and "walk around" before they started to crawl. It's just helping to build those muscles even more. Maybe try sitting behind her and just putting your hands or feet behind her feel so she has something to push off from. We have hardwood floors in the kitchen/dining room, and even though in the winter, the floors can be a little chilly, try having her do it without pants on. She will get some "traction" just with her skin. Of course, I wouldn't try it for long periods of time if it is cold where you are!

    My youngest also just did an army crawl for while before getting into the regular crawling. Backward crawling, army crawling are all normal. Each kid is different!

    Main thing, just enjoy every moment with her
  • jazzie2421
    jazzie2421 Posts: 45
    Oh darlin' I'm sure she's fine. Kids develop at varying stages, never compare one child to another. She might not be able to get traction, try putting her up on your bed with you and see if she crawls around it. (WIth you RIGHT THERE).

    Next year you'll wish she hadn't learned to crawl/walk!! LOL :laugh:
  • stephevers1227
    stephevers1227 Posts: 175 Member
    Oh honey....she will walk when she's good and ready and you need to enjoy the time NOW. Once they walk....you get NO rest.
  • Shantre
    Shantre Posts: 66 Member
    My daughter didn't crawl until 8 months. She is now 2 and started walking right at 12 months. She was however scooting on her back backwards at 5 months.
  • Rhami1
    Rhami1 Posts: 23
    You're an awesome Mom for looking for ways that may encourage and help her to crawl - you're not discounting what your Dr. said. You know she's fine - but asking what other parents did/experience is a great resource! :smile:

    As so may have said, they are all different. - We have four children, 16, 10, 4 and 2. Two were early crawler/walkers, one was 'textbook' and the baby was late, yet her fine motor skills, speech, letters/numbers way early...

    One thing that did work for her was placing her with toys just out of reach like a previous poster said - we did that with all of them too...but I want to second the GRIPPY SOCKS from another poster too. We also have hardwood floors with scattered area rugs and the grippy socks we used all the time, especially for walking - I never put shoes on any of my kids until they were a year old and had learned how to walk. And with one of ours they went hands and feet for awhile before crawling. They did all crawl, although sometimes for a short time. I love a crawling baby. So cute! Enjoy every minute :-) I remember with our first so excited to see all her firsts...and then with our last, just trying to hang on as long as we could to every stage, lol. Look at it this way, the longer she doesn't crawl, the more content she is to sit and cuddle with you, because when she is mobile she'll always want down, lol.
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
    Or, do any of you have kids who didn't crawl, and just walked?
    Yep. My daughter never seemed interested in crawling, and just scooted. She was never very adventurous or into climbing on the furniture either (which was a blessing). Doc reassured us that it was fine, as her motor skills were functioning as expected. She's 8 now, and perfectly healthy with great coordination. :drinker:
  • turtleohs
    turtleohs Posts: 127 Member
    I really wouldn't worry about it. She will get there. My 7.5 month old is not even scooting or moving around at all - He just sits up and I dont anticipate that he will be crawling anytime soon- and my oldest did not walk until he was 11 or 12 months old. They all go at their own pace. Some of my friends have kids who werent walking even into 14-15 months of age.

    As someone else said, enjoy it while you can because once they are mobile then your work load doubles :)
  • Blessedmommy_2x
    Blessedmommy_2x Posts: 419 Member
    Some children never crawl they just go straight to walking... my son did the scooting backwards things for a while. Shortly after started crawling but only for a VERY SHORT period of time- he picked up on walking right after that. Its nothing to worry about.

    Enjoy the "non-crawling/ walking" days... because once they do start crawling and walking - they get into everything! LOL :-)

    My daughter started walking at 9 months and my son at 10 months.
  • Anyanut
    Anyanut Posts: 27 Member
    Oh man, don't rush it. Once they're moving that's it, they never stop!! enjoy being able to leave 'nice' things out for a little longer without little hands getting on them and don't worry about the crawling. my kids both crawled around 11 months and didn't walk until 15 months and 18 months. They figure it all out.
  • livnlite
    livnlite Posts: 520
    Some babies never crawl ..but they get around. The are very intelligent creatures, and should never be underestimated. If she wants something that she sees .. she will go after it. I've seen some pretty amazing feats of acrobatics when a child wants to get from point a to b.
  • JulieTrue1
    JulieTrue1 Posts: 2
    HI,
    I am a Developmental Therapist. It has been in my experence that children learn to crawl at all ages. Socks with grips would work great or the mats that connect like a puzzle they are easy to pick up. It is important that she crawls because this well help her brain learn motor planning, and use both sides of her brain. This also helps with sensory devlopment. Try some activites where she needs to lay on her belly. Keep encourging her and when you least expect it it will happen! Your doing great! I would not be too concerned yet!
  • HeatherR930
    HeatherR930 Posts: 214 Member
    8.5 months is still in the normal range for not crawling yet! My son didn't start crawling until 9 months, & walking at 13 months! He only said 3 words at his 18 month appointment, too! He is now a very smart 3 year old who can speak well & do anything physically. They all develop in their own time & it evens out eventually! Don't worry.
  • Bahet
    Bahet Posts: 1,254 Member
    Kids develop at their own pace. Some are early crawlers/walkers and some are later. It has nothing to do with how smart they are either so don't fall into that trap of one upping each other that some moms do "Oh my little Susie is very advanced. She was walking at 2 months and ran her first marathon when she was 6 months old. She is 1 yr old and speaks 5 languages fluently..." Little Susie could still turn out to be a C student while little Billy who didn't walk until 15 months or talk until a year may well be the next Einstein.

    Besides, parents worry too much. I know. I did it too. Mine are 11 and14 now (years, not months). They didn't walk until they were 13 and 15 months old respectively. They walk perfectly fine now and amazingly enough they don't show any signs of being different than their friends who walked at 8 months.

    Parents spend the 1st few years of their child's life teaching them to walk and talk and the next several years telling them t sit down and be quiet.
  • shellyamyethan
    shellyamyethan Posts: 18 Member
    If she can scoot she might not want to crawl, she already has found a way to get around! Kids do what they want when they are ready. You will hear it a million times...My daughter talked way before my son but thats ok. And by 2 she was potty trianed. My son's 2nd birthday passed in September and hes not interested in the potty. It;s OK :)
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I miss it when they didn't move...

    "Sweep the Leg" when she starts walking :wink:
  • Ashleypeterson37
    Ashleypeterson37 Posts: 347 Member
    We had hardwood floors when my daughter was crawling and it didn't stop her! She was crawling at 6 months and walking at 9 months. They all learn when they are ready. I wouldn't worry until your doctor is worried!
  • nadiaez
    nadiaez Posts: 132 Member
    Hey...my little girl is 8 months and she started doing the army shuffle kind of crawl about 6 weeks or so ago but doesn't even attempt to go on all fours, to be honest I am not worried because I apparently crawled a litttle but starting walking at 10 months so it's true what they say....every baby is different.....I know what you mean about wanting to be the best mum possible and as a first time parent it is so hard!
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