Commando Crawling

[tanyah]

Hi All,

My 9 month old DS has been commando crawling now for probably about a month, and I dont really see any signs of him making an attempt to get up on his knees.

I've done a bit of research on the web and most places say that some babies never 'proper' crawl, and as long as they can get around (which he certainly can) then that is the main thing. However I was speaking to a developmental nurse who said that 'no, we definately like them to be on their knees'.

To be honest I'm OK with it so long as it isn't a developmental issue (although it sure gets his clothes dirty!). My question is whether anyone else has has a baby who 'skipped' the 'proper' crawling stage going straight from commando to walking?

Thanks

[amberj]

I think the reason they like to see them on their knees is that then they learn to cross crawl- opposite leg and arm- and this is a good thing for their brain development. Having said that, there are plenty of kids who skip it and they are just fine.

To maybe give you some encouragement, my LO has been much the same. He does this kind of commando thing (actually, looks more like he is swimming with a butterfly stoke), and he's been doing it for about a month and he is only just starting to attempt a proper crawl- and that very occasionally. I thought he might skip it too, but eventually he did seem to want to get on his knees. I think they get so excited about just being able to move that they delight in that sensation for a while before they refine it. There is certainly an incentive for them to "proper" crawl- commando crawling looks like seriously hard work!!!

Oh, I also find that Peter will only try to proper crawl if he's on the rug. On the hardwood floors, not a chance. He just can't get the grip yet!

[~Trish~]

My DS2 commando crawled until he was about 11.5 months! One weekend we were in our backyard all day weeding the garden for his upcoming 1st birthday party and he didn't like dragging himself through the dirt so he started crawling on his hands and knees and kept crawling that way until he started walking just before he turned 15 months.

I honestly wouldn't be worried about your DS just yet, he will probably get onto his hands and knees at some stage.

And like amberj above, we have floorboards with only one rug of carpet in our lounge room. I sometimes wonder if that contributed to his slow hands/knees crawling because it was so slippery.

[Just Me]

My DS is 10 months and has been doing the commando crawling thing for a couple of months now. I'm not worried about it though. When DD was a tiny baby, I joined a new parents group at child health clinic and they showed a video on development. They said the crawling stage is vital more because the baby is crawling around on the ground discovering new things - textures, smell, sights (and even tastes) for themselves, not so much about the crawling itself.

IMO, babies do their own thing and while we can encourage them to do more, they do what they want when they want. I have a friend with a baby that never crawled and went straight to the walking stage and my nephew only ever commando crawled before he walked. My DD commando crawled for 2 days before she crawled on all fours ... they are all so different.

At the end of the day, when they are all walking throught the gates on their first day of prep, no-one will be able to tell who crawled first or for how long, whether they got up on all four or just crawled along the ground.

I say the biggest downside to having a baby that commando crawls is how ruined all their clothes get by rubbing along the ground. Apart from that, I think commando crawling is fine.

[Visitor7]

Emily has been commando crawling for about 5 months now, and isn't showing any signs of wanting to crawl 'normally'. She can pull herself up and stand unassisted, so I think she'll just skip the normal crawling stage

[young_mumma87]

my son commando crawled for nearly 4.5 mths n then one day he could magically crawl "properly" and my son had/has great hand eye coodination...i think it just cums down to how the kiddies find it easier to crawl!!!

[Visitor8]

My DS2 commando crawled until he was about 11.5 months! One weekend we were in our backyard all day weeding the garden for his upcoming 1st birthday party and he didn't like dragging himself through the dirt so he started crawling on his hands and knees and kept crawling that way until he started walking just before he turned 15 months.

This is exactly what Jaidan did. 2 weeks before his 1st birthday he got sick of bum shuffling everywhere and crawled like he had been doing it all along! He wasn't wobbly or anything. He continued to crawl until he walked at 14 months.

[satya]

I wouldn't worry about it. My MCHN said so many babies don't crawl these days that it's not considered a milestone any more. My son did what I think is referred to as an elephant crawl - head down on the ground, bum up in air & arms and legs all over the place & I thought he was going to continue that way til one day he just started doing an all fours crawl. They are so much quicker when they get on all fours so just enjoy it while it lasts.