Baby Not Crawling Yet? Here's What Every Parent Needs to Know
The short answer: yes, crawling matters. The CDC removed crawling from its public health screening checklist in 2022 because it was inconsistently defined and highly variable across populations, not because the skill is developmentally unimportant. Hands-and-knees crawling builds bilateral coordination, upper extremity weight-bearing, hand arch development, proprioception, and interhemispheric brain connectivity all at the same time. No other single movement does all of that.Does crawling actually matter? In 2022, the CDC updated its developmental milestone checklist, and crawling was no longer on it.
For most parents, it was a non-event. A policy update buried in a checklist few families ever look at. But in the pediatric therapy world, it opened up a real conversation: does crawling matter enough to actively work toward? The answers, even among clinicians, are more varied than you might expect.
Here’s my honest take as a pediatric PT: the research on crawling is more nuanced than either “crawling is essential” or “crawling doesn’t matter.” I’m going to walk you through both sides, and then tell you exactly why I still prioritize hands-and-knees crawling with every baby I work with.
A baby working through the building blocks of hands-and-knees crawling during a Movevery PT session."
Why Did the CDC Remove Crawling from Its Milestone Checklist?
The CDC and the AAP updated their milestone list for a few practical reasons:
No consistent definition. Belly crawl? Hands and knees? Bottom scoot? The word “crawling” means different things to different people, which makes it hard to use as a standardized screening tool.
High variability. Many typically developing babies skip crawling entirely, or move through it so quickly it is never formally observed. A checklist item that is frequently absent in perfectly healthy babies is not a reliable red flag.
Limited normative data. Most classic milestone research was conducted on Western, white, middle-class populations, which limits how broadly the findings apply.
The key point: the CDC removed crawling from a public health screening tool. That is a very specific thing. It means crawling was not reliable enough as a universal flag for developmental delay across diverse populations. It does not mean crawling is unimportant for development. Those are genuinely different questions.
What the Research Actually Shows (and Where It Falls Short)
The published research directly linking crawling to long-term developmental outcomes is thinner than I’d like it to be. Most studies are observational. They compare babies who crawled to babies who didn’t, but they cannot definitively prove that crawling itself caused the differences they found.
Cross-cultural research adds another layer of complexity. Researcher Karen Adolph at NYU has documented significant variation in motor development across cultures. In communities where babies spend more time in carrying devices or in upright positioning and less time on the floor, crawling is often rare or absent entirely. And yet those children grow into fully functional adults with no apparent deficits. Development is adaptable in ways that a single milestone checklist cannot capture.
It is also worth noting that the foundational milestone research most of us were trained on, including Gesell’s normative work and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, was conducted primarily with white, Western, middle-class children. That is a narrow slice of the global population, and it shapes how we define “typical” in ways we are still reckoning with as a field. This does not mean crawling is irrelevant. It does mean we should hold our certainty loosely when applying population-level norms to individual children.
A 2024 survey of 420 pediatric PTs found that 92 percent believe crawling is important, but also that their primary source of that belief is clinical experience, not published research. The study authors were candid: there is little evidence for specific effects of crawling experience on developmental outcomes (Kretch et al., 2024).
That’s us, crawling’s biggest advocates, acknowledging the gap. I think parents deserve to know that.
Why a Pediatric PT Still Teaches Crawling Every Day
Because the full picture, basic science, emerging research, and decades of collective clinical observation, still points clearly toward crawling mattering. Here’s what we do know:
It builds the whole body at once
Hands-and-knees crawling is one of the only movements that simultaneously loads all four limbs, strengthens the core, and demands that the right side of the body coordinate with the left. Every crawling cycle is a full-body workout for the joints, the muscles, and the brain.
It develops the hands and future grip strength
When babies bear weight through open palms, they are building the arches of the hand and loading the wrists, both of which are foundational for a mature pencil grip and fine motor control. Occupational therapists frequently note that children who skip crawling sometimes arrive at writing tasks with weaker hand strength and less developed in-hand manipulation skills.
It wires the two brain hemispheres together
The cross-pattern movement of crawling (right arm with left leg, then left arm with right leg) requires the left and right sides of the brain to communicate. This is one of the earliest forms of the interhemispheric coordination that later shows up in reading, writing, and complex motor tasks.
It sharpens body awareness
Proprioception is the body’s internal sense of where it is in space, without relying on vision. Research on hands-and-knees movement has found significant improvements in proprioceptive acuity following quadrupedal training (Matthews et al., 2016). That body awareness underpins balance, coordination, and sensory processing, and it starts building every time a baby pushes up onto all fours.
It may affect more than we realized
A 2022 study followed children to age 7 and found that those who had crawled as babies had significantly lower body fat, lower blood pressure, and better muscle-to-fat ratios than non-crawlers (Cazorla-González et al., 2022). It is a single study and needs replication, but it suggests crawling’s effects may extend well beyond the developmental window we usually think about.
None of this is proven to the standard of a double-blind clinical trial. But evidence-based practice is not only about published research. It also includes clinical expertise and the plausible mechanisms that basic science gives us. When those three things point in the same direction, that is meaningful, even if the RCTs haven’t caught up yet.
When Do Babies Start Crawling?
Most babies begin to show crawling movement between 7 and 10 months, with the average around 9 months. Some babies crawl as early as 6 months; others don’t crawl until closer to their first birthday. A small percentage skip crawling entirely and move directly from sitting to pulling to stand and then walking.
The typical sequence leading up to hands-and-knees crawling looks something like this:
3 to 6 months: Tummy time builds neck strength, shoulder stability, and the ability to push up through the arms.
6 to 8 months: Babies begin to sit with and without support, and some start rocking on all fours.
7 to 9 months: Rocking transitions into forward movement. Many babies army crawl first, dragging the belly along the ground.
8 to 10 months: Hands-and-knees crawling emerges. Cross-pattern movement (right arm with left leg) typically develops over weeks of practice.
If your baby is not yet crawling by 12 months, or if you notice any asymmetry in how they move on the floor, a pediatric PT evaluation is a reasonable next step. Earlier is always better when it comes to catching and addressing motor delays.
Learn about what babies need before they can roll →
Not All Crawling Is the Same: What Each Pattern Means
There are many ways babies move on the floor, and each pattern tells a story. Here is what to know about the most common variations.
Baby crawling on hands and knees with period of bear crawling in between.
Army crawling (belly down)
A great stepping stone toward hands-and-knees crawling. The arms and core are working, but without weight-bearing through the wrists and elbows, the upper body misses the joint loading that hands-and-knees provides. Army crawling as a transitional phase is completely normal. Army crawling as the only floor movement past 10 to 11 months is worth a closer look.
Bear crawling (hands and feet flat, arms and legs straight)
Often a transitional pattern, but if it becomes a baby’s primary way of moving, it is worth evaluating. Bear crawling bypasses knee weight-bearing entirely, and the straight-arm position changes how load moves through the shoulder and wrist.
Bottom scooting (sitting and scooting forward on the bottom)
This often happens when babies get stuck in sitting. It tends to reflect decreased trunk rotation or difficulty transitioning out of sitting, and the hands receive no developmental input at all in this position. If it becomes the primary mode of movement for more than a few weeks, a PT evaluation can help identify whether there is tightness, weakness, or a combination of both in the trunk, pelvis, core, or upper extremities.
Hitch crawling (one knee up, one knee down)
Sometimes called the “janky crawl,” this pattern affects proprioceptive input and often indicates tightness on one side of the trunk or pelvis. It is commonly seen with a history of torticollis, reflux, or oral ties. A PT can help identify what is driving it and how to support it.
Learn about infant torticollis and how it connects to movement asymmetries →
Rolling to move (instead of crawling)
Some babies become efficient rollers and use rolling as their primary means of getting around. If rolling is replacing crawling rather than leading up to it, that distinction matters. A PT evaluation is worth considering.
Hands-and-knees crawling, torso lifted off the ground, is the pattern that delivers the full package: bilateral coordination, upper extremity weight-bearing, core stability, hand arch development, wrist loading for future grip strength, spatial awareness, visual-motor coordination, and proprioceptive input to all four limbs simultaneously. Other patterns have value, but they do not replicate it.
What If My Baby Skipped Crawling Entirely?
This is one of the most common questions I get, and the answer is: it depends on why.
Some babies skip crawling because they are strong, coordinated, and simply move through it faster than we catch. They were on their belly, they pushed up, they rocked, and then they were walking before anyone noticed the middle step. These babies tend to do fine.
Other babies skip crawling because something is making it harder than pulling to stand or cruising along furniture. Tightness in the neck or trunk, weakness in the core or upper extremities, limited floor time, or too much time in bouncers and swings can all make hands-and-knees crawling feel like more work than the alternatives. These babies often benefit from PT support.
If your baby is walking and you are wondering whether it is too late to address crawling, the answer is no. I still teach crawling to older babies and toddlers, because the developmental benefits do not disappear once they are upright. The hands still need to learn to bear weight. The brain still benefits from cross-pattern movement. The proprioceptive system still responds to loading through open palms.
If you have concerns, reach out. A complimentary discovery call can help you figure out whether what you’re seeing warrants an evaluation.
The Bottom Line
The CDC made a decision that makes sense within the context of a broad public health screening tool. A checklist designed to flag developmental delay across millions of children needs to be consistent and precise. Crawling, with its variable definitions and cultural differences, did not meet that threshold for a surveillance tool.
Clinical practice is a different context entirely. Working with an individual child means drawing on the full body of evidence: basic science, emerging research, and what I observe every day. And what I observe is a nervous system that benefits from proprioceptive input through open palms. Hands developing their arches and wrist stability through loading. A brain building the connections between its two hemispheres through cross-pattern movement. A body learning to stabilize itself from the inside out.
Crawling is low-risk and high-potential. There is no plausible downside to time on hands and knees. And if the benefits are even a fraction of what the basic science and clinical research suggest, prioritizing it is the right call.
I still teach crawling. And if your child skipped it altogether and went straight to walking, it is not too late. What I see in the clinic every day does not change because a checklist did.
📍 Movevery Infant and Pediatric PT | Denver, CO | No referral needed
Related Reading
When Do Babies Roll? The Building Blocks Your Baby Needs First →
Baby Flat Head: Why It Happens, What It Means, and How to Address the Root Cause →
Infant Torticollis: Signs, Causes, and Tear-Free Treatment →
References
Buxton, R. E., et al. (2022). Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 36(8), 2186–2193.
Cazorla-González, G., et al. (2022). International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(9), 5561.
Kretch, K. S., et al. (2024). Pediatric Physical Therapy, 36(1), 9–17.
Matthews, M., et al. (2016). Human Movement Science, 47, 70–80.
Zubler, J. M., et al. (2022). Pediatrics, 149(3), e2021052138.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the CDC remove crawling from its milestone checklist?
In 2022, the CDC and AAP updated the developmental milestone checklist to improve its reliability as a public health screening tool. Crawling was removed because it lacks a consistent definition (belly crawl, hands-and-knees crawl, and bottom scoot are all called “crawling”), shows high variability in typically developing children, and has limited normative data across diverse populations. Removing it from the checklist does not mean crawling is unimportant for development. It means it was not precise enough to serve as a universal screening flag.
Does it matter if my baby skips crawling?
It depends on why. Some babies move through crawling so quickly it is never formally observed, and they do fine. Others skip it because floor time is limited or because tightness or weakness in the trunk, neck, or upper extremities makes it harder than alternative movement strategies. If your baby is walking and never crawled, it is worth asking the question, because the developmental benefits of hands-and-knees movement do not disappear once babies are upright. A pediatric PT can help you understand whether anything needs support.
When do babies typically start crawling?
Most babies begin crawling between 7 and 10 months, with the average around 9 months. The sequence typically begins with tummy time strength building through 3 to 6 months, army crawling or rocking on all fours around 7 to 8 months, and hands-and-knees crawling emerging between 8 and 10 months. If your baby is not crawling by 12 months, or if you notice asymmetry in how they move on the floor, a PT evaluation is a reasonable next step.
What are the benefits of hands-and-knees crawling?
Hands-and-knees crawling builds bilateral coordination (right arm with left leg), upper extremity weight-bearing through open palms, hand arch development, wrist stability, core strength, proprioception in all four limbs, visual-motor coordination, and interhemispheric brain connectivity all at the same time. No other single movement replicates this combination.
Is army crawling okay, or does my baby need to crawl on hands and knees?
Army crawling is a normal and healthy stepping stone. The arms and core are working, and many babies transition from belly to hands-and-knees over a period of weeks. If army crawling becomes the primary mode of floor movement past 10 to 11 months without progression to hands-and-knees, it is worth evaluating. The upper body misses important joint loading through the wrists and elbows when the belly stays on the ground.
My baby has a lopsided crawl with one knee up. Should I be concerned?
A hitch crawl (one knee up, one knee down) often indicates tightness on one side of the trunk or pelvis. It is commonly associated with a history of torticollis, reflux, or oral ties, and it affects how proprioceptive input is distributed across the body. It does not necessarily indicate a serious problem, but it is worth a PT evaluation to understand what is driving it and whether support would help.
My baby is bottom scooting instead of crawling. Is that a problem?
Bottom scooting often develops when babies get stuck in a seated position and find it easier to scoot forward than to transition to a different posture. It tends to reflect limited trunk rotation or difficulty transitioning out of sitting, and the hands receive no developmental input in this position. If bottom scooting becomes the primary means of mobility for more than a few weeks, a PT evaluation can identify what is driving it and how to support transition to floor mobility with more varied movement.
When should I see a pediatric PT about crawling or motor development?
Reach out if your baby is not crawling by 12 months, if you notice asymmetry in how they move on the floor, if crawling looks lopsided or effortful on one side, if your baby is bottom scooting as a primary strategy, or if you have any concern at all about how your baby is moving. No referral is needed at Movevery. Complimentary discovery calls are available so you can ask questions before committing to anything.
