When Do Babies Start Crawling?

When Do Babies Start Crawling?

Crawling usually develops gradually rather than appearing overnight. Before a baby can move across the floor independently, they are building strength, balance and coordination through earlier movements such as lifting their head, rolling, sitting and reaching.

Australian parenting resources show that there is a broad range of normal development. The Raising Children Network explains that babies usually learn to sit before crawling, but these developmental skills can happen at different ages. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes that at around 9 months, some babies are crawling and pulling themselves up to stand.

Around 3 to 6 months

Babies are building strength through tummy time, reaching, kicking and learning to roll.

Around 6 to 9 months

Many babies become stronger sitters and may begin pushing onto their hands and knees or experimenting with ways to move.

Around 7 to 10 months

Crawling becomes common during this period, although the exact timing and style can vary considerably between babies.

Around 9 to 12 months

Babies may be crawling, pulling themselves to stand and beginning to move while holding onto furniture.

Remember: these ages are a general guide rather than a schedule your baby needs to follow. Development happens at different rates, and individual babies may reach movement milestones earlier or later.

You can explore more age-by-age information in the

Raising Children Network baby development guides
.

Signs Your Baby May Be Getting Ready to Crawl

There isn’t always one obvious sign that crawling is about to begin. Instead, you might notice several new movements appearing as your baby becomes stronger and more confident controlling their body.

Some signs can include:

• sitting with less support or sitting independently
• reaching for toys while sitting
• rolling confidently in both directions
• spending more time comfortably on their tummy
• pushing their upper body up using their arms
• getting onto their hands and knees
• rocking backwards and forwards on hands and knees
• trying to move towards an interesting toy or person

Reaching for objects is particularly useful practice because your baby has to balance while shifting their weight. As their strength and coordination improve, they may begin experimenting with moving their body towards whatever has caught their attention.

According to the

Raising Children Network
,
babies between 6 and 9 months might sit independently, push onto their hands and knees and begin trying to crawl.

Do All Babies Crawl the Same Way?

No. When parents picture crawling, they often imagine a baby moving forward on their hands and knees. But babies can find all sorts of creative ways to get around.

Hands-and-Knees Crawling

The familiar crawling style where the baby moves forward using their hands and knees.

Commando Crawling

The baby keeps their tummy close to the floor and pulls themselves forward using their arms.

Bottom Shuffling

Some babies stay sitting upright and use their legs and bottom to move across the floor.

Rolling and Other Movements

Some babies roll, pivot or combine several movements before developing another way to get around.

The exact technique is less important than looking at your baby’s overall movement and development. As babies become stronger, their preferred way of moving can also change.

Can Babies Skip Crawling?

Yes. Not every baby crawls before learning to walk.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes in its guidance for 9-month-old babies that some babies never crawl and instead progress towards walking.

A baby might bottom shuffle, roll or find another way of getting around before beginning to pull themselves up and eventually walk.

Crawling is only one part of development. Rather than focusing on whether your baby uses one particular crawling style, consider how their overall movement, strength and coordination are progressing.

How Can You Encourage Your Baby to Crawl?

Babies generally don’t need formal crawling lessons. Much of the preparation for crawling happens naturally when babies have safe opportunities to play, reach, roll and explore.

Give Your Baby Plenty of Floor Play

Safe floor time gives your baby room to experiment with movement. They can reach, roll, turn and gradually work out how different movements affect where their body goes.

Continue Tummy Time

Supervised tummy time while your baby is awake helps develop the muscles used for movement. As babies become stronger, they may begin pushing themselves higher using their arms and eventually experimenting with hands-and-knees positions.

Put Interesting Toys Within Reach

Try placing a favourite toy slightly beyond your baby’s immediate reach while they are playing on the floor. This can give them a reason to stretch, turn or experiment with moving towards it.

Keep it playful rather than turning it into a test. If your baby becomes frustrated, simply move the toy closer or try again another time.

Play and Explore Together

Your interaction can be part of movement practice too. Sit on the floor with your baby, talk to them, read together, play with toys and encourage them when they experiment with new movements.

Raising Children Network recommends movement and play as ways to support babies’ physical development, while also giving them plenty of praise and encouragement as they learn new skills.

Baby-Proofing Once Crawling Begins

Crawling changes things quickly. Areas of your home that were previously out of reach can suddenly become accessible, sometimes faster than parents expect.

Once your baby is showing signs of becoming mobile, it is a good time to look around your home from their perspective.

A Few Things to Check

Stairs
Consider appropriate safety gates where your baby could access stairs.
Furniture
Make sure furniture that could tip over is appropriately secured.
Small Objects
Keep coins, batteries and other small choking hazards out of reach.
Electrical Cords
Move cords and electrical hazards away from areas your baby can access.
Hot Drinks
Keep hot drinks and other burn hazards well away from edges and low surfaces.
Cleaning Products
Store medicines, chemicals and cleaning products securely and out of reach.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby specifically recommends keeping hazards such as electrical cords, unstable furniture and hot drinks well out of reach as babies become increasingly mobile.

It can be useful to reassess your home regularly because a baby who can only crawl today might soon be able to pull themselves upright and reach much higher surfaces.

What If My Baby Isn’t Crawling Yet?

It is very easy to compare your baby’s development with another child of the same age, particularly when friends or relatives start asking whether your baby is crawling yet.

But developmental milestones are guides, not competition deadlines. Babies can reach the same skills at different times, and some babies use different ways of moving before walking.

Looking at your baby’s development as a whole can be more useful than focusing only on crawling. You might notice that your baby is becoming stronger at sitting, reaching, rolling, playing with objects, bearing weight or trying to pull themselves up.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby notes that some babies do not crawl at all before walking, while Raising Children Network emphasises that developmental skills can emerge at different ages.

That said, if something about your baby’s movement or development concerns you, it is always reasonable to ask a healthcare professional rather than relying solely on milestone charts.

When Should You Speak to a Healthcare Professional?

Development varies from baby to baby, but professional advice can be helpful if you’re concerned about how your baby is moving or developing.

For example, it is worth speaking with your GP or child and family health nurse if your baby appears to have difficulty using both sides of their body, isn’t progressing with movement skills, has lost a skill they previously had, or if you simply feel something isn’t quite right.

Raising Children Network recommends seeking professional advice if a baby isn’t crawling by 12 months. Healthdirect also recommends talking with a doctor or child health nurse whenever you have concerns about your child’s developmental progress.

You can find more information through

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby

or

Healthdirect’s developmental milestone guidance
.

Every Baby Finds Their Own Way to Move

So, when do babies start crawling? For many babies, crawling appears during the second half of the first year, often somewhere around 7 to 10 months. But there is plenty of variation.

Your baby might start with a commando crawl, shuffle along on their bottom, move backwards before figuring out how to go forwards, or find another way to explore altogether.

What matters most is the broader picture of your baby’s development. Give them safe opportunities to move and play, enjoy watching them experiment, and remember that developmental milestones are useful guides rather than exact deadlines.

And once your baby does discover how to get across the room independently, you might be surprised by just how quickly they become an expert explorer.

References & Further Reading

• 
  Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: Growth and Development
  
• 
  Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: Your Baby’s Growth and Development at 9 Months
  
• 
  Raising Children Network: Baby Development
  
• 
  Raising Children Network: Play Ideas for Baby Physical Activity
  
• 
  Healthdirect Australia: Developmental Milestones in Babies and Children
  

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