All You Need To Know About Butt Scooting

“My baby loves to scoot on their bottom. Is that okay instead of crawling?”

Answer: Here’s the thing, if it’s something they do along with other movement patterns (like an army crawl or hands and knees occasionally), it wouldn’t be a major concern.

However, if it’s the ONLY way they can get around, it would generally indicate to me that something is restricting them. Typically, that’s some underlying weakness through their belly muscles. If this is the ONLY pattern of movement you’re seeing, I’d definitely want to investigate a little further and figure out the why behind it…things like:

• Were they proficient rollers?

• Can they get in/out sit on their own?

• Do they require you to place them there?

This tells so much more about belly muscle strength and functional transitions & movement, and can definitely help moving forward in figuring out if there is a “why” that needs to be addressed.

Hope that helps!

WANT MORE?

For developmental questions, tips and guidance related to milestones about tummy time, rolling & sitting, crawling and walking, check out KC’s developmental Masterclasses linked here.

KC is a pediatric doctor of physical therapy, wife and mom of three! She has spent her career working with children and young adults of all ability levels, and currently specializes in birth to three years.