Can My Baby Army Crawl For Too Long?
“Is there a time limit on when you’d start to be worried if army crawling hasn’t become hands and knees?”
ANSWER- Truly, there is no set time limit. This is definitely a nuanced conversation, but generally speaking, it’s less about specific timelines and more about seeing forward progress.
For example, some children begin army crawling VERY early, like 6 months old - and often times, those are really motivated to move children whose bodies may just take a bit to catch up with the strength and coordination required to hands and knees crawl!
On the other hand, some children may start army crawling a little later (or skip it completely and go right to hands and knees- which is also totally okay!), and they may move relatively quickly from army to regular.
I would encourage you to look more at things like the following:
How old were they when they started army crawling? Some babies may start very early (5-6 months), and subsequently may take 3+ months to see full hands and knees emerge.
Are they still falling within the ranges of “norm” for crawling of 8-10 months?
The biggest thing I want to see is PROGRESS forward. So increasing periods of things like rocking on hands and knees, maybe taking 1 or 2 crawling steps before dropping back to army crawling, just holding hands and knees position, moving in/out of sit to hands and knees, etc. Those things are indicators that they are working towards crawling and gaining all of that strength and coordination needed!
While I always encourage parents to use what they have first when practicing motor skills with their little one, you can check out some of the toys that I love to use when working with little ones too! As always, if you have any concerns about your child’s timeline or motor development, definitely speak with your pediatrician!
Want to learn more about the importance of crawling? Click here to read my blog!
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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.
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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.
