Hi everyone my baby is 9 months old (as many of you know from me posting all the time ;) ) but he refuses to crawl. He would rather me pick him up and carry him around the house with me. When he is on his stomach he hollers for after a few minutes and won't stop until I pick him up! At least before he used to try and get around but nope now he won't even try he just screams! His cousin who is his same age crawls everywhere and pulls up to things. She can pull up to a standing position! Dylan can pull up to things but he only gets on his knees and he won't try to stand. If we stand him up and let him hold on to something he can stand there forever so I know he isn't too weak to crawl but he refuses to. Aren't they suppose to crawl by now? My mother in law says he has to learn how to crawl before he walks or he won't be able to read well. She said it is something about learning to crawl that will make them good readers. I thought that was a bunch of BS but then my sister-in-law said it was true and she had read that somewhere! Should I be worried?

Some babies now don't learn to crawl at all, because of sleeping on their backs to help prevent SIDS they don't have as much time on their bellies to learn to use the muscles. I thought DD wasn't going to crawl and the Dr gave us that explenation. Finnaly at 10 months she did start crawling, but she would still rather stand and try to walk. A friend of mines baby didn't crawl at all but walked just before her first B-day. I say just give him time and one day all of a sudden he will suprise you :)

I have never heard of the link to crawling and reading though. HTH

Re read what you wrote.....hahaha He cries until you pick him up and carry him around the house!!! I'm tellin ya, babies are Sooooooooo smart. I'm sure he could crawl and when he realizes he can NOT have his way he will crawl and find where you are. Also some babies skip crawling all together. My son skipped it and walked at 10 months. Just give him something to get to. Like put furniture closer together so it's not as scary to get to. Good luck

Put lots of toys on the floor, clear furniture so he has big spaces. Sit aways from him a bit with a favorite toy, make him come to you. Try to let him self soothe a bit, if he's on the floor and starts to fuss, talk to him, play with his toys with him, but don't pick him up unless he has a full out cry (he may need something else, be tired, hungry etc). Keep in mind that because of babies sleeping on their backs they don't crawl as early as they used to. My first (a tummy sleeper, the only way he would sleep) was crawling my 7 months, my other two, both back sleepers and hated being on their tummys (my 6 year old still doesn't sleep on her stomache much, it's side or back) they were closer to 10 months by the time they started crawling...i asked by doctor and it is because babies are on their backs more and tend not to get enough tummy time..i know my 2 youngest hated being on their stomaches.
My cousin skipped the crawling phase, so it's not unheard of for a baby to never crawl. If your worried about it being something more serious than him just not having the desire to crawl than make a doc's appointment. but i know with my doctor she said that crawling isn't even considered a milestone because not all babies crawl. ALso, what worked for my daughter was putting her on her hands and knees. But i would just let him sit up and play, don't try to force it if he doesn't like it...he will learn in his own time and when he's comfortable with it.

I wouldn't worry, some babies never crawl. They go from standing up,to walking. My youngest son wasn't crawling either, he would just sit there. He was around that same age too. To encourage him to crawl I would put something very tempting for him on the floor, out of his reach (an empty coffee cup - he was always trying to grap my coffee cup :). Well, he sure worked hard to get there and he finally did :) He started walking at around 13 months.

If you read any baby books, crawling is not considered a milestone. Some kids just never crawl. Because DS had stomach surgery as a newborn, and hated tummytime, we just figured he'd never crawl. When we'd put him in crawling position, he'd scoot a little bit backwards. A friend of mine's baby just rolled from place to place. DS DID surprise us and start crawling at 11 months, but we figured he'd just start walking as was the case with several of his cousins.

At 10 months, we DID get him a walker for his grandparents house and he took great pleasure in chasing us down and trying to run over our feet.

Thanks for the replies everyone. I have tried putting lots of toys out of reach and he just ends up rolling to get them eventually. He will holler for a while on his stomach and when I don't get him he gives up and rolls over. Sometimes he acts like he forgot how to roll over and he will scream until I come get him off his stomach. I know he figures it is easier to be mobile by having me take him everywhere but obviously I am not gonna do that! He just can't entertain himself because he gets frustrated and wants to move around. Oh well I guess we will see if he skips crawling all together!

I Was told by a doctor to make sure our baby crawls before she walks. They need to crawl 1st to help with spine development.

My son never did crawl..he sat on his butt, used his left foot to drag himself along with the right foot underneath...he was FAST getting around that way..every white shoe he had is worn off where it dragged on the floor..! He is now 3 1/2, and walked etc..you can't make a child learn to crawl..at his age now, I have noticed when he is playing cars and pushing them along, he will crawl..he just doesn't like it..period..your little guy will move around (providing you let him squawk w/o running to pick him up! hard to do..lol)..rolling is good for him too..he is learning to get what he needs on his own..

Hello. Just wanted to let you know that my niece Katie never crawled. She just pulled herself up and started walking one day. I wouldn't worry. Every little one is different.

My nephew is almost 10 months and he just started to crawl only he only does it if he has to. He will still sit and cry and someone brings him whatever he wants, he sometime wont even crawl for his bottle!!! He is the youngest of 5 and was hardly ever left on the floor for his own safety!!!!

Our first son walked at 9 1/2 months, but didn't crawl until he was 11 months old. He is 17 now and reading has always been his BEST subject in school. He also is a tremendously talented baseball player so it hasn't affected him in any way, shape or form. I think the reading thing is an old wives tale. It will happen. He will crawl when he is ready so hang in there!

Nancy

Just an update. Dylan will be a year old in 2 weeks. He finally started crawling at 10 months and has realized it can be faster than cruising. He still cruises since he cannot walk without holding on to something. I think it is funny he started pulling up and cruising a few weeks before he started crawling! Well at least hes got the hang of it now hes a fast one!

they sure do like to do things in their own time..!
thanx for sharing!

. I have tried putting lots of toys out of reach and he just ends up rolling to get them eventually. He will holler for a while on his stomach and when I don't get him he gives up and rolls over. Sometimes he acts like he forgot how to roll over and he will scream until I come get him off his stomach. He just can't entertain himself because he gets frustrated and wants to move around. Oh well I guess we will see if he skips crawling all together!

Thats exactly how my daughter is...she will be 9 months on the 28th of this month (march) She knows how to roll also and thats what she does when she wants something out of reach but sometimes she will just stay on her tummy and cry. Im like Kayla.,...roll over lol. Sometimes she will and sometimes she wont. Its become a problem in her crib cause when i lay her down for a nap now her immediate reaction is to roll to her side and grab the bars and try to pull herself up and then she ends up on her belly and gets stuck there and crys.. She usually does this 3 times before going to bed lol. I have hardwood floors so i didnt give her much belly time so i think this is why.

My Clay is not crawling either. Infact, he's not mobile at all and he's also 9 months old. Everyone keeps telling me that he'll start moving when he's ready, but it IS hard not to worry. He crys when on his stomach, and just lays there and holds his feet when he's on his back. He doesn't seem to care whether or not he can get to his toys or not. He'll try to reach them and when he can't, will just find something else to do instead. He can sit on his own (although occasionally goes over backwards) and sometimes will fall forward trying to reach for something, but just falls flat on his face and either crys or lays there until someone sees him. If I leave him, he will evenually roll over and then again, just lay there. I guess he's not ready either.

Hang in there, your babe will be mobile when he's ready - like mine!