Did anyone's baby crawl like this? Should I be worried?

[citymama]

DD2 has this really weird (but cute) crawl. Her right leg is in traditional crawl mode, perpendicular to the floor, with the right foot sticking out. But the left thigh is parallel to the floor like she's kneeling down to ask for your hand in marriage, and her left foot is flat on the floor. She scoots around at top speed like a puppy dog this way! It's pretty cute, but I'm a teeny bit worried that her right leg isn't getting as much of a workout as the left one - she drags it along while the left leg does all the work. She seems to be fine putting weight on either foot while cruising along furniture, so I haven't been too concerned. In the last week, I have noticed she has started to favor the left/stronger leg while cruising as well, and will drop down to crawling position if she has to put a lot of weight on the less-favored right foot. Anything I should be worried about? And if your baby crawled like this did s/he have any trouble walking or with any other gross motor skills?

My mama gut says this is OK, but I wanted to see if others have experience with unconventional crawlers. Thanks!

[goldenpig]

Both of my kids did the half-walk half-crawl thing you're describing. That was their preferred method of crawling. It was so funny and cute. Neither of them has had any physical problems. DD was crawling at 6 months and walking at 11 months. DS is 12 months and is not quite walking yet, but he can stand up by himself, climb up and down stairs, walk with the walker wagon, and even climb up our big Step 2 slide, swing his legs around and sit down, and slide down all by himself. So, I wouldn't worry--it's just another fun method of crawling for them and it means they're getting ready to walk. Enjoy it!
PS Found a similar thread:
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=227623

[citymama]

Thanks! DD2 seems to have her own way of doing a lot of things. ;) Seriously - she is almost 11 months and has no teeth, whereas her big sister had a mouth full of teeth at this age! And DD1 was crawling the conventional way at 7-8 months and walking by 9 months. It's amazing to me how they are so different in terms of milestones (except for talking; both are very chatty!) and personality.

[MoJo]

Ha did that constantly for about two months (except it was her left knee that wasn't down). The ped didn't even care to see it when I brought it up to her last month. Now she has a more typical crawl that's developed just in the last two weeks.

[maestramommy]

Laurel crawled like this. I called it the impatient crawl, because a month after she did that, she started walking on her hands and feet, like a gorilla. She was my earliest walker.

[lizzywednesday]

My DD does this too, but she also does the more conventional crawl and, lately, she's been taking some wobbly unassisted steps.

(Oh and she's another one over 10 mos. old with no teeth yet. My nephew had most of his teeth by 8 months-ish, so he's my only close-in-age comparison.)

[hellokitty]

Yeah, agreeing with the others that it's no big deal. DS1 did that and my parents were convinced he had hip problems. Our ped didn't think it was a big deal and basically it became a non-issue once he started to walk.

[amm40]

To this day, my two and a half year old crawls like this, when he crawls. I did notice some favoring of the stronger leg when he began walking, especially on stairs. And one leg seemed a little turned out at first, but both things evened out within a few months. I would only worry if it seemed to be getting significantly worse. Otherwise, it was a super cute way to crawl!

[swissair81]

DS crawled traditionally on one side and he let the other side drag- almost like a limp. It made me crazy and I was so worried that there was something wrong. He was also delayed in his motor skills. He sat at 10 months, walked at 16, and did not climb stairs independently until about 22-24 months. He's doing great now.

[brittone2]

It is actually pretty common. DS2 does this on hard surfaces in particular, and anecdotally when I was working in EI I noticed it seemed to be more common in kids where there was a lot of hardwood floors, etc. in the home.

No worries as long as she's able to take weight equally through both legs, etc. when standing and you don't have any other concerns.

[g-mama]

My firstborn ds did this. It was funny and cute to us, but I'm sure I worried a bit. Like some others have said, he walked very early (9 months) so there was no reason for concern.

[twowhat?]

Ours did at first. I asked our ped about it since they crawled so late and I was concerned and he barely blinked an eye - said that as long as they otherwise used both legs, that it wasn't a concern. Several weeks later, they started crawling "normally".

[AnnieW625]

I am now seriously convinced that our girls are star crossed twins. This is exactly how DD2 is trying to crawl. I am not worried at all. For the past month we have been convinced that DD2 would rather walk than crawl, but her legs are in no way strong enough for that. She is just now trying to pull herself up.

Our home is 98% hardwood, and what isn't hardwood is either tile or linoleum. We do have area rugs in her room and in the living and dining areas, but yeah what Brittone2 said makes perfect sense. However DD1 crawled normally on hardwood.

[sunnyside]

Chlöe does this too SOME of the time. She's only been crawling a couple of weeks and she does that when she doesn't have far to go and wants to have her head up more.

[ashleybama24]

My son crawled like this. It never bothered me...just so glad he stopped being furstrated he wasn't mobile but some mom stopped me at the doctors office to tell me there are like 25 approved crawling methods according the AAP. I never looked it up but it was funny to watch him....he was FAST.