Most babies begin to crawl between six and ten months, with the average being about eight to nine months. Typically, your baby will be able to sit well without support first, and he may also be rolling over from front to back and back again. Of course, some babies never crawl, preferring to shuffle around on their bottoms or go straight to standing and walking. Both are perfectly normal.

How will my baby learn to crawl?

No baby can learn without the opportunity to practise, so give your little one a helping hand by making sure that he has plenty of opportunities to move around, rather than being strapped into a buggy, car seat or bouncy chair all day.

Give him plenty of tummy time too. This is playtime when your baby is awake and placed on his tummy while someone watches, and it helps him to build strong neck and shoulder muscles. He may find it helpful if, to start with, you place a rolled-up towel or baby blanket under his chest and arms to provide extra support...

How to know if he’s ready

To crawl, your baby needs strong arm, leg and back muscles. Gradually he’ll gain the confidence to move from a sitting position to all fours. “Once they’re up on their hands and knees, most babies go through a period of rocking backwards and forwards before they finally get going,” says health visitor Maggie Fisher. “The next step is when they push off with their knees and achieve motion. From then on, he’ll gain in confidence until he’s crawling really well at about a year.”

As he improves his skill, he’ll love to play games like ‘Mummy is the tunnel’. Get onto all fours and get him to crawl underneath you, or through your arms and legs. You could also try crawling races – but don’t be surprised if you can’t keep up!

My baby’s not crawling – should I worry?

If your baby doesn’t crawl, there’s no need to worry. While most babies crawl, some prefer to get moving commando-style, pulling themselves along while lying on their stomach. A few bypass crawling altogether, and move straight to pulling themselves up to a standing position and cruising around the furniture.

Other babies use a variation of crawling known as 'bottom-shuffling', where they move around on their bums, using their arms and legs to propel themselves forward. “Bottom-shuffling tends to run in families and is certainly nothing to worry about. It’s getting mobile that’s important, not how your baby does it,” says Maggie.

Keeping your crawling baby safe

Having a baby on the move presents a whole new set of safety challenges. “The best way to avert disaster is to see things from your baby’s perspective,” says Maggie. “So get down on the floor, have a good look around and remove anything that is potentially hazardous, such as wobbly furniture, tiny toys that could cause choking, trailing wires and so on.”

Stair gates are a really important piece of kit once your baby is mobile, as he’ll be drawn to stairs like a mountaineer to Everest.

What comes after crawling?

Walking is the next big milestone in your baby’s development. This usually happens around 13 months but anything up to 18 months is normal. Some babies crawl for many months before taking off on two feet, some for barely any time at all.

You may notice your baby crawl over to a piece of furniture, then haul himself up to a standing position. Soon he’ll be cruising round the furniture like a pro. Or you may see him develop a new way of crawling with his legs extended like a bear – a sort of halfway house to walking.

Walking toys, such as brick trolleys, can be useful and many babies love them. However, you do need to make sure it’s sturdy and supervise your baby while he’s using it as they can tip up. Once he’s confident on two legs, there’ll be no stopping him and over the next few years he’ll learn to run, hop, skip and jump.

Avoid baby walkers – there’s no evidence that they help with walking and they may even delay it. They can also be dangerous as they allow your baby to reach things on higher surfaces.

When to be concerned

As with many aspects of child development, there’s a huge range of what’s considered ‘normal’. But you should always check out any concerns with your GP or health visitor, especially if:

• Your child cannot sit unsupported by nine months
• Your child hasn’t shown an interest in getting mobile by any means by one year
• Your child isn’t walking by 18 months.

 

Remember that premature babies and babies with special needs may reach milestones later than others.

Find out more

• The Baby Development Test: A Step-by-step Guide to Checking Your Child's Progress from Birth to Five by Dorothy Einon (£7.99, Vermilion)
  
  
• Baby Milestones: Stimulate development from 0-3 years by Carol Cooper (£15.99, Hamlyn)