11 Month Old Bottom Scooter

Hi! My son did EXACTLY the same thing, never thought I'd hear someone else has a child to do it too. What a funny way to get around huh. No worries, my son went right from that to walking - at 13 months. We tried too, to show him other ways to get around, he got fast and that was what he wanted to do, nothing else. His legs were fine when he started to walk. He's 7 now, play's pop warner football and is the fastest runner on his team!. We have tons of video, and we all crack up, when we see him scootin around.
Take him to the Y in a nice warm pool and watch the both of his legs get some good excersize. Fun for the whole family.

Hi M.

Unless there is a medical issue with the leg development, don't worry about the rest of it. My daughter was a scooter, too. She NEVER crawled. She also had no interest in pulling herself up to a standing position. She didn't start walking until she was 18 months. And she went from 1st step to being all over the place in a day!!! We did have an appointment with early intervention for her. However the wait list was sooooo long that she ended up doing it on her own before our appointment was ever assigned. She is completely healthy and just did everything in her own time.
So if there is no underlying medical issue with the muscle development, don't worry about the scooting.
Happy Holidays
A.

Hey mama--I think you can relax. My son ROLLED everywhere and did not walk until 15 months. Now he is six and plays hockey, skates betetr than I do! I don't know about the sitting thing. I don't recall when my kids started to do that...and I doubt it was at 11 months. And I always call my pediatrician if I am really concerned. But it sounds like your little sweetheart is just ine, he'll figure it all out in good time ;)

Both my girls did not crawl until about 13 months and then walked at 14 month. One did the commando crawl: on her belly dragging herself forward one elbow over the other without using legs at all. I would check with the pediatrician but mine found nothing wrong with either girl and both are fine swimmer, bicyclers, runners and climbers now at 9 and 12. Cheers, Cato.

It's always a little worrisome when you child is a little different. My niece did the scoot thing just as you are describing and never crawled. I think it was around 13 mos she started walking and they never did physical therapy or anything like that. She is now 1 1/2 and walks just fine. As a matter of fact, she's a little dare devil and will climb on just about everything. Don't encourage him to crawl traditionally as long as he's happy and can get around just fine. In terms of getting into a sitting position I wouldn't worry about that either, it will come, it all does. :o) Hey, my daughter never rolled over! It freaked me out...but she's now 2 1/2 and is healthy and walks/runs just fine. It will all just click for him and one day everything will coordinate. Good luck!

Hi M.,
My son also used to get around by scooting on his bum. It was absolutely the cutest thing to watch. It earned him the nickname "scooter" from everyone we knew. He could get around quite well scooting. He was somewhat late with all other milestones, (sitting alone 8 1/2 months, walking 14 1/2 months). He always hated being on his belly too and I don't believe he started pulling himself up till around 12 months. The only thing that concerns me about what you said is the fact that he has a hard time standing on that one leg. What about when he was younger, did he put weight on the leg in a bouncer or exersaucer? My son always had one leg that assisted more in the scooting, but he would put weight on both equally when in the saucer or when I was holding him on my lap. Have you mentioned this to his doctor? Maybe his leg bothers him in some way? I would have his leg looked at by your doctor just to rule out anything that could be preventing him from putting weight on that leg. Good luck! L.

my son did the same thing.. don't worry about it. as long as he gets where he wants to go, he'll be fine. my son walked when he was 13 months like a lot of toddlers and has no problem now. talk to your ped if you are worried but everything seems ok to me.

Some kids never crawl, they just either scoot around somehow or simply start walking. Crawling isn't a mental milestone, meaning if he skips the crawling and goes straight to walking he won't be behind in any way. I wouldn't worry about it much. He'll start walking soon enough. Some kids walk early and some later. Mine walked at 13 months. I think as long as he can stand, he'll be able to walk. If you are worried about that leg then I would talk to your pediatrician. My son had a weird crawl as well, it was like a crab. But he learned to walk just fine. Best wishes to you.

Hi M.,

I worked in a daycare for the past few years and there was a little boy then girl that were bottom scooters. They both recieved early intervention. The one good thing about early intervention is that even if your child doesn't qualify for services to their standards they will still give you ideas on what to do to encourage your child to crawl. I would also encourage your daycare providers to put your baby on the floor for tummy time. The reason he is crying so much is because it is uncomfortable for them.

Call your pediatrician for help. Also I do know that you don't have to have a doctors recommendation for early intervention to get invovled.

Good luck!
M.

Hi M.,
My daughter is 20 months old and she, too has always been a bottom scooter. Not to worry you because there is probably nothing at all wrong with your son but I highly recommend getting him physical therapy. Your pediatrician can recommend one and in most cases, your insurance company will cover it. My daughter has been going to physical therapy since she was 13 months old and it has helped her a tremendous amount! Unfortunately, she still isn't walking on her own but she has gained lots of strength, gained confidence and now can crawl in the traditional way which she never could before. I wish we hadn't waited until she was 13 months old. A pediatric Physical therapist can teach you exercises to do with your son at home to help him strengthen the muscles that are weak. They have lots of toys and they can make the sessions fun for your child. Good luck. Feel free to email me anytime with questions or thoughts. My daughter couldn't do things her friends could do and it was very frustrating at the time. But I kept telling myself that every child is different and every child develops at their own rate.

PS In terms of getting into a sitting position from his back, that will come. We worried a lot because our daughter also couldn't do that but with time, it happened.

Some kids never crawl and crawling is one of those "milestones" that really isn't measured because kids are so different. Neither of my kids ever crawled.

I would be concerned about the leg development. . .crawling or not, the leg muscles should be developing normally. If he isn't using it for standing or moving then I would have the doctor take a look at it to make sure there isn't another reason.

And babies abdominal muscles are too weak for them to go from lying on the back into sitting without rolling at least to the side first. This is tough for even us.

Encouraging time on the belly will help all muscle development. Any sedentary activity could be played on his belly instead of in sitting to work on the back/neck muscles. Good luck.

I would encourage you to call early intervention. Not because I think something is wrong. But, if there is ANY doubt about the way a child is progressing, they are the experts. You can't loose. If there is no problem, they will tell you. And if there is a minor problem, it is far, far better to get help very early. Don't worry about labels or any of that. If your child gets services from early intervation, it might be for just 1 year. My daughter received early intervention and now is an academically gifted 8 year old. My cousin's son had early intervention help until he turned 3, and is now doing great. But if there is a minor problem, yor might regret not dealing with it sooner. With children's development, sooner is always better for help. Hope this helps.

M., If your concerned about muscle development , you may want to ask your doctor about an early intervention evaluation. It is free to you and a wonderful service. The nurses, PT and OT come to your house to work with your child, based on what help he needs from an initial evaluation. My #1 was 2 months early and had some gross motor delays and muscle tone issues. They worked with her for 6 months and she made such great improvements she no longer needed the services. The time was valuable to me as a first time mom, because they taught me what new skills to look for and when and gave me lots of activities to do with her to reinforce her therapy. I still use those activities when I'm babysitting little babies!! It's a wonderful service that I wish all new parents had access to!

I think you pretty much answered your own question. "I think he's developing fine, just slower..."

My opinion would be to talk to his doctor and see what he thinks. I personally wouldn't worry about the scooting/leg thing. My friend's son scooted rather than crawled and developed fine. Boys are slower, I think, developmentally wise than girls.

Pay attention to what your motherly instincts are telling you. If you think your son needs help, then go get it for him. If you think he will eventually strengthen his own leg, then let it happen gradually on its on with no intervention. Perhaps all your son needs is some extra "mommy time" (rather than an outside physical therapist or the like) helping him get up, crawl, and sit normally. Trust yourself as a mother...your son does.

Good luck. :)

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Hi M.,
Take it from me -- every baby is sooooo different. (I have 7) I had one who was walking at 11 months, and one who didn't walk until 17 months, some who hardly ever rolled over, even though i knew they could, and some who couldn't get to sitting either. I wouldn't worry too much unless your pedi thinks your son's muscles aren't developing properly. I know it's hard not to worry, with all the developmental "norms" that are out there, but really, they all develop at their own time.

Hi!
Crazy to hear how many bottom scooters we have! My son (11 months) is a bottom scooter, has never attempted crawling (he has always hated tummy time--which I attributed to his acid reflux, however he now loves sleeping on his tummy). He rolled late, sat up late, and is our "little scooter." My concern is his lack of pulling up on things, he started to attempt to pull up on his toy basket, a few months ago but learned he could tip it just enough to get out what he wanted and hasn't really tried to pull up on anything since! Like I said, he's 11 months and I'm concerned he's not pulling up and that the scooting will somehow hinder some type of muscle development. He uses one leg to get movement and kind of uses his arms. He's pretty fast, especially since we have laminant floors and slides easily!

He's great at fine motor skills and verbal skills, at 6 months when he wasn't 100% sitting up on his own or attempting to crawl, my pediatrician said some kids are more "content" and will most likely roll later, crawl later, etc. They're happy where they are and will not be eager to get around. I do plan on calling again since his 1 yr appt is a month away and I'm needing some reassurance on his pulling up.

I was told by a friend who's in physical therapy at a local children's hospital to not worry about the scooting, especially due to his age, he'll resist change and get too frustrated. She also said to just make sure he's using both hands/arms equally doing all other activities as well as moving both of his legs.

I'm enrolling him in a mom and me class at The Little Gym, it's like a Gymboree (gross motor skills class) and I'm hoping to see some leaps in his gross motor skills.

I'd love to hear how your little one progresses!

Early intervention. Even if it's just for your peace of mind, they'll do an evaluation, Give you some suggestions. They are wonderful.

There may be nerves and or muscles that have not developed the same as the the other leg... a leg brace may be needed... there are cases were children need them. Have you talked with your family doc. Best of luck!

or 4)Go to your son's Pediatrician for an Question and Answer session and get an evaluation of the leg that he is not using as much.

It could be normal or it could be an issue that early intervention could remedy quickly.

For this I would speak with the Pediatrician.
Good Luck, everything will be fine.
Many Blessings