Not Crawling

Crawling has actually been taken off of the list of "milestones" for babies, because so many do not crawl at all. My daughter crawled at 11 months, and walked at 15 months. She is now a very active, perfectly healthy 4 year old. Don't worry!!!!

My first two never crawled really , my second one got up and walked at 9 months. Nothing to worry about. They both are very aligned, good on their feet and no learning issues.

I think some babies don't like the rubbing on the knees, I don't blame them.

I think you can tell from all the answers so far that it's totally normal for your son not to be crawling at 9 months. It's really hard not to become obsessive about how your baby is doing compared to others. I had to make a point to stop reading the weekly emails from BabyCenter and stop asking friends questions about their baby's development. Remember to always look at the big picture. If your son is doing a majority of what other 9 months are doing, then he's doing great! For me, it helped to have a little line to say when people said something about my son being so small for his age. I'd say, "Yep, but he's healthy and doing what he should be doing." I didn't say it in a snotty way but I think it reminded people not to judge a baby. We just have to remember not to judge them ourselves. :) You sound like you're a good, caring mom. Just keep rooting him on :)

It does require some upper body strength, and maybe he is still developing it to have the stamina to go more than what he is doing now (starts then stops). Also, it may have to do with his personality. Some kids/people are very stubborn, which can mean either that he is willing to wait you out until you give him what he wants, OR that he wants something badly enough to figure out how to get it himself.
But 9 months isn't really late. My son didn't crawl until maybe 8 months old(?) but he was walking at 10 1/2 months. He didn't crawl very long. Some kids NEVER crawl. My niece "scooted" on her bottom.

My youngest didn't crawl until 11 months. He walked at 16 months. Some kids just do things later than others.

All kids develop at their own pace! I will say that tummy time for babies is EXTREMELY important whether they like it or not.......I learnt this the hard way with my little one......

My oldest never crawled. She HATED tummy time (so much, in fact, that she would scream until she threw up if we tried to make her stay on her tummy - she also refused to roll over, stubborn little thing). She ended up walking early, and now (at 9 years old) she is a talented ballerina - so her unwillingness to crawl, roll over, or have tummy time did not indicate any long-term coordination problems! As long as your son is developing normally in other ways, I really wouldn't worry too much about this.

My son didn't like being on his belly either. That is why he rolled over at 2 months. He didn't crawl until he was at least 10 months and walked at 14. Your son sounds completely normal. Don't force it.

Give him time. He has not yet hit that developmental milestone. Some babies actually don't crawl, though it is preferable if they do at some point.

Ask the doctor for some ideas about how to help him prepare for crawling. You could ask for a PT evaluation if you are really concerned about him hating belly time.

Dawn

Oh, I was in the same boat just a few months ago. My son didn't crawl until a week before his first birthday - don't worry, just give it time :)

My son always wanted to keep up with his older cousins so he was crawling and walking and rolling over early. At the end of his first week of life he could hold his own head up which was a marvel to me. He was born 8 lbs and 3 oz and I thought his head was huge. ;-)

If he doesn't spend much time on his stomach, he may not have developed enough upper body strength to hold himself up. If he were around other moble children it might motivate him to be more mobile or not. Different kids are different. I hope this encourages you.

Babies of years ago, crawled much earlier than their counterparts today.
Babies slept on their bellies and learned to scoot around immediately. I would go in and find my 2 week old had made it up to the corner in her crib.
Since babies no longer sleep on their stomach, they do not have the chance
to try to move around. So 9 months and not crawling, I would not be concerned. Normal for babies now.

My son didn't crawl intill tthe end of his ninth month, then he got so good at it he didn't want to walk intill 15mnths. Don't worry about it he will crawl when he is ready or go straight to walking.

It's perfectly normal and there's nothing wrong with your son. He's still within the normal average range to learn how to crawl. Is he mobile in other ways? Can he wiggle and wriggle or roll to where he wants to go? Is he concentrating on other skills? Is he getting plenty of tummy time so that he can build up his leg, back, arm, and thigh muscles? Is he sitting a lot without aid? He'll do it, just at his own pace. You can't and shouldn't force it.

What is the floor like? Is it hard or carpeted? My child liked crawling on the carpet, but the linoleum floor was uncomfortable. If the floor is hard, your child may want knee pads. ; )

Hi L., my son was also not crawling at 9 mos and hated being on his belly. What was hard for us is that he wanted to move so badly to reach things - he was so frustrated. With a lot of help from daycare teachers, he gradually accepted being on his belly for longer periods of time and then crawled at 10-11 months. He never really liked it though. However, he started walking at 12 months! and now at 17 months, loves to run and dance! Climbing is his new thing.

When we were at the not crawling stage, I was really worried, but he turned out to be fine. Many babies skip crawling and I didn't know that myself at the time and that contributed to my worry. Glad you asked this question.

Its totally up to him when he wants to, some are driven/lazier than others. My daughter didn't start till 10.5 months & crawled for about 3 weeks & was then walking. Everyone is different & don't worry about unless the doctor has a major concern. Try getting him a bouncer or something to put him in to help strengthen his legs.

My son didn't crawl until 2 days after his first birthday. I tried everything too, but he just wasn't ready. He also didn't walk until he was 18 months too. There's nothing wrong with him, he just doesn't want to. I wouldn't worry.

I have worked with infants many years. They all develop at a different pace. it is good to give them alot of tummy time and floor time to work on giving them a chance to develop. it is good to give them toys to try and reach and work with them. Usually doctors dont worry until they get older then they go from there. so keep working with your baby but be patient. they will take off when ready..