Scooting...dragging Leg Not All Fours Crawling

My daughter was the same way, then one day about 4 months later she got up and walked and once she started walking it was like 3 days until she was running. Everyone is my family called it the frog!!

my middle boy did this and he is perfectly fine. He runs walks and jumps around just like any other child.Actually jumps better than I remember his older brother jumping at his age. He just preferred to get around that way!!!

My daughter didn't walk until 21 months...and yes, I kept her in pants until she was upright. She did crawl normally, but we have all tile floors so she needed the padding on her knees. It was tough I had a whole bunch of 12m and 18m dresses that she never even got to wear one time. (She would crawl onto the hem and face plant).

I wouldn't think that another doctor's appointment would be necessary. My doctor didn't call ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) until she wasn't walking at 19 months.

The only thing that worries me is that my daughter broke her leg at 11.5 months...she was cruising and fell (and screamed like nothing I have ever heard before, took me 20 minutes to calm her down). Her leg wasn't red or bruised or any outward appearance of injury. She just went from crawling normally to dragging that leg behind her (like you describe your daughter doing)...and would not stand on it when we held her upright. My husband told me I was nuts taking her to the doctor because with no outward sign of injury, it must just be sprained...but I just knew she needed to go, it was mommy gut. It was broken, they call it a toddler fracture or toddler break.

But you have already been to see the doctor and if she hasn't fallen...then I would just say it is her own original version of crawling. Message me if you have any questions. Hugs!!

my daughter and my neice both moved like this and they are now very healthy and smart 6 year olds -- and very fast runners! Don't worry at all.

Legs do get scraped from all kinds of crawling. she'll be fine. Use pants if she's on particlarly rough terrain.

Don't worry your daughter is fine. My grandson did the exact same thing and we all laughed about it but then worried a little that he would hurt his leg or knee that way. The doctor said not to worry so we didn't. In just a matter of a couple of months he was up and walking. I think the leg out help him pull up better and he didn't crawl that way for long. She will be fine and not all babies crawl the same way.

Each of my three sons had their different ways, but my first was, like Tara called it, a "frog" crawler. He grew out of it just fine.

In fact, similar to Tara's story, my oldest had a pretty short period of "frog" crawling, he was walking in almost no time at all. It has been 15 years now, but, as I recall, he was nearly 12 months old before starting the "frog" crawling. Looking back, I think I was holding him so much of the time that I practically didn't give him the freedom to experiment with crawling! ;)

Good luck!

We had our daughter walking on her knees until she was 14 months old! Nothing wrong with her, she didn't want to walk on her feet. So we bought some Sketchers that lite up on the top of the shoe which encouraged her to walk so she could see the lights blinking!

Try something like that and see if it helps at all.

My sister scooted but she would pull herself along with her elbows and drag her legs. She went from that to walking she never crawled and had no physical developmental disorders. So as long as she is developing normally and pulling herself to a standing position etc. it's probably nothing to worry about, just keep an eye on it, but I'm sure once she starts walking she will be just fine.

Also I have a cousin who never crawled but scooted in a sitting position every where, which was very odd (and funny) but she is also fine and all grown up with no problems.

Edit
just an FYI I highly doubt it's a spinal misalignment, and it's a bit too early to tell. Obviously once she starts walking you will have a clearer picture of her development but I'm sure it's nothing to stress over and it can probably wait until your 12 mos check up. Of course if you feel she needs to be seen sooner take her, I'm a firm believer in a moms natural instincts!

I have known several children who scooted around like little crabs! NORMAL. Also pretty funny...

You can buy cute little dresses with coordinating bike shorts (even leggings) from Hanna Andersson. They have stores and a website. Jusy protect her legs and let her scoot.

Check out "baby legs" for your little one. You can get them online, but also in some baby stores around town.

There are something like 30+ different ways that the American Academy of Peds recognizes a "crawl" Dragging one leg behind is quite normal.
Yes she would still need her legs covered if she is not on soft material if she was crawling in the traditional way. They have t-shirt material leg warmer type sleeves for there little legs all over. This can help and keep her cool and act as a sun block in some cases as well.
The good news is that this is not the mokst effective crawl and will probably frustrate her enough to push her into walking sooner.

Hi K.~

Sounds like everything is normal with her crawling especially since kids crawl in so many different ways.

If you are concerned and want a second opinion, you can have your daughter evaluated for free by ECI. You don't need a referral from the doctor or anything.

Here is the link to their website: http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ecis/searchalpha.asp?letter=b

My daughter did this crawl to at first. She might not fully crawl since she is pulling up. If you are worried about her knees I did keep pants on her during this stage. As time went by and she fully crawled her knees would get red at first but now they are used to it...you can try keep her legs soft with lotion. My daughter now does what is called the monkey crawl. It is where they step with one foot and crawl with the other. I think this is just there learning process...but do what will make you feel better and ease your mind.

First time mom of a 10 month old daughter.

oh my goodness, I thought I was reading my own story. Our daughter did this exact thing. It was crazy. Our pediatrician was very easy going so we did not worry too much. I remember she was still doing at at her first birthday party but shortly after that, she stood up and took off!! And she never looked back. I used to keep little leggings on her all the time to protect her little legs as we had hardwood floors at the time.

Good luck and try not to worry too much. Kids are quirky little creatures!!

Hi, My son did a similar thing. He did a "commando" crawl for quite a while, then crawled "properly" for a very short while. During his commando stage I would put him in a big t-shirt on the wooden floor and he would polish the floor for me! Ha ha!

Its fine. Kids are all different. It sounds like everything else is normal with her so don't worry. Just get some light pants and put her in those so her leg is protected.

you could just get her some thin knit pants to wear if it's causing that much of a problem. I wouldn't worry about her scooting, not crawling. my older daughter went pretty much straight from scooting to walking. I walked around our apt. building a LOT with her, though, holding her hands to help her balance! she was walking on her own by 10 1/2 mo. My older one crawled a bit more, but she was walking at about 9 1/2 mo. also. I think you should help her practice walking a lot (walking around the neighborhood or a store or somewhere like that usually holds their interest a lot longer than around the house). I would also get her a walker, or at least a Johnny Jump or Jumperoo where she can practice using her legs and get the muscles built up. Also, maybe get her a toy that she can push, like a play shopping cart or on of those little cars with the handle, something along those lines. Even if you didn't do all those things, she would probably be walking by 18 mo. on her own =)
hope this helps!

Try Baby Legs. They look leg leg warmers, but come in a lighter weight material. Plus, they are super adorable!

I would have her checked out by a specialist just to make sure there are no muscular and bone problems - I also scooted on my bottom as a baby - never crawled - and when I became a teen and bones were really growing, I found out I only had half of a kneecap in one knee.

Crawling is important for correct spinal curve development. Spinal curve is important because the control center, your brain, talks to the rest of your body via the spinal cord. If the curve is not correct, it places undue strain on the spinal cord, affecting the amount and correctness of information the brain is sending.

The dragging of one leg could be linked to spinal misalignments in the sacrum, which doesn't not fuse into the adult form until after the child is walking.

Nerves that leave the spine at the sacral area control things like menstruation pain, colic, gallbladder, kidneys, and sex organs. Not something you want neglect.

Regular MDs and even Osteopaths are NOT trained to look for spinal misalignments that cause nerve impingement; only a Doctor of Chiropractic can diagnose this.

Pain is a poor indicator of health; only 6-10% of the nerves in your body experience pain.

I have a 14.5 month old who scoots exactly as you desribed. He started this at 10 months. He climbs up and down furniture, stairs, etc. and cruises perfectly but does not appear to have balance to stand alone. When holding his hand or under his arms, he refuses to take more than a few steps and sits. The doctor said muscles on both legs are equally developed but I am really concerned if he can ever walk without physical therapy. Did your daughter start walking on her own and if so by what age? Thanks.

HI K.!
Don't worry my 3 year old son did the same thing and he was a late walker too. 17 months to start walking. Now my little 9 month old is starting to do the same thing. I would just put light pants on her and you can also put some baby lotion on the leg at night too. I would not put shoes on her because one of them gets worn out a lot faster than the other. Hope this helps and happy scooting! Its so fun to watch them get into stuff and see how fast they go once they get use to it!

Do you have hard wood or tile floors? You are describing the way both of my daughters taught themselves to crawl. We had wood floors, no carpet. I have also seen another little boy do it, and his mom said the same thing.

We used to put our kiddos in loose fitting denim overalls. It seemed to protect their legs from abrasions, and the overalls just fit over whatever they were wearing that day. We could just take the overalls off when we were ready to leave the house.

The funny crawl never had any negative effect on their walking later on. It was just their creative way of avoiding "owie knees" due to hard floor.

Sounds like a typical "soldier" crawl. My youngest did it for awhile. My Mom said one of my brothers and several cousins did it. My kiddo, my brother, and my cousins all learned to walk with out any problems. If your doctor has checked her out thoroughly and says she is ok then I wouldn't worry about it any longer. On the other hand, if it will give you peace of mind to see the doctor again-DO SO!!

Welcome to the wonderful world of MOM!!