On the Move: Crawling Through a Pediatric PT’s Lens
As pediatric physical therapists, one of the most common things we hear from parents is:
“My mom said I never crawled and I turned out fine,” or “They’re so advanced—they went straight from sitting to walking!”
We get it. Every accomplishment your child makes feels monumental—and it is. In a world that celebrates things being “early” or “accelerated,” it’s easy to look ahead to the next big milestone. But today, we want to slow things down and talk about why crawling—through a pediatric PT’s lens—is such an important piece of building a firm foundation for future development.
Note: For the purpose of this blog, when we refer to crawling, we are specifically talking about symmetrical, hands-and-knees crawling, where the arms and legs move in an alternating, reciprocal pattern. While there are many variations of early mobility, this traditional crawling pattern provides the greatest benefit for coordination, strength, and sensory integration—and is the focus of our discussion below.
Why Crawling Matters
Crawling is an essential motor milestone for so many reasons. It’s often one of a child’s first forms of independent exploration, allowing them to move through their environment on their own terms. But crawling is far more than just getting from point A to point B.
Crawling helps develop:
Bilateral coordination
Upper and lower extremity strength
Core and trunk stability
Sensory input through the hands
Visual tracking skills
Depth perception and risk assessment
The Benefits of Crawling: Let’s Break It Down
Bilateral Coordination
Crawling requires opposite arms and legs to move together in a smooth, reciprocal pattern. This strengthens communication between the left and right hemispheres of the brain, which supports later skills such as running, jumping, and climbing.
Core Strength
Crawling is a workout! Try crawling around your living room all afternoon and see how your core feels the next day. This strength is critical for stability in upright positions like standing and walking and supports more complex motor skills as children grow.
Sensory Exploration
We have thousands of touch receptors in the palms of our hands. Crawling across different surfaces provides rich sensory input while strengthening the small muscles of the hands—essential for fine motor development later on.
Visual Tracking
As babies crawl, they visually track their hands as they move. This supports hand-eye coordination and helps develop lateral visual tracking skills needed for reading and writing.
Depth Perception & Risk Assessment
Studies suggest that children who are confident crawlers demonstrate improved depth perception and safer decision-making when encountering drop-offs or hazards. Crawling teaches children how to move safely through their world.
CDC Milestones vs. A PT Perspective
In 2022, the CDC removed crawling from its milestone checklist, leading many parents to ask: “Does my child really need to crawl?”
(Insert the collective sigh of pediatric PTs everywhere.)
This change was made due to the wide variation in crawling patterns and ages at which children crawl, making it difficult to define a strict timeline. However, removal from the checklist does not mean the milestone is unimportant.
From a pediatric physical therapy perspective, crawling remains an essential skill that supports coordination, strength, sensory development, and long-term motor success.
How Skipping Crawling Can Impact Later Development
In our practice, we often see that children who skipped crawling may experience challenges later on with:
Focus and attention
Coordination during playground play or sports
Fine motor skills like writing
Reading and visual tracking
While not every child who skips crawling will struggle, crawling provides a powerful foundation that supports higher-level skills down the road.
Tips to Encourage Crawling
1. Prioritize Floor Time
The best place for your child to be is on the floor. The more time they spend there, the more opportunities they have to experiment with movement and develop smooth, reciprocal crawling.
2. Add an Incline
If your baby is stuck army crawling or struggles to support themselves on extended arms, try placing their hands on a couch cushion, wedge, or low surface. This shifts weight back toward the hips while still supporting the arms. Gradually lower the incline as strength improves.
3. Level Up Motivation
Place toys, mirrors, or your face at your baby’s eye level while they’re on hands and knees. Babies are highly motivated by what they can see—and they’re more likely to crawl when the “prize” stays in their line of sight.
Variations in Crawling
There are many variations of crawling. Some babies begin with belly crawling, while others may crawl using one knee and one foot. At this stage, we’re looking for symmetry of movement.
If your child struggles to crawl, shows persistent asymmetry, or seems uncomfortable moving, we’re here to help. Feel free to reach out or join one of our courses for hands-on guidance and individualized support.
Crawling builds more than movement—it builds confidence, coordination, and a strong foundation for everything that comes next.
Professional Disclaimer
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace individualized medical advice, evaluation, or treatment. Recommendations are based on general pediatric physical therapy principles and typical child development. Every child is unique, and developmental needs may vary.
If you have concerns about your child’s movement, strength, or overall development, a one-on-one assessment with a pediatric physical therapist is recommended.
Curious if Your Baby Is Getting Enough Movement?
If this blog made you pause, wonder, or think “I’m not sure if this applies to my baby,” you’re not alone and you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
At Firm Foundations, we offer FREE 15-minute consultations to answer your questions, observe your child’s movement, and help you feel confident about what’s next.