Conference moira::parenting_v3

    My oldest was medium build and started to crawl at 11 months - walk at
    12 months and has been running ever since.
    
    My second was medium build and started to walk at 9 months (but fell
    and seriously hurt his mouth area) quit walking and went right on to
    the stomach crawl and at 11 months started walking again - I think he
    crawled for a bout 2 weeks before he started walking.
    
    I took care of a friend's child who was the same age as my yougest and
    she was of large build but started crawling at 9 months and was a fast
    mover!  I think that's why my son decided he better get mobile - she
    always got to the toys faster!
    
    My cousin's son (same age as my oldest) was walking at 8 months and
    surfing at 7 months (standing on the rocking chair making it rock with
    his body sways).  Thank goodness he wasn't my kid !!!!
    
    -sandy
    
    

    
    
    Our 10-mnth old just started crawling... He'd been creeping forever and
    always seems to want to walk (just unsure of himself right now)....
    
    It'll happen, one day they just seem to say, I am going to start to
    crawl today.. Then they do it...
    
    
    Now if we could only keep him away from the fireplace and brick mantle...
    
    
    
    	John
    

    I also used to think that most babies crawl at 7 months or so, but 9-10
    months seems more like it.  Our daughter just started crawling, at
    9 1/2 months.  She never went through a creeping stage either, just
    went straight to crawling.
    
    Now at 10 1/2 months she climbs up on everything and can stand
    unassisted, but will probably not walk until the typical 12 months.
    
    Be patient, your baby seems normal to me.
    
    Mary

    I read that statistically the median age for crawling 10 months or
    so, and the median age for walking is about 18 months.  That's the
    age by which half the kids are doing that task -- so by 10 months
    only half the babies in the world are crawling.  I don't know
    where they got the numbers from, though. 
    
    Some kids will go straight to walking without ever crawling --
    David had done practically no crawling by 9 months because he was
    too busy pulling himself up on the furniture.  He was walking at
    10 months, running at 12 months, and then dropped *back* to
    crawling at about 14 months . . . still likes to crawl around the
    living room sometimes, at almost 22 months . . .
    
    --bonnie

    My son will be a year old a week from tomorrow.  He didn't start to
    crawl until he was about 10 1/2 months old (never really crept before
    that either).  He now gets around so fast it's amazing.  One minute
    he's in one room and as soon as I turn my back, he's gone! :-)  The
    past couple of weeks he's started to pull himself up in his crib,
    playpen and at the coffee table.  He still does not stand unassited and
    is nowhere near walking.  But he has a vocabulary of about 10 words.
    :-)
    
    I guess every kid is different.
    
    Lori B.

Our daughter "cruised" at 7 months, walked at 10 months ... and
CRAWLED at 12 months!  Despite some PARENTING noters saying that
crawling "before walking" was important ... it sure didn't affect
Juli any!  Actually, I think the fact that she DIDN'T crawl until
AFTER she walked helped motivate her TO WALK ... and
then to quickly more onto the bigger, better stuff (climbing, swinging,
jumping ...).  Even now, at 22 months, VERY rarely do I see her on
all fours ... and can't catch her if she gets a good running start on me!

Dottie

    
    Jason started crawling at 10-1/2 months.  This was also the age at
    which he truly began to sit up on his own - that is to say that
    he could get to a sitting position from lying down or from 
    standing up, etc.    We were pretty worried about it at the time 
    even though his doctor wasn't.  He walked at 12 months, 1 week and
    hasn't stopped since.    I actually think that the average age
    for crawling is 9-10 months; so I wouldn't worry about your 8-month
    old!
    
    Carol

    
    My son Brad was the same way.  I really worried about him, but at about
    9 months he pulled up on the coffee table and before I knew it he was
    crawling, and then walking by 11 months.  
    
    Sasha

    My daughter Monica now 9.5 months has been creeping since about
    8 months old.  She also pulled herself up around 8 months old
    and now is really into cruising the furnitures.  Lately, I 
    notice that she started to crawl.  However, she still perfers
    cruising.
    
    Wendy

    Of my three kids:
    
    	Oldest:  Crawled at 9 1/2 mos.      Walked at 17 mos.
        Middle:  Crawled at 6 mos.          Walked at 14 mos.
      Youngest:  Crawled at 7 mos.             RAN at 10 mos. (and hasn't 
    								stopped!)
    
    So, I'd say your child is normal!
    
    Linda

    I too have been wondering about my son John, now 10 1/2 months old.  I
    did not worry until my sister-in-law made mention of her son's learning
    disabilities and how someone told her that his inability to crawl as a
    child had a relationship.  My doctor said no and not to worry so I did
    not.  Then a mother in my mom's group told me her son just started
    crawling (at 11 months) and she is a Pedi and thought nothing of it. 
    So I guess we are just thinking that they should be doing things sooner
    because it has been done.  As some of the noters have said, we should
    enjoy it now as when they start moving, they do not go back to sitting.
    
    At this point he rolls around the house to get where he wants to go if
    he feels it is important enough.  He also has just started getting into
    a stance where one knee is down and the other leg is extended way back. 
    He looks like Carl Lewis getting ready for a race.  Then he rocks and
    will stretch.  If he stretches too far he falls on his face then rolls
    to get what he is after.  
    
    So as long as I do not have to carry him to kindergarten I am not too
    concerned anymore.
    
    Michelle

    Kati never crawled, just walked at 10.5 months.
    
    Kimmi Jo is 8.5 months and has no interest in crawling (except to get
    off the bed when we aren't there to accomodate).  She loves to pull up
    and try to walk, and I suspect she may skip crawling as well.
    
    BTW - how large is your child?  I have heard that smaller children can
    master crawling and walking sooner.  They have less weight to manage
    and learn to balance.  Both of mine are future linebackers, so I wasn't
    surprised they didn't master crawling early.
    
    Kristen

    Griffin started cruizing, hanging on to furniture to walk and sometimes
    letting go and taking a few steps on his own at 9months before he
    started real crawling.  I didn't think he'd ever crawl since he seemed
    to hate it and especially after he started taking steps without
    furniture or family assistance.  But all of a sudden he just did it and
    now at 10 months, uses all methods and has also added climbing up the
    furniture and crawling up the stairs which he's only allowed to do with
    me standing right behind him.

    
    My Spencer (now almost 3) didn't crawl until about 11 1/2 months.  He
    walked at about 15 mos.  I don't remember ever seeing him roll over
    except when I went in to check on him at night and he would be on his
    back, but he never "rolled around" the room to get around.  My second,
    Tanner, is now 11 mos, and he crawled at 8 mos.  I think he is either
    trying to get or get away from his big brother!
    
    

    I don't have time to read all the replies here, but ...
    
    My two boys were both late physically.
    
    Chris didn't budge until he was 15 months old, then he crawled.  At 17
    months he started walking.
    
    Jason crawled at 11 mos and walked at 13 mos.
    
    **IF** only those days could come back!! (-:  Now both of them run and
    jump absolutely everywhere, and there's NO slowing them down.
    
    I wouldn't worry about it.  I know it's easier to say than do, but if
    you can try to put aside 'what they're supposed to do' versus reality,
    you'll take a lot of stress off of yourself and be able to enjoy your
    child a lot more.  Trust me!!
    
    Patty

    
    	Re -1
    
    	I'm in complete agreement with the last paragraph, babies just
    don't read the same books we do!
    
    		Ian G. 

We weren't sure Elise was even going to crawl until yesterday (8 months old
yesterday - where has the time gone? I just had her!).  She's been pulling
up on furniture and grabbing fingers for weeks now, but showing no interest in 
moving around on the floor.  But just yesterday, she started rocking back and 
forth on her hands and knees, so I guess it's coming soon.  Good thing I've got
the electric sockets all plugged.

My feeling was that the only reason she would crawl would be to get to the
furniture to pull up and wall-walk.  I still think that's going to be the
motivation...

    Meredith was just about 8 mos. old when she started crawling around.
    She started pulling herself up at 9 mos. old.  Meredith is now 9 1/2
    mos. old so I'm sure it won't be long before she is cruising. (As the
    saying goes...cruisen for a bruisen).  Dad is a little panicy when it
    comes to her trying to pull herself up on everything so we are pretty
    much right at her heals at all times.  Please Lord, give us strength!!
    
    Toni

    What exactly is Creeping?  My daughter now almost 6 months old is
    turning herself around like in a circle.   Is this creeping?  She
    spins herself like a top.  I think she is trying to pull herself to
    all fours, but still hasn't done that yet.
    
    Thanks for info.
    

    She's pre-creeping, I would guess (since she isn't getting anywhere!). 
    Creeping is traveling with your tummy on the ground; crawling is hands
    & knees traveling (tummy off the ground).
    
    Leslie

    
    
    	My mom told me that I never really crawled.  I used all
    	arm strength, no legs.
    
    	My daughter is now 6 1/2 months old and has mastered the
    	art of rolling from tummy to back to tummy to back all
    	the way across the living room rug.
    
    	She does manage to get up on all fours but only "rocks"
    	back and forth... and if you say anything to her to
    	encourage her, she loses concentration and splats... (8
    
    	/Kim