Babys First Year Blog

Huck The Peg Leg Crawler

Posted by natthefatrat on September 14th, 2011 at 10:00 am

IMG 4658 300x300 Huck The Peg Leg CrawlerWell, it finally happened. My baby done learned to crawl.

He’s been on the cusp of crawling for over a month and a half now, and I thought for sure he’d have figured it out sooner, but there it is. He’s a slow crawler. At ten months and three weeks I was sure he’d skip it all together! But, the man crawls, and now, HERE COMES THE DESTRUCTION!

I am terribly fascinated by crawling and how every baby seems to figure it out differently: traditionally on all fours, crab style on hands and feet, or else Huck’s method: the peg leg zombie pirate crawl.

I gotta tell you. The whole “crawling” thing was starting to get old. Will he crawl? Does he crawl yet? I felt a little tired of defending him all the time: “He’ll crawl when he’s ready! And if not, who cares!”

(More, including what finally got the crawling to “click” for him, after the jump!)

He seemed perfectly happy to get on his hands and knees, rock for a little bit, and then sit back down. It was like the idea of there being “more” out there he could do just hadn’t occurred to him!

He’d even gotten pretty proficient at sort of pivoting around, so much so that he figured out he could get on his knees for a bit and then sit down at a different angle, and if he did it enough, he could slowly work his way across the room. Not terribly efficient, but you know, who’s to say a person needs to crawl, anyway?

Well, he’s crawling now, so. The best part? He looks like a dead zombie pirate crawling from his murky grave.  He crawls on one knee and one foot, like a peg leg. It’s hysterical.

What finally worked to put two and two together in his head was a trip to the local sand box. Something tells me he doesn’t get enough good traction on our hardwoods!

At what age did your babies learn to crawl? Did you try to help them? Or just let them at it? Were you concerned if they were late crawlers?

 Huck The Peg Leg Crawler

16 Comments

My daughter was a slow crawler too. At almost 11 months people were asking if she was pulling up or starting to walk and I would say nope, she hasn’t even started crawling! She will be 1 on Friday and she is crawling everywhere now. And pulling up. And cruising around the furniture. And my house will never be clean again.

Melanie commented on Sep 14 11 at 10:44 am

First Way to Go HUCK!!! Now just wait he will all over the place, i can’t believe how fast they can move crawling doing their thing. Little speed racers!

My son never crawled i think he did like an army crawl thing you know laying on your belly using your arms/elbows to move, a couple times but really he never honestly crawled he went right to walking by 10months. So i had no idea what to expect with my daughter. She started crawling around 8 months but then she did some weird crawling thing sitting on her butt and using her one hand and leg to move herself around. I love how every kid has their own way of moving around/crawling. But i never really worried if they were or weren’t crawling much.

Jessi commented on Sep 14 11 at 11:40 am

My son started crawling at 7.5 months. He just turned 8 months old and he is pulling up on everything and crawling full speed ahead…he is SO much more work now than he was a month ago. I really hope he holds off on walking for a while…I never realised how many things can be potentially dangerous to a mobile baby. Ugh.

aly commented on Sep 14 11 at 6:44 pm

Also, what kind of jammies is Huck wearing in that picture? Are they cotton zip up pjs? I am having a heck of a time finding cotton zip up jammies in sizes bigger than 6/9 months.

aly commented on Sep 14 11 at 6:51 pm

Go Huck! He is not a slow crawler; He simply had other things to do and think about. After all, being a baby takes concentration and hard work.

eldene commented on Sep 14 11 at 8:06 pm

That is the cutest picture of Huck yet!!! As for the crawling, you’re right, they’ll crawl when they do.

CDN Mummy commented on Sep 14 11 at 9:20 pm

My daughter pulled up at 6 months and could shuffle around anywhere she wanted to go that way, so she barely crawled and didn’t for the longest time. Her first word was at 9 months (just the one word, for about a week straight, and then no more words for a couple months) and in a fit of attempting to chase the cat at 10.5 months, she finally stopped taking the long way around and crawled across the living room. 2 weeks later she walked!

Marie commented on Sep 14 11 at 11:17 pm

My little guy started to army crawl yesterday at 5 mos! I was so sad. And he is FAST! Who knew?

Michelle commented on Sep 15 11 at 8:09 pm

my son crawls with one knee and one foot, too! His one little foot is all calloused because he drags it everywhere :)

traci commented on Sep 15 11 at 10:38 pm

Yay Huck! My 3rd baby crawled just like that. She is also the one who crawled late, learned to walk at 18 months, and got her first tooth at 14 months. She is nine now and perfectly fine . Kudos to you for taking it all in stride!

Sheila commented on Sep 16 11 at 9:54 am

My friend’s baby did this type of crawl for about 2 weeks then suddenly pulled herself up on everything to “walk” holding onto furniture! Be ready for that in your new place!

jennifer commented on Sep 16 11 at 10:09 am

Sawyer didn’t learn how to crawl until about 9 months and he did the army crawl but wouldn’t use his legs. We called it the paraplegic zombie (very politicaly correct, no?) He’s a little over 10 months now and people always ask “is he crawling normally now?” and I don’t think he’s ever going to, which is fine. He gets going pretty fast as an army man (who now has use of his legs…)

Erin commented on Sep 16 11 at 12:20 pm

I had four babies and I don’t remember at all when any of them learned to crawl.

So, I’m not helpful. Go figure.

Catherine commented on Sep 16 11 at 1:13 pm

My daughter has never crawled and she is 13.5 mths now. She scoots very efficiently upright on her bottom and has just started cruising round the furniture and walking behind her walker. At times I’ve been extremely frustrated watching all the other babies crawling then pulling up then walking off leaving her stuck on the floor!! What I have learnt is that traditional crawling is absolutely not essential and that all babies walk eventually and actually the later the better for your own sanity!!

Clare commented on Sep 16 11 at 3:22 pm

my son was a fast crawler and a fast walker (by 9 months he walked) and it was horrible! they run right after they learn to walk and then you absolutely cannot keep up!

Rhonda commented on Sep 19 11 at 5:38 pm

My bubs is over 7 months and I’m feeling some pressure from my husband’s family on the crawling issue. All of his cousins crawled at 5 months, he doesn’t even have siblings (yet) but he has to be in competition with his cousins?
I’d like him to be able to crawl soon because I see it as another way for him to communicate what he wants. Right now he pivots around on his belly and wiggles forward a little. He hasn’t figured out the getting his knees under himself part yet.

Reese commented on Sep 22 11 at 12:59 pm

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