At what age do babies start crawling?

One day, baby is still more or less where you put them. A few weeks later, they’re crossing the living room with one very clear goal: to grab the one thing they’re not allowed to touch.

Between those moments, they’ll have tried, rolled, pivoted and gone backwards when they meant to go forwards, perhaps done a little commando-style shuffle, and spent a remarkable amount of time rocking on their hands and knees without going anywhere.

Generally, babies start crawling between 7 and 10 months. But dear parents, remember this above all: that range is a guide, absolutely not a deadline. WHO data actually shows a much wider window for crawling, from around 5 to 13 months among the children observed. And some babies simply never go through this stage. Slithering on their tummy, bottom-shuffling, crawling on hands and knees or deciding that standing is far more interesting: there are many ways forward.

And that’s perhaps the first thing to remember before you start watching every move baby makes on the mat: motor development isn’t a checklist to tick off in the right order.

Moving on their tummy, rolling over, sitting up: what comes before crawling?

It all starts at around 3 months, when your baby can control their head while lying on their tummy, according to Les Petits Chaperons Rouges.

Long before setting off to explore the house on hands and knees, baby gradually builds the strength and coordination they’ll need. In the first few months, they learn to control their head, move their arms and legs more and more, and begin to push up when they’re on their tummy.

Then usually come rolling over, turning the hips, pivoting on the tummy, grabbing their feet and all those movements that may look rather chaotic from the outside but are valuable practice. Each attempt strengthens the neck, shoulders, core, arms and hips.

Sitting up independently often happens during this same broad period of exploration. But it isn’t a qualification baby has to earn before they can crawl. The normal windows for learning to sit and crawl overlap considerably. Some babies sit, then crawl. Others crawl first, then work out how to sit up from the floor. Some do both almost at once.

In short, baby clearly didn’t get the schedule.

Baby sits up independently: an important step in motor development

Although it isn’t a required step before crawling, sitting up independently shows lovely progress in core control and balance. Most importantly, there’s a big difference between a baby who can sit up and a baby who has been placed in a sitting position.

In the spirit of free movement inspired by Emmi Pikler, we avoid keeping a child in a position they can’t yet get into and out of by themselves. A baby who sits up on their own has worked through all the movements that make it possible: pivoting, leaning on one arm, shifting their weight, lifting their torso and getting back down to the floor. These are exactly the experiences that will help them keep exploring.

So a parent’s job isn’t to "teach" baby to crawl by putting their hands here and their knees there. What’s simpler, and somehow harder too, is to give them the space to work it out for themselves.

Moving on their tummy: a common stage, but not one every baby goes through

Moving on their tummy and crawling on hands and knees aren’t quite the same thing… Tummy-crawling is an art in itself. When baby moves this way, their tummy usually stays on the floor while their arms and legs propel them forwards. Some develop a particularly effective military technique — the famous commando crawl — which already lets them reach absolutely everything we thought we’d put far enough away.

With classic crawling, baby’s tummy lifts off the floor as they support themselves on their hands and knees. It takes more coordination between the right and left sides of the body. But here too, there are all sorts of variations.

Some babies move on their tummies for several weeks before crawling on hands and knees. Others shuffle on their bottoms. Some move like little crabs, others roll to their destination, and some almost walk on their hands and feet, legs straight like little bears.

The American Academy of Pediatrics describes many perfectly normal ways for babies to get around, including classic crawling, commando crawling, bottom-shuffling, moving sideways like a crab and rolling. Some babies neither move on their tummies nor crawl on hands and knees before they stand up.

Not crawling doesn’t automatically mean baby is behind. In particular, there’s no scientific evidence that skipping this stage leads to learning difficulties later on, despite how often that idea still comes up.

What are the signs that baby might start crawling soon?

There’s no official countdown, of course, but certain behaviours show that baby is trying out new ways to support their weight.

• They pivot a lot on the floor. Lying on their tummy, they turn themselves around to grab a toy or reach something that interests them.
• They support more and more of their weight on their arms. Their shoulders and upper body are getting stronger.
• They lift their tummy and get onto their hands and knees. Even if they drop back down three seconds later.
• They rock back and forth. It’s a classic: baby has found the position but hasn’t quite worked out what to do with it yet.
• They sometimes go backwards before they go forwards. At first, their arms may be stronger than their legs, so baby can accidentally push themselves backwards before working out how to move forwards.
• They want to get somewhere. And that may be the strongest motivation of all: a toy, a sibling, a parent, a phone… That last one is surprisingly often more appealing than all their baby toys put together.

How can you help baby crawl without pushing them?

Good news: no training programme needed. To start crawling, baby mainly needs plenty of free time on the floor. A space that’s big enough lets them roll, pivot, move on their tummy and try out different ways of supporting themselves without hitting a boundary every thirty centimetres.

What’s under baby matters too. A very soft surface absorbs some of the pressure as they push up, while a floor that’s too hard isn’t especially welcoming for those first, sometimes rather… wobbly attempts.

At Mezamé, that’s exactly what matters to us about time spent on the floor: it’s not just a way to keep baby occupied until they can walk. It’s where they develop so much of their independence.

For clothes, choose flexible outfits that let baby bend their hips and knees easily. At home, bare feet give them good grip and help prevent some slips. You can also place a few toys or interesting objects around baby, just out of reach when they start wanting to move. Just.

The aim is to make them want to try, not to give them their first taste of sporting frustration.

We can get down on the floor with them, nice and comfortable here on our mat, encourage them, talk to them and move a little further away to tempt them to come over. But there’s no need to move their arms and legs for them. When babies are free to move, we create the right conditions and they do the rest.

Do all babies crawl?

No. And that’s probably the most important answer in this article.

Some children follow exactly the path we imagine: rolling over, moving on their tummy, crawling, standing, then walking. Others take a much less conventional route. They shuffle on their bottoms, move on their tummies for months, roll from one end of the mat to the other or quickly go from the floor to pulling themselves up on furniture and then walking.

The NHS also points out that not all babies crawl and that some prefer to shuffle along on their bottoms. Free movement is precisely about making room for these differences.

That doesn’t mean we stop paying attention to our child’s development because "every baby goes at their own pace". Instead, we look at the whole picture: their progress, muscle tone and curiosity about movement, how they use their arms and legs, and their growing ability to explore new positions.

In other words, watch your baby, not just their age on the calendar.

Why is crawling valuable for baby’s development?

Crawling is a real turning point, much more than a milestone to tick off! For motor development, it engages the whole body: arms grow stronger, hands bear weight, knees provide support and tummy muscles keep everything steady. It’s a natural progression after sitting and before standing and walking.

For their senses, moving around changes how baby experiences their surroundings: they judge distances, adjust their movements to the feel of the floor and coordinate what they see with what they do. This exploration supports cognitive development. By moving towards a toy or a familiar face on their own, baby develops independence, confidence and an understanding of space, learning that their actions have consequences. This growth goes hand in hand with the growth of the brain, which becomes two and a half times larger between birth and 12 months.

Professionals emphasise the importance of giving babies time and space to move freely, without forcing them into a position. For more guidance, the Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine and Éditions Midi trente offer well-regarded resources for parents. This stage lays the foundations for healthy development, well beyond simply learning to walk.

But perhaps the real revolution lies elsewhere. For the first time, baby can decide where they want to go. And that changes a lot.

Until now, the world mostly came to baby. Now they can spot a toy, move over to grab it, change direction, follow someone or set off to explore another part of the room.

They’re discovering distances, obstacles and the feel of different floors and, above all, one rather thrilling idea: I want to go over there, and my body can take me.

This newfound independence naturally makes your baby eager to explore. For parents, it also marks the start of a rather special time: suddenly, you see your own home from baby’s eye level.

• That houseplant that’s been perfectly harmless for eight years? Suddenly suspicious.
• That cable behind the sofa? Fascinating.
• That tiny scrap of paper nobody had noticed? Spotted in under three seconds.
  

So when baby starts crawling, it’s also a good time to take another proper look around the house and make anything that needs it safe.

Frequently asked questions about babies crawling

At what age can a baby start crawling?

Most babies start crawling at around 7 to 10 months, but the normal range is much wider. WHO data places the observed window for learning to crawl on hands and knees at approximately 5 to 13 months.

My baby moves on their tummy but doesn’t crawl on hands and knees. Should I worry?

No. Moving on their tummy is a perfectly valid way for babies to get around, and some do it for a long time before crawling on hands and knees. Others never crawl in the classic way at all.

Is a baby who never crawls behind in their development?

Not necessarily. Some children move around in other ways before going on to stand and walk. Skipping crawling is not, on its own, a sign of developmental delay. 

Does baby need to sit up independently before crawling?

Not necessarily. These skills often develop around the same time, but the order can vary. Some children start moving on their tummies or crawling before they can sit up independently with complete confidence.

Why does baby crawl backwards?

It’s very common at first. When baby pushes up on their arms, they may push their body backwards before they can coordinate their arms and legs to move forwards. With practice, they usually work out how to change direction.

How can you help baby start crawling?

Give them regular time on the floor in a safe space, on a comfortable, stable surface, with flexible clothes and a few objects that make them want to move. There’s no need to position their arms or legs for them.

When should you seek advice about baby’s motor development?

If baby shows no signs of moving around by around 12 months, if you notice a marked difference between how they use the two sides of their body, if they lose skills they had gained, or if you’re more generally concerned about their development, speak to your paediatrician, doctor or a child health professional at a French PMI centre.