During the first few weeks of their lives, newborns will spend most of their time stretching out their arms and legs. After all, they have spent so much time in a scrunched up position inside the womb. Some babies will start lifting their hips within the first two months; others may start doing it along with kicking their legs by month four. Your baby does it to learn what they can do with those legs. They will start crawling by the time they are 7 months old – many babies may start doing it early though. However, some babies may take longer to start crawling, so no worries for 9 month old baby not crawling, but you can certainly try a few tricks to help them start using their legs more efficiently.

Should You Worry If Your 9 Month Old Baby Is Not Crawling?

No worries. Some babies may be able to crawl by the time they are 7 months old, but it is also common for babies to not crawl until they are 12 months old. Many babies may only be able to lift their body up on their hands and knees and rock back and forth only. This is a good sign though and shows that they are getting ready to crawl. Here, it is important to understand that some babies are more laid-back and they just do not like to crawl. You will also find some babies use different ways to get around – some may scoot on their bottom to move around. Therefore, crawling is more of a temperamental thing than anything else. It means that even if your baby does not crawl at a later age, it really is nothing to worry about, especially if they are meeting other developmental milestones, such as cruising on furniture, pulling to stand, and using their hands correctly.

What You Can Do to Help?

It is important to give your little one enough play time every day. Let them play on their belly on the floor. Your aim should be to limit the amount of time they spend on walkers, bouncers, or jumpers. Another good idea is to place your baby on your lower leg and tuck their knee under them. This will help them learn how to put weight on their knees. Be sure to make them place their hands on the floor while you help them learn how to bear weight on their joints. Rocking babies back and forth in this position will also encourage them to start crawling.

You may also let them play on the floor. Use some toys to encourage them to reach out and grab those toys. This will also help them learn how to crawl and move forward. When using toys, ensure that you have not placed them right in front of your baby. Instead, place those toys on your baby's sides, so that they may have to rotate their body to get to those toys. Using these simple moves may be enough to teach your baby how to use their feet and knees to move around.

What to Watch For

9 month old baby not crawling is usually nothing serious, but you may want to talk to your pediatrician if your baby finds it difficult to support their body weight or has little energy to move around. Such signs show that your baby may have low muscle tone, which means that their brain may not be sending nerve impulses to the muscles correctly. Such issues can lead to muscle weakness.

Similarly, you should talk to your doctor if your baby is not rolling, scooting, or crawling by 1 year of age. It is also a good idea to tell the pediatrician if you notice your baby use one side more than the other while crawling. This may indicate problems, especially if your baby is also behind other developmental milestones. In most cases, this is nothing to worry about, but in some rare cases, it may be due to a neurological issue.

See What Other Moms Got to Say

"9 month old baby not crawling is no big deal. My son started crawling when he was 11 months old. He eventually started walking when he was 18 months old. I constantly worried about him taking so long to crawl – I thought he was having some developmental issues, but it all turned out to be fine. He is now 25 months old and can differentiate between different colors and shapes. I think he is growing fine."

"My son will turn 10 months in a couple of days and he has not started crawling yet. However, I do not worry much about it after reading what other moms have to say. My son is 30lbs, and though he has not yet started crawling, he could sit without support since he was 6 months old. I really believe he will soon start to crawl as well."

"My son has just turned 8 months and he can now sit on his own. He has recently started using his hands to keep him from falling to his sides when sitting. He is 19lbs and I can tell that he is getting stronger by the day. He can now lift his head easily and look around too, but he has not started crawling yet. I think it is in the family as my nephew started crawling when he was 10 months old. My doctor told me not to worry about anything and just be there to support my baby when he tries to crawl."

"When my baby did not start crawling at 9 months, I was concerned too. I read a lot about it and even talked to my doctor. They said that each baby grows at their own pace, so there is nothing to worry about. You should not worry, but you can certainly talk to your baby's doctor to ensure everything is fine. Do not listen to anyone but your doctor. If they say everything is fine, it certainly is."