Mobility: What's the typical progression?

[odoole]

DS is 7.5 months, but he was a preemie so adjusted I guess he's only 6 months. He's been sitting unassisted for 1.5 months now and just in the last couple weeks seems to make motions toward crawling. He'll reach for a toy and put one arm down to balance himself. Sometimes he'll put both arms down and be in the bridge position for a couple seconds, then he'll lay down on his tummy and roll over.

He also has recently started taking legitimate steps when he's standing holding our hands. I think he can pull up on his own, but he doesn't really do it because we don't really have any furniture he can do it on, plus he can't crawl to it anyway.

He can't get himself in the sitting position and doesn't seem at all inclined to doing it. If he's on his belly he'll instantly flip over to his back.

So I'm wondering what's the normal progression for mobility? I know some babies skip crawling, but how do they ever learn to pull up if they can't crawl? And will he have to learn to crawl before he can learn to get himself in the sitting position? How does learning to crawl happen, anyways? Is it typically from the sitting position to the crawling position, or do babies typically push up from the tummy position?

And is there anything I can/should do to aid in this process, or is this just something he has to figure out on his own?

I know there must be some good online resources that explain all this to me, but I can't seem to find them ...

So many questions!!!

[red and lulu]

i've come to believe that there is no standard progression — babies do things in their own way in their own time. i feel like everyone i know with kids says each one mobilized in a completely different order and style.

dd is 8 mo. she could stably sit unassisted by 4 mo. but she did not start rolling until this week. around 6 mo she started the whole crawling prep — up on all fours, rocking back and forth — but then stopped trying to crawl and started pulling up and taking steps. i think once she cruises or walks, then she'll crawl. she has her own priorities

[Novus]

I agree with the PP that there's not a set progression. DS would sit up at 6 months, but couldn't get himself there until after he was crawling. He rolled from front to back at about 6 weeks, but couldn't go the other way until he was 7 months. He did the board position for a couple of weeks at 6 months, then rocked back and forth, then started crawling, pulling up, and cruising within days of each other at 7.5 months. But even though he would cruise around furniture, he didn't take steps holding our hands until maybe a month later. Oh, and he got to crawling position by pushing up from his belly, but my friends baby always goes from the sitting position...so who knows!

[odoole]

Fascinating. I guess you're right -- it's all about their priorities.

I'd be interested in hearing more experiences with mobility progressions ...

[MsVyky]

Originally Posted by odoole

I'd be interested in hearing more experiences with mobility progressions ...

me too...

[dahlialia]

DD1 went from rolling, to sitting (if we put her in position), to crawling, to being able to sit up from hands and knees, to pulling up, then cruising then walking.

DD2 so far has been: rolling, sitting if we put her in position, switching between sitting and hands & knees (but cannot crawl), pulling up, and sitting back down. I will not be at all surprised if she walks before crawling. She currently gets around the room by repeatedly switching between sitting, and hands and knees.

[Sweet.Bee]

I only have one child, so I'm not sure about "normal" progression, but my experience with my son (will be 11 months at the end of March) has been his development is strongly linked to what he wants to do at any given time.

So, he learned to roll from tummy to back early on (4-5 weeks) because I kept putting him on his tummy, and he hated it. Around 5 months or so, he decided being on his back was boring and restrictive, so he learned to roll onto his tummy. Even now, if I try to put him on his back (ex. diaper change), he struggles with all his might to roll onto his tummy.

He was never really interested in sitting until a few months ago, when he started doing that to have his hands free to play. He was standing, crawling, pulling himself up, and walking along the furniture (and pushing/running with his cart!) before really sitting so well.

Currently, we're working on walking, but we've hit a wall. He took his first steps around 9.5 months, but hasn't worked on it much since then.

He can stand freely, but doesn't much care to. If I try to stand him where there's nothing to hold onto, he very slowly with complete control squats down to his knees and then crawls off to somewhere else. Or he stands there for a bit before realizing that he's standing alone, and then lowers down.

His solo walking record is about 3 steps, usually when he's in too much of a rush to lower and crawl. And yet, he pushes his cart around the living room with so much speed and force, ha! I'd imagine he will start walking alone as soon as he realizes it's faster than crawling, but at the moment he is simply not interested. He has the strength and coordination but not the interest, which is why I think a baby's development has a lot to do with what he/she wants to do (at least in my son's case). Also, we have hardwood floors, and he fell a lot on the back of his head, poor baby, before deciding he could just land on his butt, so I think he's a bit afraid of venturing out alone with nothing to grab.

[CassnBeth]

This is fascinating! My DD's gross motor development has been all over the map. She rolled front to back at 4 days, sat well unassisted at 5.5 months and started pulling herself up on my hands and taking steps while holding on to me around 5.5 months too. She could stand for a long time holding on to a piece of furniture and cruise tentatively at 6 months but it wasn't until one day at 8 months that she really took off cruising (though she still can't get back down from standing up).

Through all this she had zero interest in crawling until two weeks ago when she suddenly figured out how to roll back to front and get up on hands and knees. Five days ago she got the hang of going from hands and knees to sitting, yesterday she managed proper cross crawling and this morning she pulled herself up on a non-human object for the first time. Interestingly, she could wander all over the house with her new skills but, if anything, she is more clingy than usual. The possibilities are definitely freaking her out.

[Abraisme]

Originally Posted by red + lulu

i've come to believe that there is no standard progression — babies do things in their own way in their own time. i feel like everyone i know with kids says each one mobilized in a completely different order and style.

dd is 8 mo. she could stably sit unassisted by 4 mo. but she did not start rolling until this week. around 6 mo she started the whole crawling prep — up on all fours, rocking back and forth — but then stopped trying to crawl and started pulling up and taking steps. i think once she cruises or walks, then she'll crawl. she has her own priorities

This is pretty much where we're at. My DD is 7.5mo and only wants to stand up and cruise. She has zero interest in crawling (even though she can get up on hands and knees and rock). I wouldn't be surprised if she walks first. I have no idea how she'll get to an object to pull up though!

[kismetbaby]

Isn't it interesting! I know a lot of babes in their first year right now and they have all had different development with mobility. My LO is 5.5. months and has never rolled yet! Not once. But he's big (21lbs already) and he pretty much only wants to stand--assisted of course or just lay on his back and talk to us/look around. He hates tummy time. He is just learning to sit, but really prefers to be on his feet. So I wouldn't be surprised if he learned to walk before he ever even rolled over!

[MsVyky]

My daughter rolled tummy-to-back at about 3 months, and has really only done it a handful of times. About a month ago she rolled back-to-tummy, but only a couple times as well. She can easily get from her back to her side. SHe loves to stand holding my hands, but she can't sit unassisted yet (She is 5 months today)

[odoole]

This is great info. I guess you just never know what to expect. Everyone tells me I should be grateful he's not crawling yet, which I guess I am. I just don't know how close or far away he is to doing it. He falls forward on his face a lot these days because he's become much bolder in lunging for toys beyond his reach.

[belltree]

That is a very interesting thread.

Our progression so far is different than others described here:

Carrying his weight at 2 months
Able to sit for extended periods of time when placed in sitting position: 4 months
Making babysteps on our hands: 4.5months
The first roll over: 4.75months (front to back only and only once a day with lots off effort and complaining)

If he goes on like that, he will walk before he rolls over and joins kismetbaby

[askew]

My DS rolled at 4 months, both ways within day of the other, then pushed up on hands and knees. At 5.5 months he would inch worm crawl all over, at 6.5 months cross crawl, and at 7 months he was cruising like a pro. He did not take his first steps until 12 months and did not walk 100% of the time until 13+ months. He preferred crawling. He did not sit until later either, and even then he pushed back onto he knees and W sat.

DD rolled at 5 months, both ways often at 7 months, and now rolls to get places. She can not sit yet and does not push up on hands and knees- however she is on medication that reduces her muscle tone so that factors in greatly.