Crawling
Most babies who crawl on hands and knees start at around 8 months. Nearly all of them start between about 5 and 13½ months, and some healthy babies never crawl at all.
How sure are we?
Not sure yet. Only one large study has measured the age so far, and many healthy babies move in other ways or skip crawling. How we know this
What it’s a sign of
Your baby can get to things on their own, which opens up a lot of exploring.
Not every baby crawls on hands and knees. Two studies found about 15 to 20 in 100 babies bottom-shuffle, creep on their tummy, roll, or go straight to walking. Bottom-shufflers tend to walk a little later. Babies who sleep on their backs may crawl a little later.
We haven't yet read a second large study with crawling ages.
A main source for the ages
WHO Motor Development Study: Windows of achievement for six gross motor development milestones
WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group · 2006 · Acta Paediatrica
- Children
- About 800 children
- Where
- Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the United States
- Ages
- 4 months to 2 years
- How
- Trained researchers tested the same children every month or two, and parents noted the dates too
- What it found
- The World Health Organization followed about 800 healthy children in five countries and measured when they first sat, crawled, stood and walked. Nearly all children walked on their own between about 8 and 18 months, and about half by their first birthday.
- Limits
- All the children were healthy and growing well, so the windows describe healthy children. The study stopped at 2 years.
A study that questioned earlier findings
Prewalking locomotor movements and their use in predicting standing and walking
Peter Robson · 1984 · Child Care Health and Development
- Children
- Not given in the summary we read
- Where
- Not given in the summary we read
- Ages
- Before walking
- How
- Not given in the summary we read
- What it found
- About 8 in 10 babies crawled on hands and knees before walking. Others shuffled on their bottom, crept on their tummy or rolled, and about 7 in 100 went straight to standing and walking.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary, which doesn't give how many babies or where.
A main source for the ages
Age for onset of walking and prewalking strategies
Gunfrid Vinje Størvold, K. Aarethun, Grete Helen Bratberg · 2013 · Early Human Development
- Children
- About 48,000 children
- Where
- Norway
- Ages
- First two years
- How
- Parents' reports
- What it found
- About a quarter of children walked by 12 months, half by about 13 months and three-quarters by 14 months. About 85 in 100 crawled on hands and knees first, and about 7 in 100 bottom-shuffled.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary. Walking meant at least 5 steps alone.
A study that questioned earlier findings
Effects of Sleep Position on Infant Motor Development
Beth Ellen Davis, Rachel Y. Moon, Hari Cheryl Sachs, Su‐Ting T. Li · 1998 · PEDIATRICS
- Children
- About 350 babies
- Where
- The United States
- Ages
- First year
- How
- Parents kept a log of when their baby reached each milestone
- What it found
- Babies who slept on their tummies reached rolling, crawling and pulling to stand earlier than babies who slept on their backs, but they walked at the same age.
- Limits
- We have only read the summary, which doesn't give the size of the difference in months.
If you’re worried about your child, talk to your child and family health nurse or GP.
Last checked 2 November 2026