Bear Crawl vs. Normal Crawl: Understanding Your Baby's Crawling Milestones
“What does it mean when a baby starts bear crawling?”
“Is it ok if my baby only bear crawls on hands and feet instead of knees?”
“Why does it matter if my baby bear crawls? Is hands and knees crawling really that much better?”
“Why is skipping hands and knees crawling a red flag?”
If those questions sound familiar, you’re NOT alone, and you’re in the right place!
While bear crawling is not uncommon, and can even be predictably seen at certain points in development (more on that below!), hands and knees crawling IS still considered the ‘gold standard’ for development that we want to aim for….so what do you do if your child is bear crawling, or do you even have to do anything? Let’s talk about it!
The Crawling Milestone - Why it Matters, What Different Crawling Styles Mean, & What You Need to Know to Support Your Child’s Crawling Journey
First - The great crawling controversy - who’s right, who’s wrong, and does crawling really matter?
I realize by nature of my profession, I’m obviously a touch biased, but I’m here to tell you wholeheartedly - YES - crawling matters SO, so much. I’d actually argue it may be the most important milestone of all because of its immense benefits in SO many areas of our little’s development.
From the obvious physical, strength & coordination benefits, to the maybe less obvious cognitive, brain related, social emotional and even communication benefits—crawling is truly a powerhouse of development and helps lay the foundation for some seriously exciting milestones to come.
Crawling on hands and knees is so much more than just a mode of movement – it's a comprehensive exercise that engages multiple muscle groups, fosters coordination, strengthens core muscles, strengthens communication between both sides of the brain, aids in vision development, encourages spatial awareness AND SO MUCH MORE.
It even helps to set the stage for future fine motor skills like handwriting, lays the foundation for reading skills, aids in hand-eye coordination development, postural control & balance, and even encourages communication skills as well—SO cool, right?!
Simply put, hands and knees crawling is such an exciting stepping stone towards supporting your child's future achievements and is absolutely a milestone worth fighting for!
The Facts About Crawling
Quickly, let’s talk about the benefits of crawling and why it is so important, but often overlooked! “I never crawled and I’m fine!”... “does crawling really even matter though?”...”my little one wants to skip right to walking!” Things I’m sure, as parents, we’ve all heard.
But honestly, crawling on hands and knees is such an important milestone, arguably the most important one from a motor development standpoint, and should absolutely be encouraged, in my opinion!
Here’s just some of the reasons why.
Current research suggests that crawling on hands and knees has the following benefits for children, as compared to children that did not crawl:
Improved coordination
Crawling is one of the first milestones that requires cross-lateral movement (moving the opposite arm and leg simultaneously). This causes MAJOR communication between both sides of the brain, which means coordination & strength!
Improved grip strength & hand arch development
During crawling, a child weight bears on open hands, which provides immense sensory input to the palms of the hand, lengthens AND strengthens muscles, and contributes to improved fine motor skill development - like handwriting!
Improved problem solving & spatial awareness
As a child crawls through their environment, they have to become aware of not only their body position in relation to things surrounding them, but also how to get around obstacles within their path.
Improved shoulder, hip & core strengthening
As a child gets up into hands and knees, they are working in a more dynamic way against gravity, which strengthens those important muscle groups and supports the developing spinal curves.
Improved strength and stability through the spine as mature spinal curvatures develop
Newborns have a C-shaped spine from the in-utero positioning, known as the PRIMARY curve. The neck and lower back are SECONDARY curves, because they develop as a child lifts their head in tummy time, sits, crawls, and stands. These are S-shaped curves. The cervical curve develops in months 3-4 of life as baby lifts their head in tummy time. The lumbar curve develops as baby starts to press up when on their belly, pivot around, and crawl on all fours. These begin around month 5, and continues until baby is walking. The more time a baby has to develop that curve on the floor through crawling and strengthenIng the muscles, the more supported the spine will be in upright positions!
Improved depth perception, memory retention, and cognitive skill development.
Varying sensory experiences—as a child crawls up and over differing textures & surfaces
Why Hands & Knees Crawling Really Matters...Or Does It?
Is hands and knees crawling the only thing worth working for? While it is certainly the ‘gold standard’ and the crawl we are aiming for, any movement is a good thing and gives us so much we can work with to get your child to hands and knees. Some of the most common questions I get are along the lines of, ‘what actually ‘defines’ crawling?’, or ‘is it ok if my little one only ever Bear crawls, army crawls, or butt scoots, or 3 legged hitch crawls?’ - and I get it! It can be confusing, especially with conflicting information, so let’s clear it up!
Unraveling Common Crawling Variations
Again, in general, crawling on hands and knees is considered the ‘gold standard’ we are aiming for, as it truly shows that a child has developed the immense strength, coordination and mobility in BIG important muscle groups to achieve it.
And while variations like...
Army Crawling (belly remains on the floor & arms & legs move alternately)
Bear Crawling (Crawling on hands & feet with bottom in the air)
Butt Scooting (Moving in a sitting position by scooting on their bottom)
Hitch/3 legged/asymmetrical Crawling (Crawling with one leg up & the weight on their foot rather than knee and/or a combination of butt scooting & 3 legged crawling)
….might seem common (and/or may be present right alongside hands and knees at times), if they are the ONLY way your child can crawl or are the preferred method more than 50-60% of the time, we definitely want to be sure there isn’t anything underlying contributing to that variation that can actually impact overall development.
Sometimes, variations may be present for reasons as simple as a child starting to army crawl because they are MOTIVATED and just want to GO, but don’t quite have the strength & coordination yet to get on hands and knees, and that’s okay! Sometimes, the crawling variation may happen for a brief period (like with bear crawling) as they learn a NEW skill, like rising into stand (more on that below!) - And sometimes, there may be a bit more contributing to crawling variations, like often is the case with butt scooting and 3 legged crawling.
Again, if those variations are the ONLY or primary (more than 50-60% of the time) way they can navigate their environment independently, doing some investigative work to uncover the WHY can be a game changer in addressing that why & getting them to that gold standard hands and knees crawl—and the best part? It’s relatively easy to do just that with the right support & guidance....aka, I’VE GOT YOU!
Back to the Bear Crawl…
Is there ever a time when bear crawling NOT a concern?
The short answer - ABSOLUTELY! As I mentioned above, there are periods in development where seeing the bear crawl and/or your child going into the ‘downward dog’/bear crawl position is not only NOT a concern, but it’s actually developmentally significant and a sign that a new skill may be right on the horizon!
The long answer…..
Oftentimes, we see bear crawling and/or the static downward dog position at a few different key points in development - prepping for crawling, pre-walking/early walking, and toddlerhood, let’s break down each quickly.
When working towards crawling on hands and knees (prepping for crawling):
At this stage, the purpose of that bear crawl position is actually to help integrate reflexes - most specifically, one called the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR). The STNR reflex is important for many aspects of crawling development, but most notably, aids in the ability to separate and coordinate the upper and lower halves of the body, get into and hold a hands and knees position, posture development, hand eye coordination, and balance.
There are two movement patterns related to the STNR reflex; flexion and extension. During the time when your child is integrating this reflex, you will notice while on their belly OR on hands and knees:
When their head is flexed/looking DOWNWARD their ARMS will BEND and the LEGS will STRAIGHTEN (similar to that downward dog position with elbows slightly bent).
In contrast, when their head is extended/looking UPWARD, the ARMS STRAIGHTEN and the LEGS BEND (ie: the hands and knees crawling position!).
From here, baby will often begin to rock on hands and knees, which in combination with that bear crawl position, is what works to integrate the STNR and ultimately allow baby to take off crawling!
Pretty amazing, right?!
When working on the transition into standing (pre-walkers) or in early walkers:
Once little one is working on standing and beginning to progress through upright skills towards independent walking, one of the biggest things they need to be able to do is be able to rise into and out of standing AND balance in standing without hand support.
As they are learning to rise and balance with less hand support, the downward dog/bear crawl position allows them to NOT ONLY continue that coordination between the upper and lower halves of their body mentioned above as well as continue integrating that STNR to aid in posture and balance development, but it also allows them to either:
Use their hands on a slightly elevated surface and/or by pushing gently on their legs to rise into standing *Pro tip: If you’re seeing this, try giving them a small stool or slightly elevated surface to put their hands on to assist with rising into standing!
OR
Shift their weight by rocking back into a semi-squatting position so they can then rise from a squat with their legs in alignment!
Both the full integration of the STNR AND the ability to rise into a standing position should be occurring by 12 months of age, so again, seeing that bear crawl position around this stage is often totally okay AND a good sign they’re working through it all and figuring out their bodies AND their motor skill development!
Added bonus - that bear crawl position is GREAT for strengthening arms, shoulders, and getting really nice weight bearing through their hands which helps with arch development, fine motor skill development, hand strength and MORE!
Bear Crawling Once A Child is Fully Walking:
Lastly, what about one they’re fully walking and headed towards toddlerhood and you start to see that bear crawl again?!
Honestly, this one is mostly about body schema development - they’re learning so much about where their body is in space, how their body relates to things within their environment as they move, learning what it’s like to move in a more complex way against gravity, PLUS they’re getting that same strengthening through the arms, weight bearing & strengthening through the hands, AND getting some sillies out while exploring their body!
Beyond that, and in my opinion one of the most important benefits to that downward dog position, is its role in activating the vestibular system in the inner ear. When we are head down and the sensory/vestibular systems are stimulated, it can have an immense calming and regulating effect - and while they may not realize WHY they’re doing it, I can assure you, they’re feeling the benefits!
To learn more about the downward dog position, check the full blog out HERE.
My Top 3 Tips for Encouraging Healthy Crawling Patterns
and supporting the transition from bear crawling to hands & knees crawling:
Consider Environment Set Up: When your little one is on the floor exploring, placing things around them that are varying heights (think: a small stool, a couch cushion or mattress on the ground, diaper boxes on their side) can be a REALLY simple way to support not only the transition to hands & knees crawling, but also the transition into standing from squatting!
Obstacle Play: This is HUGE for supporting the transition to hands and knees from the bear crawl position! Placing obstacles within their path (sticking your legs out as they crawl past you, having pillows or towels/blankets within their path, etc) often forces them to drop to their knees in order to successfully navigate it. Added bonus, it’s FUN and super silly, and kids often love navigating around them!
Supervised Stair Play: If you have stairs in your home, I can’t recommend beginning to teach your child how to safely navigate them as soon as they become mobile. I know it can be intimidating, but you can truly be the most attentive parent in the world and things happen - big kids leave a gate open, a dog pushes through a gate - and knowing your child knows how to be safe is HUGE for your peace of mind and their safety! More on teaching stair and furniture safety can be found HERE. And while stair safety is important for so many obvious reasons, supporting your little one in navigating the stairs in a crawling position ALSO really works on that transition to hands & knees crawling, as again, it forces those knees down & targets strengthening the exact muscle groups we need! Win, win if you ask me!
Looking for More Crawling Support?
For tons more tips, tricks, play activities & crawling support - be sure to check out my Conquering Crawling Class & join the thousands of families that have mastered their milestones while having fun, connecting, and supporting their little one’s unique journey through milestones!
And for lots of my absolute FAVORITE toys that are fun AND support development and crawling success, check this out!
But what if bear crawling IS the only way your child can successfully move through their environment?
If bear crawling is the primary or only way your child is able to successfully explore their environment, it’s always worth discussing a referral with your pediatrician so you can investigate a bit further with a pediatric therapist. This referral can be to your state/county’s Early Intervention program (find your contact number HERE), or to a private pediatric therapist if your insurance allows it.
And if you’re in the waiting process for a referral or evaluation, or are just looking for more information on how to encourage healthy crawling patterns & your child’s development through play, ALL from the comfort of your home - I’ve got exactly what you need!
I hope this helps - and remember, while we do love to see hands and knees, ANY movement matters and is a wonderful sign that your little is on their way to exploring their world, learning & GROWING! Happy Crawling, friends!
