Is bottom shuffling a problem?
Would it surprise you if I said just under 1 in 10 babies will bottom shuffle rather than crawl? In fact there are many reasons why many children choose to skip the crawling stage! To understand why your little one may be choosing to bottom shuffle may help to determine if they need any extra encouragement to crawl or if this is a normal variant for them.
Contents:
What is bottom shuffling?
Bottom shuffling is when a child is in a sitting position and moves around by shuffling their bottom on the floor. Some use their hands to help propel themselves along, some shuffle one hip at a time and others bounce forwards with both legs together.
Why do children bottom shuffle?
Not having enough time on their tummies (some babies don't tolerate it) which leads to weakness in arm, neck and back muscles
Unable to roll from back to front, so getting into a crawl position and moving from crawl to sitting is too hard
Increased suppleness in their joints - so struggle to stabilise through the arms
They can move quickly whilst holding objects, so motivation to crawl is low.
Top 4 activities you can do to help
Practice kneeling: This will help build core strength and help with the stepping stone to standing.
Encourage them to take weight through their legs for example getting them to lean forwards to reach for toys.
Help your child to pull up to standing from your lap
Conclusion:
All children develop at different rates and in different ways. If your child chooses to bottom shuffle instead of crawl thats ok! Lets just support them in building the arm strength, core strength and neck strength to help them with their stands. If you're not sure how to do this or to understand the reasons why your little one is bum shuffling - why not book in with our paediatric physiotherapist Kate?
