The controversial truth about crawling and what pediatric therapists really think
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Your pediatrician might have told you, “Don’t worry if your baby skips crawling. They’ll find another way to get around.”
And maybe you felt relieved in that moment. One less thing to worry about, right?
But what if I told you that crawling isn’t just about getting from point A to point B? What if crawling is actually wiring your baby’s brain for reading, writing, focus, and coordination?
Today, we’re diving into one of the most controversial decisions in recent pediatric history—the CDC’s removal of crawling from their milestone checklist in 2022. We’re going to talk about why the therapy community strongly disagrees with this decision, what the research actually says, and what you need to know to help your baby thrive.
As a pediatric occupational therapist and mom of three, this is a topic I’m deeply passionate about. So let’s talk about why crawling still matters—because this information could change your child’s developmental trajectory.
The 2022 Crawling Controversy: What Actually Happened
In 2022, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics made a decision that sent shockwaves through the therapy community: they removed crawling from their developmental milestone checklist.
Almost immediately, parents started hearing things like:
- “Crawling isn’t that important anymore.”
- “Don’t worry if your baby skips it.”
- “As long as they’re moving somehow, it’s fine.”
But here’s what most parents don’t know: the therapy community—occupational therapists, physical therapists, and developmental specialists—strongly disagrees with this decision.
The Statistics That Matter
In a recent survey, researchers found that:
- 92% of pediatric physical therapists believed crawling was important
- 79% disagreed with the removal of crawling from the CDC checklists
So if 92% of the experts who specialize in infant motor development think crawling matters… why did the CDC remove it?
Why the CDC Removed Crawling (And Why I Disagree)
Let me be clear: I don’t think the CDC made this decision carelessly. But I do think they made the wrong decision.
The CDC’s Reasoning
One of the main reasons the CDC removed crawling as a milestone was that they were unable to accurately determine when 75% of babies should begin crawling.
There’s so much variation in when babies start crawling:
- Some start at 6 months
- Others at 10 months
- Some babies never crawl in the traditional sense
Because they couldn’t pinpoint a specific age range that fit their statistical model, they decided to remove it altogether.
The Problem with This Logic
Here’s where I have an issue with this reasoning.
Many of us in the therapy community believe that intentional research studies could have established an appropriate age range for crawling. But we have to ask the hard question: Who would fund such an expensive study?
There’s no pharmaceutical company that benefits from babies crawling. There’s no medical device manufacturer that profits from this milestone. So the research funding just isn’t there.
And as a result, parents are being told that crawling doesn’t matter—when the reality is far more complex.
What Crawling Does for the Brain: The Fascinating Science
Alright, now let’s talk about what’s actually happening in your baby’s brain when they crawl. Because this is where things get really fascinating.
The Corpus Callosum: Building the Brain Bridge
When your baby crawls on their hands and knees, they’re doing something remarkable: they’re strengthening the corpus callosum—the bridge that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
How Crawling Wires the Brain
Crawling involves contralateral movements—meaning:
- Right arm and left leg move together
- Then left arm and right leg move together
- It’s a criss-cross pattern
And that crisscross pattern? It’s literally wiring the two sides of your baby’s brain to communicate with each other.
The corpus callosum is shown in red
The Research
Research has found that rapid myelination (the insulation of nerve fibers that makes brain signals faster and more efficient) of the corpus callosum occurs during the first year of life. And guess when that happens? Exactly when crawling and cross-lateral behaviors emerge.
Other studies have found a strong association between corpus callosum integrity and positive motor outcomes later in life.
So when your baby crawls, they’re not just moving across the floor. They’re building the brain infrastructure for:
- Coordination
- Bilateral skills
- Future reading abilities
- Writing skills
The Cerebellum: The Brain’s Hidden Powerhouse
Crawling also activates the cerebellum—and this is where things get even more interesting.
Why the Cerebellum Matters
The cerebellum is commonly known for helping with balance, coordination, and timing. These are skills your child will need for everything:
- Riding a bike
- Playing a musical instrument
- Writing their name
- Playing sports
The Mind-Blowing Statistics
But here’s what blows my mind: The cerebellum only accounts for 10% of the weight of the human brain, but it contains 80% of the brain’s total neurons!
That’s approximately 69 billion neurons—four times as many as the cerebral cortex!
Beyond Balance
And now scientists are starting to understand that the cerebellum isn’t just responsible for balance. It also plays a role in:
✅ Eye tracking and ocular motor function
✅ Cognition and problem-solving
✅ Behavior and emotional regulation
In fact, there are case studies of people who had tumors removed from their cerebellum and lost their ability to regulate their emotions, speak clearly, track objects with their eyes, and control their behavior.
It’s fascinating to realize that crawling impacts the cerebellum, and the cerebellum is so important to overall brain function.
How Crawling Impacts Future Skills: What the Research Shows
Now let’s talk about what happens beyond the first year. Because the benefits of crawling don’t stop once your baby starts walking.
1. Reading, Writing, and Coordination
Study: McEwan, Dihoff, and Brosvic (1991)
Finding: Children in preschool who were identified as non-crawlers by their parents scored lower on average on the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers than their peers who did crawl.
What this means: Early crawling experience develops all the sensory and motor systems, which then lead to general motor skill development.
2. Sensory-Motor Experiences and Language
Study: Yamamoto et al. (2025)
Finding: Babies who experience less variation in crawling (didn’t experiment with army crawling, hands-and-knees crawling, and other variations) subsequently experience fewer sensory-motor experiences overall.
What this means: This lack of sensory-motor experiences leads to developmental delays, especially in fine motor and language development.
Think about that for a second. The way your baby moves across the floor is connected to how they’ll eventually speak and use their hands.
3. Memory and Cognitive Skills
Study: Herbert, Gross, and Hayne (2007)
Finding: 9-month-old babies who were crawling demonstrated more flexible memory retrieval during the first year of life.
What this means: Memory retrieval is a key ingredient for highly sophisticated cognitive skills. It allows us to find and use our memories in situations that are different from those in which our memories were originally created.
In other words, crawling babies were better at problem-solving and adapting to new situations.
4. Motor and Communication Connection
Study: Wang et al. (2014)
Finding: Motor and communication skills are highly correlated at 18 months old. Motor abilities predict communication abilities at age 3.
What this means: Crawling isn’t just about movement. It’s about language. It’s about memory. It’s about cognitive development. It’s ALL connected.
What Happens When Babies Skip Crawling
So what happens when babies skip crawling?
When babies skip crawling, future development may be negatively impacted. As the research shows, when babies don’t crawl, they’re not exposed to a variety of sensory-motor experiences—and this can negatively affect development in all areas, but especially:
❌ Gross motor skills
❌ Fine motor skills
❌ Speech development
Even in preschool, children who did not crawl score lower on developmental assessments.
“But My Baby Skipped Crawling and They’re Fine!”
I know what some of you are thinking. You might even have a family member who says, “My baby skipped crawling and now they’re an elite athlete!”
And here’s my response: There are always exceptions. The research shows trends, not absolute rules.
If your child skipped crawling and didn’t experience any of the developmental issues we just highlighted, I would believe they were able to wire and activate their brain through different motor activities—like walking, running, climbing, or playing.
The Important Distinction
But here’s the key: We’re not focused purely on the act of crawling. The most important part of this conversation is HOW crawling wires and activates crucial regions of the brain.
If a child skipped crawling but got those same cross-lateral, sensory-rich, brain-building experiences through other movements, they might be just fine.
However, this is not the case for most children. For most babies, crawling is the primary way they build those critical neural pathways.
Crawling Variations: What They Tell Us About Development
Not all crawling looks the same. And the way your baby crawls can actually give us important information about their development.
Common Crawling Variations
When I see a baby:
- Crawling on hands and knees with one leg flared out to the side for extra stability
- Bum scooting (sitting and scooting on their bottom)
- Bear crawling (hands and feet on the floor, knees lifted)
These variations signal that the baby is still working on:
✅ Midline orientation — understanding the center of their body
✅ Integrating vestibular and proprioceptive information — balance and body awareness
✅ Developing the cerebellum and corpus callosum
✅ Building core, upper body, and hip strength
Special Note: Bear Crawling
When I see a baby or toddler “bear crawling” (crawling with hands and feet, knees lifted off the ground), this signals to me that the Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) is still integrating.
They simply need to spend more time:
- On the floor
- Rocking on their hands and knees
- Crawling on their hands and knees
This movement helps integrate the STNR reflex naturally.
These variations aren’t “bad”—they’re just telling us that baby is still working on building those foundational skills.
The Optimal Crawling Progression
Here’s what an optimal crawling progression looks like:
1. Inchworm
Baby wiggles in a somewhat disorganized pattern on the floor and slowly learns that they can move
2. Homologous Crawl
Baby learns to move by moving the right arm with the right leg, and the left arm with the left leg (like a bunny hop!)
3. Army Crawl
Right arm moves with left leg, and left arm moves with right leg (that criss-cross pattern that’s critical for corpus callosum development!)
4. Hands-and-Knees Crawling
Same cross-pattern design as army crawling, but now the belly is off the floor!
If your baby is moving through these stages, their brain is getting exactly what it needs.
My Personal Story: Why This Topic Is So Personal
I want to share why this topic is so deeply personal to me.
As I mentioned in previous episodes, our son August experienced a severe GI inflammatory condition when he was just 3 months old. This completely disrupted his developmental trajectory.
The Struggle
He had:
- A feeding tube
- Constant reflux
- The label “failure to thrive”
- Absolute hatred of being on his tummy
So as a result, he didn’t crawl.
After months of advocating for early intervention therapy services, his therapist suggested that we skip crawling and work instead on stationary standing and walking.
And we did. August started walking.
But it was a disaster.
The Consequences
He didn’t know where his body was in space. He would:
- Constantly fall and get head injuries
- Show delayed speech
- Struggle with fine motor skills (riding a strider bike, running, jumping)
I remember watching him struggle and thinking, “Something isn’t right. This doesn’t make sense.”
The Turning Point
It wasn’t until we went back to crawling—back to those early developmental milestones he had missed—that we were able to make significant progress in all developmental areas.
His:
- Balance improved
- Speech took off
- Coordination transformed
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not magically perfect. We’re still working on integrating some primitive reflexes that are still present (since he did skip crawling as a baby). But August’s motor and sensory development is closer to age-appropriate than it was before.
My personal experiences as both a mother and a therapist have made me so passionate about spreading knowledge about the importance of crawling.
Because it made all the difference for our son. And I know it can make a difference for yours too.
Key Takeaways: What You Need to Remember
Let’s recap what you learned today:
✅ Crawling strengthens the corpus callosum and activates the cerebellum—critical for coordination, reading, focus, and emotional regulation
✅ The cerebellum contains 80% of your brain’s neurons and is responsible for much more than just balance and coordination
✅ Research consistently shows that crawling impacts future motor skills, language development, memory, and cognition
✅ Crawling variations (bear crawling, bum scooting, asymmetrical crawling) tell us important information about your baby’s development
✅ 92% of pediatric physical therapists believe crawling is important—despite what the CDC says
How to Advocate for Your Baby
If your pediatrician tells you crawling doesn’t matter, I want you to feel empowered to respectfully disagree.
You can say:
“I’ve learned that crawling plays an important role in brain development, and I’d like to support my baby in achieving this milestone.”
You are your baby’s best advocate. Trust your instincts.
Also, in your area, search for a qualified OT or PT that supports milestone development. However, if you are having difficulty finding a therapist in your area, I will be releasing a 1-hour workshop on “How” to help your baby achieve these essential motor milestones. Stay tuned!
What’s Next: Retained Primitive Reflexes
In Episode 6, we’re diving into retained primitive reflexes—the hidden developmental issue that most pediatricians never check for.
We’ll talk about:
- What they are
- Why they matter
- How they might be impacting your baby’s development without you even knowing it
You won’t want to miss it!
Free Resource: Download Your Baby Motor Milestone Checklist
Want a simple, visual guide to track your baby’s progress through all six phases of motor development—including crawling variations?
📥 Download your FREE Ultimate Baby Motor Milestone Checklist here
Listen to the Full Episode
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Research References
Herbert, J., Gross, J., & Hayne, H. (2007). Crawling is associated with more flexible memory retrieval by 9-month-old infants. Developmental Science, 10(2), 183-189. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00548.x
Kretch, K. S., Dusing, S. C., Harbourne, R. T., Hsu, L., Sargent, B. A., & Willett, S. L. (2024). Early mobility and crawling: Beliefs and practices of pediatric physical therapists in the United States. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 36(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.1097/PEP.0000000000001063
McEwan, M. H., Dihoff, R. E., & Brosvic, G. M. (1991). Early infant crawling experience is reflected in later motor skill development. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 72(1), 75-79. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.1991.72.1.75
Provenzale, J. M., Isaacson, J., & Chen, S. (2012). Progression of corpus callosum diffusion-tensor imaging values during a period of signal changes consistent with myelination. AJR. American Journal of Roentgenology, 198(6), 1403-1408. https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.11.7849
Salman, M. S., & Tsai, P. (2016). The role of the pediatric cerebellum in motor functions, cognition, and behavior: A clinical perspective. Neuroimaging Clinics of North America, 26(3), 317-329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nic.2016.03.003
Wang, M. V., Lekhal, R., Aarø, L. E., & Schjølberg, S. (2014). Co-occurring development of early childhood communication and motor skills: Results from a population-based longitudinal study. Child: Care, Health and Development, 40(1), 77-84. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12003
Yamamoto, S., Lee, Y., Matsumura, U., & Tsurusaki, T. (2025). Infant crawling variation related to subsequent development. Infants & Young Children, 38(2), 127-137. https://doi.org/10.1097/IYC.0000000000000284
About Sarah Cook, MOTR/L
Sarah is a licensed pediatric occupational therapist and mom of three boys—including one with Down syndrome who is now her strongest, most coordinated crawler. She created WeeThrive to empower parents with evidence-based tools to help their children thrive—especially when the medical system says “wait and see.”
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