As a chiropractor with a special interest in babies and children, one of the most common questions I hear from parents is: “Is it okay if my baby skips crawling?”
It’s a great question—and one that deserves more attention than it often gets.
In today’s blog, I’d love to walk you through why crawling is such an essential milestone in your child’s development, what it means if they skip it, and what you can do (even years later) to support those foundational pathways that shape the way your child moves, learns, and interacts with the world.
Crawling Isn’t Just a Phase—
It’s a Foundation
Crawling is far more than just a means of getting from one place to another. It plays a crucial role in your baby’s spinal development, brain integration, and motor coordination. When your baby crawls—on all fours, moving opposite arms and legs—they are engaging a beautiful dance between the left and right hemispheres of the brain.
This cross-pattern movement helps form and strengthen neural pathways that are essential for things like:
Balance and coordination
Visual tracking and reading skills
Emotional regulation
Spatial awareness
Fine motor skills (like handwriting)
When babies skip crawling and move straight from sitting to standing or walking, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re “advanced.” In fact, it can sometimes be a sign that their nervous system is under stress or that there are underlying restrictions in the spine, pelvis, or cranial bones.
What Could Be Causing a Baby to Skip Crawling?
Every baby develops at their own pace, but as chiropractors, we’re trained to look a little deeper when milestones don’t unfold in the typical sequence. Some common factors that may interfere with a baby’s ability to crawl include:
Tightness in the neck or shoulders from birth trauma or positioning in utero
Plagiocephaly (flat head syndrome) affecting how baby lifts and turns their head
Torticollis or other muscular imbalances
Subluxations or restrictions in the spine or pelvis that limit comfortable movement
Low tone or coordination challenges affecting strength and stability
When we assess a baby, we use very gentle techniques to evaluate their spine, muscle tone, symmetry, and reflexes. Often, a few simple and safe chiropractic adjustments, paired with guided exercises and tummy time support, can help the nervous system reset and integrate more effectively.
What Happens If a Child or Adult Didn’t Crawl Properly?
You might be surprised to know that not crawling in infancy can show up in subtle ways later in life. Some children who skipped crawling may:
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Struggle with reading or writing
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Have poor posture or clumsy coordination
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Experience difficulty sitting still or focusing
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Seem unbalanced or awkward during sports
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Show signs of sensory processing challenges
In adults, this could present as poor core strength, back pain, balance issues, or even difficulty with multitasking or memory. These symptoms might seem unrelated—but they can all be traced back to those early building blocks of neurological development.
Is It Ever Too Late to Build
Those Neural Pathways?
Not at all! Our brains are beautifully adaptable thanks to something called neuroplasticity. If your child didn’t crawl—or if you didn’t—there are plenty of activities that can reawaken and reinforce those vital pathways.
Here are a few to consider:
Crawling exercises on all fours, even for older kids and adults (yes, really!)
Cross-crawl movements—marching in place while touching opposite elbow to knee
Balance work and coordination games
Bilateral activities like swimming, dancing, or drumming
Chiropractic care to help address underlying spinal or nervous system imbalances
Sometimes just five minutes a day of intentional movement can make a noticeable difference in posture, focus, and coordination—no matter your age.
Supporting Your Baby’s Milestones
Every baby’s journey is unique, and missing a milestone doesn’t mean something is wrong—but it’s always worth asking why. By looking deeper and addressing the root causes, we can help your baby (or older child—or even you!) build stronger foundations for a healthier future.
If you’re curious about your child’s development, if they skipped crawling, or if you have concerns about their movement, we’d love to support you. Our team has a passion for working with babies, children, and families just like yours.
Curious About Your Baby’s Milestones? A Gentle Check Can Go a Long Way
At Activtherapy Gregory Hills, we offer baby milestone checks—gentle, non-invasive assessments designed to give you peace of mind and support your baby’s unique development. We look at spinal alignment, reflex integration, muscle tone, and how your little one is moving and responding to their environment.
Sometimes, even subtle imbalances can make tummy time difficult, delay crawling, or affect how your baby sleeps, feeds, or interacts. The earlier we identify these patterns, the easier it is to gently guide the nervous system back on track.
If you’re wondering whether your baby is meeting their milestones, or if something just doesn’t feel “quite right,” we’re here to help. Trust your instincts—they’re powerful.
