How Long After Army Crawling Do Babies Start Crawling?

There's no set gap between army crawling and crawling on hands and knees. Experts give an age range instead. The AAP's guide to movement at 8 to 12 months says crawling is usually mastered between seven and ten months. In a World Health Organization study, the normal window for hands-and-knees crawling ran from 5.2 to 13.5 months.

So a baby who starts belly crawling at 7 months and crawls on hands and knees at 8, 9 or even 11 months is still inside the WHO's window. Some babies skip army crawling, and a few never crawl on hands and knees. Both can be normal.

Belly crawling isn't wasted time. Infant-movement researchers John Franchak (UC Riverside) and Karen Adolph (NYU) cite a 1998 study on this. It found that babies who pivot or belly crawl first are twice as proficient when they begin crawling on hands and knees as babies who skip those moves.

How long after army crawling do babies crawl on hands and knees?

The sources below don't time the gap from the first belly crawl. They give age ranges for crawling instead:

• AAP: crawling is "usually mastered between seven and ten months."
• Pathways.org: most babies start moving with alternate leg and arm movements between 6 and 9 months, and by 12 months most are crawling confidently as their main way to get around.
• WHO: a study that followed 816 babies in Ghana, India, Norway, Oman and the USA found a median age of 8.3 months for hands-and-knees crawling. The normal window ran from 5.2 to 13.5 months.

For the month-by-month picture, see our crawling development guide.

Is army crawling considered crawling?

Yes. The AAP's list of crawling styles includes the "belly or commando crawl," where babies move forward while dragging their bellies against the floor. Pathways.org also lists army crawling (belly crawl) alongside classic hands-and-knees crawling.

Some of the confusion comes from milestone lists. The WHO study tracked only hands-and-knees crawling and described crawling on the stomach as "some other type of locomotion." The CDC dropped crawling from its milestone checklists in 2022, for reasons that included too little data on when babies crawl and inconsistent definitions of crawling.

Our guide to what counts as crawling covers every style.

Signs your baby is getting ready to crawl on hands and knees

Pathways.org lists these signs a baby is getting ready to crawl:

• Pushing up on straight arms during tummy time
• Pressing up on hands and toes with the hips lifted, like an upside-down V
• Rolling or shifting their body to get to things they want
• Moving from sitting to all fours and back again

The AAP and Pathways.org both mention rocking back and forth on hands and knees, which Pathways.org places at around 6 to 8 months. Next comes lifting one hand off the floor to reach for a toy.

Some babies scoot backward before they go forward, because their arm muscles are stronger than their legs, as the AAP explains. Here's more on why babies crawl backwards.

How to help your baby go from army crawling to hands and knees

You can't set the timing, but you can give your baby plenty of practice. These ideas come from Pathways.org, the AAP and the CDC:

• Keep up tummy time. Pathways.org says daily tummy time builds the core and shoulder strength babies need to get up off the floor. It suggests aiming for up to an hour in total across the day by the time your baby tries to crawl. More in our post on going from tummy time to crawling.
• Put a toy just out of reach. The CDC, the AAP and Pathways.org all suggest it.
• Practice rocking. Pathways.org suggests holding your baby up by the waist and gently rocking them forward to get them used to the motion. Once they can hold themselves up, let go and lure them forward with a toy.
• Get down and crawl together. Pathways.org says showing your baby the movement can help them figure it out.
• Try a few stairs, with you right there. Pathways.org says supervised stair crawling encourages babies to lift their belly off the floor and use alternating arm and leg movements.
• Find some grip. Pathways.org notes that slippery wood or tile can make it hard for babies to get a good grip. It suggests practicing on carpet or even grass, with bare knees and feet to help prevent sliding.
• Cut back on containers. Pathways.org says walkers, jumpers and seats limit the floor time babies need to build crawling skills, and the AAP strongly urges parents not to use baby walkers.

What if my baby skipped army crawling?

That's common. Army crawling is one route, not a required step. Franchak and Adolph note that only some babies army crawl, others find different ways of moving on their bellies, and many never crawl with their bellies on the floor.

The reverse happens too. In the WHO study, 35 of the 816 babies (4.3%) were never seen crawling on hands and knees. The researchers also saw babies get around in other ways, such as bottom shuffling or crawling on the stomach. Franchak and Adolph add that in some cultures and time periods, many babies don't crawl at all, or crawl after they begin walking.

When to talk to your pediatrician

An army crawl on its own isn't a reason to worry. Bring these up at a checkup, or sooner if they're on your mind:

• Your baby isn't sitting without support by 9 months. The AAP says to let your pediatrician know, and sitting without support is on the CDC's 9-month checklist.
• Your baby favors one side, such as always pulling with the same arm or dragging one leg. The AAP's yardstick is a baby who coordinates both sides of their body and uses each arm and leg equally. Our post on baby crawling on one leg goes deeper.
• Your baby has lost a skill they used to have. The CDC lists this as a reason to act early.
• Your baby shows little interest in reaching, rolling or shifting their body to explore, a sign Pathways.org flags.
• Something about the way your baby moves seems off to you. The AAP says to discuss it with your pediatrician.

Sources differ on crawling deadlines. Pathways.org suggests checking in if your baby hasn't started crawling by 9 months, or isn't using hands-and-knees crawling as their main way of getting around by 12 months. The AAP says a few children never crawl, and the CDC no longer lists crawling as a milestone.

If your baby is under 3 and you're worried, the CDC says you can contact your local early intervention system for a free evaluation without waiting for a doctor's referral.

Common questions

Is army crawling the same as commando crawling?

Yes, they're two names for the same move. The AAP calls it the "belly or commando crawl," and Pathways.org calls it army crawling or belly crawling. Your baby keeps their tummy low to the floor and pulls forward with their forearms.

Why is my baby army crawling instead of crawling on hands and knees?

One reason: belly crawling takes less balance. Infant-movement researchers Franchak and Adolph explain that balance demands increase on hands and knees because the belly is off the floor. Daily floor time, tummy time and a toy a little out of reach give your baby practice for getting up on all fours.

Is it normal for a baby to army crawl and never crawl on hands and knees?

It can be. The AAP's 8-to-12-month guide says a few children never crawl and get around by scooting on their bottoms or slithering on their stomachs instead. That's no cause for concern, it says, as long as they coordinate both sides of their body and use each arm and leg equally. Pathways.org is stricter and suggests talking to your baby's healthcare provider if hands-and-knees crawling isn't their main way of getting around by 12 months.

Belly crawlers lean on their forearms and elbows, and once your little explorer is up on all fours, the knees take a turn too. Our onesie is 100% organic Peruvian Pima cotton, including the diamond-quilted padding sewn in at the knees, elbows and bottom. It won't speed anything up or add grip, but it does keep soft, quilted cotton between those spots and a hard floor (see all five colourways).