This is a common question that comes up: my child doesn’t crawl, he just moves around on his bottom, does this mean something is wrong? Development is different for every child, the most important thing is to learn the skills required to keep moving along the developmental curve. With this in mind, what is the difference with bum shuffling and crawling and does it matter if a child moves around on their bottom rather than crawling?

Let’s breakdown the two skills. Those who crawl move their arms/legs to propel themselves forward whilst on

 hands and knees. Those who bum shuffle, spend most the time in sitting and use their arms (and sometimes one leg) to complete hops to propel themselves forward. Often crawling is developed from individuals who spend a lot of time on their tummy or in side-sitting positions (reaching outside base of support). Often bum shuffling is developed from individuals who prefer to be up in a seated position for play and are stronger in their arms than legs.

Two things seem most apparent when looking at the difference:

Strength and Stability

To crawl you need strength mainly through the core to maintain an upright sustained position and the motor coordination to move both arms and legs to propel you forward. It requires endurance. To bum shuffle, the strength is mainly through arms and typically one leg. It requires a short burst of strength.

Second is stability, as crawling usually adapts from lying on lying or propping on the side, these individuals are used to being outside their base of support and relying on core strength for stability. Bum shufflers their stability come from their hips with a low centre of gravity. Often these individuals are more comfortable in seated positions and learnt to play when seated.

Is this a problem?

Both methods of mobility teach independence and mobility. They both require strength, motor planning and stability. However, the next gross motor developmental step is pulling up to stand. This is easiest from a crawling position. This requires leg strength and the ability to balance on feet rather than more stable parts of the body. It is also a skill that requires a lot of core strength. Individuals who crawl usually pull up into kneeling before pushing up into standing. 

Bum shufflers need to learn to stand the same way but often are not as strong nor comfortable in these positions. This doesn’t mean that bum shufflers don’t progress to standing. They may just need a push to also develop these skills. If you are mindful of this, it doesn’t always matter if your child bum-shuffles or crawls. The important thing to keep in mind is your child needs to core strength for stability and leg strength to push up to stand and maintain balance in a supported standing position.

 Being a bum shuffler can reveal a lack of strength in the legs and the core. This may delay their ability to stand and to walk. They do eventually get there, but they may require more time to build the strength and stability to make the next developmental jump.