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Babies grow very fast in the first few months. They learn how to sit, crawl, lift up their heads and support themselves. It’s almost impossible to keep up with all of these amazing milestones, one of them being bottom shuffling. And although this is something that most parents were not aware of or didn’t know there was a name for, we’re here to tell you everything about this little milestone. Mainly if it’s common, what it is and what affects it can have on your little one. So, if you’d like to find out more then keep on reading!
What Is Bottom Shuffling?
When your baby is gearing up to move around they will start to make an effort to crawl. And although some babies lie down on their stomachs and move their arms, other babies opt to sit on their bums and try to move about. When babies sit on their bums, they use their arms and legs to propel their movements. And it can also be observed that babies who bottom shuffle often skip crawling altogether (1). It can also be observed that bum shuffling and late walking are somewhat closely related. Which means that if your baby is a fan of bum shuffling or scooting, then they may be late to start walking (2). Usually babies begin to walk sometime after they reach the age of 18 months to 24 months, but this can be delayed if your baby shuffles about a lot.
Is Bum Shuffling Normal For Babies?
It all depends on the baby. Some babies are exceedingly fast while leaping from one milestone to another and may skip several variants, and bum shuffling happens to be one such variant. However bum shuffling is fairly common among babies. Although most parents expect their children to start crawling first, this is usually another alternative to that movement.
Are There Any Complications To Bum Shuffling?
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Just because something is common doesn’t mean that it has no adverse effects at all. And although bum shuffling doesn’t have any major disadvantages, thank god, there are some drawbacks that you may notice.
Missing Out On Crawling: Your baby could miss out on all the crawling exercises that they should be doing in order to strengthen their upper body and spine in order to start walking soon. Crawling aids tremendously in strengthening the arms and leg muscles of little babies and helps them learn how to move around on different kinds of surfaces safely. This means your baby will get an idea of how to walk on grass, on tiles or on slippery floors. But they lose all of this knowledge when they bum shuffle.
It’s Asymmetrical: bottom shuffling doesn’t really give your baby a lot of options in terms of exploring movement and flexibility. Especially if your infant insists on sitting with their leg twisted or with one knee flexed. In fact, this might even hurt your baby and lead to tightness in their lower back muscles which can make your baby’s pelvis tilt to one side (ouch!). Sometimes while your little one is resting the leg can even appear to be shorter than the other leg or be turned inwards.
How Can You Help Your Baby?
1.Use Knee Pads
The reason your baby might be bum shuffling may be because of your floors. Maybe they are slippery or carpeted and hard to walk on. If this is the case, then you can get your hand on some tiny knee pads to help with the process. This will help your baby be on all fours without them experiencing any discomfort and can even help them find a better grip in order to start crawling.
2. Move Them Around
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One way to encourage your baby to start crawling is to simply help them maneuver around so that they get on all fours. You can help them kneel by using a step in order to strengthen their arms or assist them by holding onto their arms. You can also indulge them in a few games that will help them tone their muscles so that they are better equipped to get into the crawling position by themselves. The easier it is the more likely they are to try crawling again and again.
3. Baby Massages
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Baby massages are magic! They are a great way to strengthen your little one’s muscles and joints. And while you’re at it, you can roll them from side to side. This will help their hip movement and help them rock back and forth when put on all fours.
Bum shuffling is just another milestone that your baby may reach. But unlike crawling, there can be some drawbacks to encouraging this movement. So try to redirect your baby’s movement and contact your doctor if they are not making any progress.
