I started wondering if it was “bad” that my 8-month-old wants to walk but couldn’t care less about crawling. She hates tummy time, never liked being on her belly, and now she’s scooting all over the house in her walker and taking steps when I hold her hands.

Of course, I did what every mom does when she starts to worry: I researched.

And what I found gave me so much peace of mind.

One study published in Child Development (Kermoian & Campos, 1988) looked at how locomotor experience, especially crawling, impacts spatial cognitive development. Basically, researchers found that babies who crawl earlier tend to show stronger spatial awareness… however, it’s really about movement, not just crawling.

Here’s what stood out:

• Crawling babies showed stronger early spatial skills, like object permanence and understanding space.
• But the key wasn’t how babies moved, it was that they moved independently.
• Babies in walkers who weren’t crawling yet still gained valuable experience exploring their environment.

In other words, my daughter’s constant curiosity and exploring in her walker, reaching for toys, and her early steps all count. Her brain is still getting those same developmental boosts, just in her own way.

So if your baby isn’t crawling and seems more interested in walking or just sitting and observing, you’re not doing anything wrong. Babies develop on their own timelines, and how they get moving matters less than the fact that they’re curious, exploring, and learning.

We’re still doing plenty of floor time and offering opportunities to crawl, but we’re also celebrating where she is right now: standing, stepping, scooting, and thriving.

Celebrate the journey. Let your baby be exactly where they are, and enjoy it, too.