Scooting in Sitting Instead of Crawling? Fix the Leg Tuck 👶🏻 | Pediatric PT with Eli & Ellia #27

Ellia #27 – Scooting in Sitting Instead of Crawling? What to Do | Pediatric Physical Therapy Meet Ellia 👶🏻👶🏽👶🏿 Ellia is 12 months old and was born one month early. Adjusted for prematurity, she is developmentally closer to 11 months. In this video, pediatric physical therapist Amy Sturkey demonstrates a common movement pattern seen in babies who prefer scooting in sitting instead of crawling on hands and knees. Ellia tends to tuck her left leg underneath her while moving forward in sitting. While this strategy allows her to get where she wants to go, it can limit opportunities to practice reciprocal crawling and weight-bearing through both legs. Rather than allowing the tucked-leg scoot, Amy gently places Ellia in hands-and-knees and prevents the leg from tucking underneath. By lightly holding at the knees, she encourages forward crawling with both legs participating. This is a simple, practical way to: • Promote symmetrical leg use • Encourage hands-and-knees crawling • Increase hip and knee weight-bearing • Support reciprocal motor patterns • Reduce reliance on asymmetrical scooting strategies 👶🏿👶🏽👶🏻 Scooting in sitting is common, especially in babies who are strong in sitting but less confident in quadruped. The key is not to panic — but to provide more opportunities to practice crawling in a supported way. 💛 Simple. Direct. Easy to try at home. 🌟 In this video, you’ll learn: • Why some babies scoot in sitting • How leg tucking can limit crawling practice • A hands-on way to block the tucked leg • How to encourage true hands-and-knees crawling • When this strategy may be helpful 🎯 Helpful for those searching: Scooting in sitting baby Baby not crawling Baby tucks one leg under Asymmetrical crawling How to encourage crawling Quadruped practice baby Pediatric physical therapy for infants ⏱️ Timestamps: 0:00 – Intro 0:07 – Meet Ellia: age & prematurity 0:23 – Demonstration of scooting in sitting 0:38 – Why leg tucking happens 0:53 – Placing in hands-and-knees 1:05 – Blocking the tucked leg 1:25 – Encouraging forward crawling 1:45 – Final thoughts 📺 Watch all of Eli & Ellia’s videos here (playlist): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAkJbMrHyKjMHzxJBJ5Fa0XYo-yiNGT3C ⚠️ Safety Note: These videos are educational and are not a replacement for in-person physical therapy. Every child is unique. Please do not try these techniques if your baby’s health or motor skills differ significantly from Ellia’s. (I cannot provide treatment recommendations for a child I have not personally evaluated.) 📧 Contact amysturkey@gmail.com 🌐 Website www.pediatricPTexercises.com 🪶 Accessibility: Closed captions are available. To turn on captions: Click CC To change languages: ⚙️ Settings → Subtitles/CC → Choose language or Auto-translate If captions block details, they can be toggled off in the video player. 📚 Books by Amy Sturkey (Amazon): “P is for Poop and Pee Accidents” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLSRJ483 “A is for Anxiety” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LXQ3W6V “A is for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08QH9H5HR “C is for Cerebral Palsy” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088TSJCYP “D is for Down Syndrome” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P8HH49 “A is for Autism” – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071F4FFTB 🧠 Professional PT Books: Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Hips – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156736 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Knees – https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998156760 Pediatric Physical Therapy Strengthening Exercises for the Ankles – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08TX2ZCFD