Tarzan Crawling and Bottom Scooting

Walking exercises with a special focus and substantial additions for children who crawl with one foot planted on the floor (Tarzan crawling) or get around sitting on their bottom (bottom scooting), and who don’t walk without support yet. The program contains easy best-practice exercises that strengthen both sides of the body and the rotation muscles, so the body can become more symmetrically strong on the way to steady walking.

Online-program by Maria Schultz Appelt
Prioritized, simple exercises
Designed for busy families
Illustrated with pictures & videos
Instant & perpetual access
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Available languages

349,00 DKK

(inclusive of all taxes, VAT and fees)

Smiling baby in a knit sweater on hands and knees in front of a teepee. Exercises for Tarzan crawling and bottom scooting.

Program description

Crawling on all fours is a key milestone because it strengthens coordination as well as the body’s strength and stability. However, some children find it hard to crawl on all fours with crossing movements and start Tarzan crawling or bottom scooting instead. Tarzan crawling is when a child crawls with one knee and one foot on the floor, in other words with one leg up, instead of on both knees. Bottom scooting is when a child gets around sitting on their bottom, either straight ahead or slightly to one side. Fortunately, there is a lot we can do to help a child strengthen the muscles that aren’t trained naturally when crawling on all fours hasn’t been achieved.

The aim of this program is to reduce the difference between the two sides of the body, train the rotation muscles and so strengthen the body as well as possible before the child walks. So we shouldn’t rush on toward walking by training only the muscles it takes to walk straight ahead. If we do, the body misses out on important, symmetrical strengthening of the core muscles, which matter a great deal for good body stability later in life. That’s why the exercises focus on exactly these muscles and movement patterns, so the child’s path to walking is supported with the best possible quality of movement. The exercises are not a shortcut to walking, but a way to help your child strengthen the muscles it takes to use their body in a varied and stable way in an upright position.

The exercises in the program strengthen the relevant muscles around the tummy and back (core), hips, knees and ankles, and stimulate balance. The program also includes concrete tips to help your child find the courage to let go and walk without holding on.

The goal of the exercises is not for your child to learn to crawl on all fours, as that is often difficult once another habit has been learned. The goal is strong, steady walking in a child’s body that is symmetrically strong.

The exercises are described in detail and set out in order of priority, so the most important exercises are at the top. Each exercise comes with both pictures and videos, so you can clearly see how to do it.

Note: If your child is still belly crawling and isn’t crawling on all fours yet, choose the program Crawling on All Fours instead or, if your child’s belly crawl is asymmetrical, Asymmetrical Belly Crawling.

This program is one of two programs in the category Walking. Both can be used once your child is crawling, whether on all fours, with one foot planted on the floor (Tarzan crawling) or sitting on their bottom (bottom scooting). Read about the differences here in the program overview. You’ll find answers to frequently asked questions below, and if you’re still unsure which program is the right one for your child, you’re very welcome to send an email to maria@develobaby.com.

Excellent quality and value
Maria is extremely knowledgeable … I have purchased 4 programs now and have found each of them valuable in helping my twins through their first year of life so far.
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Easy to follow exercises and great customer service
The courses are very well structured and easy to follow. … Besides I made a mistake by buying the wrong the module and Maria promptly helped me by giving me access to correct course. She answered me very quickly.
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Gret for tired parents
The best part of these exercises that they can be performed by extremely sleep-deprived parents, as they do not require a 20-30 minute commitment and strict order.
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Great advice on exercises suitable for…
Great advice on exercises suitable for babies. Clear and well documented instructions. Very helpful videos.
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Perfect addition for me
I’m an osteopath myself and when I found Maria’s programs it was just the perfect addition to my work because I have beautiful exercises I can work with and show my patients! Thank you so much for creating these programs Maria!
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What is Tarzan crawling?

Tarzan crawling is when a child crawls with one knee and one foot on the floor instead of on both knees, in other words with one leg up, just like Tarzan. Usually both hands are used, but it also happens with only one arm on the floor.

Tarzan crawling usually develops after an earlier preferred side. If the preferred side isn’t treated, the asymmetrical motor development can show up through all the later milestones: in the belly crawling stage as asymmetrical belly crawling, and in the crawling stage as Tarzan crawling.

Tarzan crawling can affect the quality of walking later on, because strong walking and running require equal muscle strength on both sides of the body. It’s always an advantage to be equally strong on both sides, both for the muscles’ ability to work and for neurological development across the two hemispheres of the brain.

What is bottom scooting?

Bottom scooting is when a child sits upright on their bottom with their legs out in front and pulls themselves forward by straightening and bending their legs, either straight ahead or slightly to the side. Sometimes the arms are active on the floor, and sometimes only the legs are used. Some children also hop forward on their bottom: they sit the same way, support their upper body with their arms and move forward in small hops.

Sideways bottom scooting can develop as a mix of bottom scooting and Tarzan crawling after a preferred side, while babies who scoot straight ahead often have a history of back arching. They’re strong in their tummy and back muscles, but the body’s rotation muscles aren’t strong enough to stabilize the body for the alternating left and right movements that crawling on all fours requires.

Bottom scooting can also bring challenges when a child learns to walk. That’s because the child uses both sides of the body at the same time and so doesn’t train the important rotation muscles, while walking requires the right and left sides to be used alternately. Many of these children compensate when walking by pushing their tummy forward into a cute little potbelly. Even though it looks cute, it’s a motor compensation.

Frequently asked questions about Tarzan Crawling and Bottom Scooting

It’s precisely because I see this so often that I’ve put both crawling styles together in one program. The program clearly shows which exercises belong to which crawling style, so you can put together exactly the right mix for your child.

For strong, steady walking, a child needs two things that crawling on all fours trains all by itself: equal strength on both sides of the body, and the ability to use the right and left sides alternately. In Tarzan crawling, the legs, hips and glute muscles don’t work equally on the two sides, so the body doesn’t become equally strong on both sides. In bottom scooting straight ahead, both sides work equally, but at the same time, so the child trains neither the twisting movements of the upper body nor the alternating use of arms and legs that walking requires.

Crossing movements across the body’s midline are important for physical and neurological development, and the stabilizing work for the hips, shoulders and core muscles is important for the body’s strength and freedom of movement. These things can easily be trained later in childhood, so it’s not a disaster if a child never crawls on all fours. It’s just considerably easier if the child develops a strong crawl and so takes care of that training on their own.

Tarzan crawling usually develops after a preferred side. If the preferred side isn’t worked on, the asymmetrical development can carry on through the milestones: in the belly crawling stage it shows up as asymmetrical belly crawling, and in the crawling stage as Tarzan crawling or sideways bottom scooting.

Children who bottom scoot straight ahead often have a history of back arching. They have been good at using the body’s midline muscles in the tummy and back, but not as strong in the body’s rotation muscles. Finally, some children bottom scoot because they generally aren’t very strong in their arms, or because they have low muscle tone.

The program is for children who crawl with one foot planted on the floor (Tarzan crawling) or get around sitting on their bottom (bottom scooting), and who don’t walk without support yet. If your child is still belly crawling and isn’t crawling on all fours yet, I recommend starting with the program Crawling on All Fours or, if your child’s belly crawl is asymmetrical, Asymmetrical Belly Crawling.

Both programs aim to help your child walk confidently and steadily, and both can be used once your child is crawling. Choose Walking if your child crawls on all fours with hands and knees on the floor, and Tarzan Crawling and Bottom Scooting if your child crawls with one foot planted on the floor (Tarzan crawling) or gets around sitting on their bottom (bottom scooting).

If your child does something in between Tarzan crawling and bottom scooting, choose Tarzan Crawling and Bottom Scooting in that case too. That program covers both crawling styles, and it also includes all the exercises from Walking.

As a rule, no. The programs overlap a great deal, since they both have the same goal: strong, steady walking. The program Tarzan Crawling and Bottom Scooting contains the same exercises as Walking, plus substantial additions and variations focused on Tarzan crawling and bottom scooting. So as a rule, choose only one program in this category for the same child.

Frequently asked questions about the exercise programs

You buy access to the program right here on the site. Once your payment has gone through, you’ll see an extra heading in the menu called “My Programs,” with links to all the programs you’ve bought access to. The whole thing takes less than 60 seconds.

No. You get online access to my programs here on the site, because the programs contain video clips, which of course can’t be played on paper or in a PDF. That’s also why there is no version you can download or have sent to you. You can actually print the programs you’ve bought from a computer, though, by pressing Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on macOS while you’re on the program page. The programs aren’t set up for printing, however, so they look much nicer and are easier to use directly on your phone, tablet or computer.

You have lifetime access. Once you’ve bought a program, you can always log in and use it again whenever you need it, without having to renew or pay for access.

No, that isn’t allowed. You buy access for yourself and the people who live in your household. If you buy as a grandparent, for example, you may of course share it with the person you bought it for. If you are the director of a daycare center, for example, and would like to buy one or more programs for your staff, just email me at maria@develobaby.com so we can work out an arrangement for multiple licenses. Read more in my Terms and Conditions.

As a rule, no. The exercise programs are digital products that you get access to right away, so the usual 14-day right of withdrawal doesn’t apply to them. If you bought the wrong program by mistake, or something else doesn’t fit your situation, just write to me at maria@develobaby.com. Then of course we’ll find a solution together. You can read more in my Terms and Conditions.

Unfortunately, I see this from time to time: the card issuer, that is, your bank, blocks the payment because it goes to Denmark, especially if you don’t usually shop in other countries or only do so rarely. In that case, there’s not much I can do. You can call your bank and ask them to authorize the payment manually. Or you can try one of the other payment methods at checkout, for example Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Yes, I’ve taken great care to explain every exercise in plain language so everyone can understand it. The exercises also come with pictures and videos where you can see them done with a real child.

As a rule, no. The exercises in my motor programs are ordinary strengthening exercises in the anatomically normal muscle pattern, and the exercises in my sleep and sensory programs are calm exercises that stimulate the senses. If your child gets tired or upset, take a break, and if you are unsure about your child’s health, talk to your healthcare provider or doctor.

No! In my exercise programs, I’ve put the exercises in order of priority. There are lots of exercises in each program, so in principle you could spend the whole day doing exercises if you enjoy it, but you can also choose to do, say, the top three or five, which are the most important ones, if you’re short on time. That way, the exercise programs are for everyone, no matter how much time and energy you have.

The exercises in my motor development programs are basically strength training, just like when you do exercises yourself to get stronger. They are designed so the child strengthens the muscles that matter at exactly the stage you bought the exercises for. That’s why they help make the child stronger on the way to the next milestone. Whether the child gets good-quality movement patterns at the next milestone with the exercises in the program naturally depends on how strong the muscles are to begin with, and on whether there are special circumstances that call for a more individually tailored approach. These could be, for example, congenital disabilities or neurological injuries. But helping your child toward a stronger body is never wasted effort.

Related programs

Note: when purchasing two or more programs, a 10% discount is automatically applied. ❤

Walking
Walking exercises for children who crawl on all fours, including children who already walk with support but don’t walk on their own yet. The program contains easy best-practice exercises that strengthen the body for strong, steady walking, and my best tips on how your child can find the courage to take those first steps without holding on. The exercises can be used both as playful everyday inspiration and in cases of motor delay.
Sensory Integration
Sensory integration exercises for kids from 2 years to around 12 years who are sensory seeking and need a lot of sensory stimulation, or who are sensory avoiding and easily overwhelmed by loud noises, touch, or clothing. The program contains a wide range of practical sensory-stimulating exercises, plus sensorimotor games and activities that are easy to do at home.
Crawling on All Fours
Exercises for crawling on all fours for babies who belly crawl, either with ordinary cross-pattern belly crawling or with midline belly crawling. The program contains easy best-practice exercises that strengthen both sides of the body equally and support your baby on the way from belly crawling to crawling. The exercises can be used both as playful everyday inspiration and in cases of motor delay.
Preferred Side and Flat Head
Tummy time and rolling exercises for babies from 4 weeks, with a special focus and important additions for a preferred side, a flat head on one side and a banana shape. The program contains simple best-practice exercises that strengthen the muscles your baby needs to lie comfortably on their tummy and to roll.
Tummy Time
Tummy time and rolling exercises for babies from 4 weeks, as playful everyday inspiration and in cases of mild motor delay. The program contains simple best-practice exercises that strengthen the muscles your baby needs to lie comfortably on their tummy and to roll.
Belly Crawling
Exercises for belly crawling in babies who can roll from back to tummy but don’t yet move forward on their tummy. The program contains simple best-practice exercises that support your baby on the way to strong belly crawling using both sides of the body. The exercises strengthen the motor foundation for the next milestones and can be used both as playful everyday inspiration and in cases of motor delay.
Asymmetrical Belly Crawling
Crawling exercises with a special focus and important additions for babies with asymmetrical belly crawling, meaning they belly crawl with only one leg and the opposite arm, while the other leg barely joins in. The program contains easy best-practice exercises that strengthen the weaker side and coordination, so the body can become more symmetrically strong on the way to crawling.
Back Arching and Flat Head
Tummy time and rolling exercises for babies from 4 weeks, with a special focus and important additions for back arching, a flat head and the skydiver position. The program contains simple best-practice exercises that strengthen the muscles your baby needs to lie comfortably on their tummy and to roll.
DeveloBaby Sleep
Exercises for babies and very young children from 4 weeks up to 2 years with motor restlessness or other sensory-seeking behavior that makes it hard to settle, give in to sleep, or stay asleep. You get a wide range of practical, regulating sensory exercises that are easy to fit into a busy daily routine, plus best-practice knowledge about baby sleep.