When 8-month-old Harrisen Hinze stood up one day and walked, his mom, Kelley, was baffled. "He hadn't even crawled yet!" says the Minneapolis mom of three.

Actually, many babies never crawl. They either create their own way to get around or suddenly start walking, as Harrisen did. And both modes of transportation are perfectly normal.

"What's important at this stage is that your child is using his arms and legs together to become mobile," says Laurie LeComer, author of A Parent's Guide to Developmental Delays.

So if your baby is rolling around, crab walking, or scooting  -- or, later, climbing stairs using his hands  -- he's moving in the right direction. (If he doesn't make any effort to get around somehow by the end of his first year, though, talk to your doctor.)

It's important to at least give your baby a chance to crawl, so make sure he gets plenty of tummy time. Placing interesting toys and objects just out of his reach might help motivate him to get going.

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