Q:My one-year-old son is still shuffling around on his bottom,rather than crawlinng.Is this normal?

A:All babies develop different skills - including crawling and walking - at different times.As a rule,bottom shuffling tends to run in families and some babies do it instead of crawling,before getting on to their feet.Tots move onto independent walking at any time from 8 months of age,with around three per cent of babies still not walking by the time they turn 2.If your little one isn't showing any signs of walking by 18 months,you can ask your doctor to monitor his progress.In the meantime,give him plenty of time to play on the floor and move around.You may notice he develops advanced skills in puzzles and hand-eye co-ordination ahead of his more mobile peers.