Encouraging your baby to crawl is an important milestone in their development. Crawling helps build strength, coordination, and independence. However, not all babies crawl in the same way, and some may skip crawling altogether.
Fret not, we’re here to guide you through the process. We dive into understanding why crawling is essential, its benefits, and tips to gently inspire your baby to begin this delightful journey of movement. Let’s unravel the art of encouraging your little one to embark on this path of discovery!
Crawling is an important step in your baby’s development towards walking. By building balance, improving motor skills, and promoting exploration, you can help your baby transition from crawling to walking. Remember to always provide a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to explore in.
Key Takeaways
Tummy time is an essential part of crawling and helps your baby build strength and coordination.
Each baby crawls in their own way, and some may skip crawling altogether.
Encouraging crawling can help your baby build independence and confidence.
Understanding Crawling
Crawling is a significant developmental milestone for babies. It is a crucial stage in their motor development and helps them explore their surroundings. As a parent or caregiver, understanding crawling and its stages will help you encourage your baby to crawl and make the process smoother for them.
There are different stages of crawling, and each baby progresses at their own pace. However, most babies start crawling between six to ten months. The stages of crawling include:
Pre-crawling: In this stage, your baby is learning to move their body and building strength in their arms, neck, and shoulders. They may start rolling over or pivoting on their belly.
Crawling on belly: At this stage, your baby will start moving forward on their belly using their arms and legs.
Crawling on hands and knees: In this stage, your baby will start crawling on their hands and knees, which helps them build their core strength and coordination.
Cruising: This stage is when your baby starts pulling themselves up to a standing position and using furniture to move around.
Walking: Finally, your baby will take their first steps and start walking independently.
Encouraging your baby to crawl is essential as it helps them develop their strength, coordination, and gross motor skills. Crawling also helps with their sensory development as they can touch and feel new surfaces on their hands and knees.
Watching your baby crawl for the first time is magical, and one of those first newborn milestones that marks a big step in your little one’s motor development journey.
Encouraging Baby Crawling
Encouraging your baby to crawl can be a rewarding experience, full of fun interactions and exciting developmental leaps. Here are some tips to help your little one along their crawling journey:
Tummy Time
Tummy time is important because it helps your baby develop their muscle strength, coordination, and confidence. When your baby is lying on their tummy, babies begin to use their neck, back, and shoulder muscles to lift their head, which helps to strengthen these muscles, so eventually they can lift their body weight. Its so simple, just get a great tummy time mat and then put baby tummy down, when they are older you can put them in sitting position
Having them on the floor helps develop core muscle strength as well as their back, neck, and arms. By spending time on their tummy, your baby will develop the necessary muscle strength to roll over, sit up, and then begin crawling.
Tummy time also helps your baby develop their coordination. When your baby is on their tummy, they use their arms and legs to push themselves up and move around. This movement helps your baby develop their hand-eye coordination, which is essential for crawling and other motor skills.
Enticing Toys
Toys can be a great way to encourage crawling. Choose engaging toys that will motivate your baby to move towards them. Place the toys just out of reach to encourage your baby to crawl towards them. You can also place your baby’s favorite toy a short distance away and encourage them to crawl towards it, and getting a great floor mat for crawling will also help.
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Mirror Motivation
Babies love mirrors! Place a mirror in front of your baby during tummy time to encourage them to lift their head and strengthen their neck muscles. You can also place a mirror at the end of a tunnel to encourage your baby to crawl towards it.
Lead by Example
Get down on your hands and knees and show your baby how to crawl. They might not understand the movement right away, but demonstrating it can help.
Creating a Safe Environment
Creating a safe environment is crucial when encouraging crawling. Use baby gates to block off unsafe areas and ensure that all outlet covers are secure. Clear the area of any sharp objects or small items that your baby could choke on.
Be Patient and Supportive
Babies develop at their own pace. Encourage attempts at movement, but don’t rush the process. Always be there to cheer your little one on, celebrating every little victory along the way! Babies learn to crawl when they are ready, and remember many babies jump this step – my youngest son never went throught the crawling stage, he went straight to running at 7 months! (yes running…)
Types of Crawling
There are several types of crawling, from classic crawl, commando crawling to the backwards crawl – and many in between which you might consider abnormal crawling. Chances are it’s not, whether they are doing a bumward shuffle or a crab crawl, these are all considered crawling. Read our detailed guide to the different types of crawling and rest assured, each and everyone is fine and yes all of these crawling types are a gross motor skill!
Late to Crawl Babies
It’s perfectly natural for parents to eagerly anticipate each new milestone in their baby’s development, including crawling. However, it’s essential to remember that each baby is unique and reaches these stages at their own pace.
When it comes to crawling, there’s quite a wide range of what’s considered “normal.” While some babies are early movers and might start crawling as early as six months, others might take a bit more time, even up to a year or later. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that many perfectly healthy babies skip crawling altogether, moving directly to standing, cruising, or walking.
So, if your baby is “late” to crawl, it doesn’t automatically mean something is wrong. In fact, there are several reasons why a baby may not be crawling yet. They might simply prefer other methods of locomotion, such as rolling or bottom shuffling. Some babies are more focused on developing other skills, like talking or fine motor skills. Others might need more practice time to build strength and coordination.
Just go through our step above and use every change you have off putting baby in the crawling position, so baby starts crawling. The more time baby spends on tummy time and building those muscles, the easier it will be for them to learn to crawl.
From Crawling to Walking
Encouraging your baby to crawl is an important step in their development towards walking. Once they start crawling, it’s only a matter of time before they start taking their first steps. Here are some ways you can help your baby build the necessary skills to transition from crawling to walking.
Read our detailed guide to the 7 stages of crawling, to understand your baby’s journey.
Building Balance
Walking requires good balance, and crawling is a great way to build it. Crawling helps your baby develop their core muscles, which are essential for balance. You can help your baby build balance by encouraging them to crawl on different surfaces, such as carpet, hardwood, or tile. This will help them learn how to adjust their balance to different surfaces.
Improving Motor Skills
Crawling is also an excellent way to improve your baby’s motor skills. Crawling requires coordination between the hands and knees, which helps develop both fine and gross motor skills. You can help your baby improve their motor skills by placing toys just out of reach, which will encourage them to crawl towards them. This will help them develop their hand-eye coordination and improve their motor skills.
Promoting Exploration
Crawling is a great way for your baby to explore their environment. It allows them to move around and discover new things. You can help promote exploration by creating a safe and stimulating environment for your baby to crawl in.
Make sure to baby-proof your home and remove any potential hazards. You can also provide your baby with toys and objects to crawl towards, which will encourage them to explore their environment.
FAQS on How to Promote Crawling
How can I encourage my baby to crawl?
To encourage your baby to crawl, provide ample tummy time to build upper body strength. Place toys or interesting objects slightly out of reach to motivate them to move towards them. Be around them, ensuring a safe space for their attempts. Praise every effort to instill confidence and a sense of achievement.
Should you encourage babies to crawl?
Yes, encouraging babies to crawl is beneficial as it contributes to their physical and cognitive development. Crawling enhances their strength, balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. It also builds a foundation for further motor skills like standing and walking.
What age is too late for crawling?
While the average age for crawling is between 6-10 months, there’s a wide range of normal. Some babies may not crawl until 12 months or may skip crawling altogether. However, if your baby shows no signs of movement like rolling or scooting by their first birthday, consult with a pediatrician or child development specialist.
What causes babies not to crawl?
Various factors can cause babies not to crawl. Some might prefer other forms of mobility like rolling or bottom shuffling. Others might be more focused on developing different skills, such as verbal communication or fine motor skills. In rare cases, delays in crawling could signal a developmental issue.
What is the average age of crawling?
The average age for babies to start crawling is between 6 and 10 months. However, some babies may start as early as 4 months or as late as a year or more, and that’s still within the range of normal development.
Should I be worried if my 9 month old isn’t crawling?
Not necessarily. While some babies start crawling around 6 to 10 months, others may take longer. Remember, every baby is unique and develops at their own pace. If your 9-month-old isn’t showing any interest in moving, rolling, or shifting positions, it might be a good idea to discuss this with your pediatrician.
How do you promote crawling in occupational therapy?
Occupational therapists promote crawling by using various strategies tailored to each child’s needs. They may use play-based activities to strengthen the baby’s muscles, improve their balance, and boost their coordination. Therapists may also use toys and items to motivate the baby to move, helping them practice weight shifting, a key skill for crawling.
