As your baby begins to grow, thousands of doubts are raised in your mind about the stages of development, feeding, and proper learning. Among those doubts is the crawling phase. It is necessary that you know that your baby is going to develop sequentially, that is, a skill acquired by your baby will support him so that the next skill emerges. Your baby’s development is progressive; functions are constantly accumulating from the simplest to the most complicated.
Each cog in your little nervous system acts in an organized way to simplify development, where each zone interacts with the rest of the zones so that a systematic evolution of your abilities takes place. It is shocking.
Despite the fact that crawling does not represent an essential pattern of behavior in your baby for the walking phase. In many specialized studies, it has been shown that the crawling phase stimulates the development of its vision, spatial orientation, touch, activates its systems vestibular balance.
In addition, your baby will be able to achieve more autonomy in his displacement and begins to make his own decisions on the direction where to go. Read on so that you are well informed about this very important and special phase for the development of your baby.
Baby’s Motor Development
According to the cephalo-caudal development law, the direction of its progress is linear (from top to bottom), that is, it goes from head to toe. Also from the central area of your body to the outside, based on the proximal refinement law.
This means that the ability to crawl in your baby will occur more or less at the end of the first year, around the ninth month. This is not a standardized rule, you must remember that all babies do not have the same rate of progress, in addition to the crawling phase does not occur in all babies.
Baby’s motor development is divided into the fine motor and thick motor. The fine motor zone is related to graphomotricity, manual eye coordination, etc. As for the gross motor area, it is more connected with locomotion, postural control, and body coordination.
So when considering the laws of development, cervical control represents the first evolutionary milestone related to your baby’s motor skills, that is, around month 3 or 4 the baby can hold its head. After sitting without support, your baby will be able to balance on all 4 limbs to crawl and finally, in the first year, stand and walk.
When Do Babies Crawl Early?
When the baby keeps its head up and supports itself on its arms, the baby learns to turn. The movements related to crawling and walking in your baby require partial rotations of her small body, independent between the hip and shoulders, in addition to being synchronized in parallel. In the crawling development phase, there are psychological and biomechanical factors that play an important role: coordination, rocking, developed limb strength and body dimension.
Guidelines For Stimulating Crawling
Once your baby can sit up without support, it’s time to encourage crawling by following certain guidelines:
- First, your baby will begin to move using his hands, by placing yourself behind the baby you can guide the legs so that your baby performs the synchronized movement with his hands and begins to slide. You must bear in mind that the fundamental thing is that your baby wants to move and leans on some part of the body to get around.
- When your baby is sitting, help him to support his hands forward, now you must bend his knees and direct his feet back, by swinging with a gentle push, this way your baby will be in position to crawl.
- When your baby is in the crawling position, he will gradually learn to sit up and move into the crawling position, until he discovers that he can swing from front to back when he is in the crawling position.
- Then you will find that pressing your knees to the ground can give you a gentle boost, the one necessary to start crawling. Finally, the baby learns to change from sitting to crawling position and fine-tunes her technique.
At What Age Does Your Baby Start The Crawling Stage?
Baby crawling at 4 months, sometimes it’s between 6 months and 10 months of age. Although many babies skip this stage because they don’t really like to crawl on all fours or just go straight to learning to walk. It is essential that your baby properly controls his balance so that he can crawl; he needs to coordinate his feet and hands, in addition to stiffening his legs to learn to walk later.
Don’t worry if your baby at this stage does not crawl in a conventional way, it is normal for each baby to develop their own techniques for crawling: bend their legs to move the buttocks, move seated, lean on the extremities to slide their tummy, among other.
How To Help Baby Crawl
To appropriately stimulate your baby for the crawling stage, it is best to provide him with a suitable environment: you can search for some of his favorite toys to place them in front of him and far enough away, so that the little one dares to look for them. Additionally, you can put some pillows so that he learns to dodge them. Ideally, the baby is always accompanied, remember that your baby is learning and will always need the help or support of an adult.
The space where the baby is going to crawl must be free of risks. You need to be on the stairs and adequately cover each plug; his curiosity can lead him to put his fingers in the plugs. Keep an eye on doors, floors, open sales, and things that could become a risk to the baby.
Exercises And Games To Stimulate Movement And Crawling
Before the crawling phase, it is essential that your baby roll stretch or sit alone. Here are some stimulation exercises for your baby to learn to crawl. Crawling stimulation is beneficial for your baby, but you should never force it.
Exercises to stimulate crawling:
When do babies sit up and crawl from lying down? Once your baby can sit up without support, it’s time to encourage crawling by following certain guidelines:
- For your baby to learn to crawl, balance is essential, you can lay the baby on your belly and in front of him holding a toy at a distance. Your baby will need to stretch his arms to try to grasp the object, thus exercising his balance.
- Sit the baby on the floor and around her place some toys, a little out of reach. Your baby will bend over trying to get the toys and sometimes he will probably crawl on all fours.
- Without flexing your knees, your baby will learn to crawl before crawling. Help her bend her knees, while helping her bend them; press the soles of her feet a little. The baby will use her hands as a support point and will move forward arching her knees.
- Lifting your belly off the ground will be quite difficult. To get the baby used to the crawling position, with your legs stretched out, sit on the floor and then place the baby with her belly on your thighs, the knees and hands will be on the floor.
- Once your baby is in the crawling posture, you can motivate him to progress by putting yourself in the same position as him.
- Do not forget that when you start crawling your baby discovers new and exciting things for him, so it is essential that he is always under your supervision while he is crawling.
Movement Stimulation And Crawling Games
For your baby, crawling is a pleasant activity and quite necessary for the correct development of his brain, in addition to collaborating in the activation of certain neurological processes that benefit his intellect. Here are some of the crawling simulation games that you can play with your baby.
The Crawling Tunnel
The crawling tunnel is a very stimulating game, which is widely used in psychomotor sessions. During this stimulation and exercise game, you can use some game objects: crawling mats, cushions, the tunnel, scrolling mat, as well as some surfaces with different densities in a wide space so that your baby can explore without complications. Your baby will be able to move, strengthen her autonomy and her ability to make decisions.
Mommy And Her Scarf
For this game, you are going to need a comfortable place and a scarf. Place the baby on her back on a blanket. Then you stand on her knees with a handkerchief of attractive colors, bring her handkerchief close to her face, and touch her tummy, her hands, and her legs. If your baby is less than 3 months old, the movements will be clumsy and uncontrolled, but follow the object if you place it on its head.
When she is 3 months old and she is able to raise her arms towards the handkerchief and will try to touch it, albeit with a bit of disorder. Bring the scarf as close as you can, each time your baby touches it congratulate him. If she is 6 months old, your baby will probably touch the handkerchief and manipulate it. You can also place the scarf in a little piece, to stimulate a little abdominal work.
Ride a Car
To develop spatial awareness, the car ride will be very beneficial for both of you. You need to find a large cardboard box, and then you must tie a rope to the box. You are going to put a cushion inside the box, now place your baby on top; it will fascinate you to be tucked in there. Give him any circular toy and tell him to be the conductor, and then pull the rope. If you prefer you can sing an animated song. As you drag the box around the house, you can change the speed.
When Do Babies Rollover
Place your baby on his tummy on a circular cushion or pillow. Help her roll from front to back on the cushion, placing one of your hands under her little legs and the other in her armpits. When he is tired of playing, you can release him so that he is on the circular cushion, with his hands and knees resting on the floor.
With the support pillow on your belly, let it stay in the crawling position for a while. Stroke him back as you whisper cute words or sing to him. Your baby will probably startle a little during play. Hold it for a long time well secured so that it does not get scared. Try it several times, you will see that he quickly gets used to it and he will love it. Respect her spirit; do not insist if she wants to stop playing.
Don’t You Catch It?
With this game, your baby develops abdominal muscles and attention. Place your baby on a blanket in front of you. Take a flashy toy out of a box and place it close to your hand. Next, continue pulling out other attractive but farther objects from her hands and finally placing them away from where she is. Objects that attract you will try to catch them.
To Play The Wheel Barrow
It is difficult for your baby to start the crawling stage. You can strengthen their confidence and strength by playing the wheelbarrow. Turn your baby upside down, rest her hands on the floor, now hold her by the hips. Go down slowly until you get to hold your feet. Keep your baby at a precise angle in this pose, when you look at him safely in his hands, he begins to rock him slightly back and forth. Bend your knees and lay him on the ground in the crawling position.
Different Types Of Baby Crawling
When your baby starts the crawling phase, you don’t need to buy specific clothes, many of the clothes he has now will work very well for him, as long as he doesn’t become an obstacle to crawling. Although there is a wide variety of clothes in online stores and even certain accessories to simplify your baby’s crawling stage, it is your free choice to give your baby the necessary implements for this phase full of movements and to care for her delicate knees.
Crawling Crawling
Trawl crawling is one of the most widely used crawls at the beginning of the crawling phase. The baby uses only her arms; they slide forward, pushing the whole body. At certain times, the baby may move backwards.
Standard Crawling
In standard crawling, the baby is placed on the knees and hands, then crosses the gait, that is, your baby’s left leg advances when his right-hand advances and vice versa. Then a curvature begins to be created at the level of the lumbar.
Bear Crawling
This type of crawling appears between 48 weeks of age and the first year. Your baby can support herself with her feet and hands, flexing her thighs. It is essential for the development of lumbar arching and gives it enough stability to later be able to get upright.
Sitting Crawling
In sitting crawling your baby crawls, stretching and flexing his legs, while gently supporting himself with his hands to push himself forward. You can make small jumps while sitting down to progress slowly.
As you can see these are the most common types of crawling, although most likely you will find that your baby is crawling in a very particular way. Regardless of the type of crawling your baby crawls, it’s vital that you give importance to her interest in exploring and getting around.
Let your little baby crawl and put aside the fear of getting your clothes dirty. Let him explore and don’t scold him if he doesn’t want to. Let it rise and rise in areas where there is no danger. Your baby needs to investigate and touch everything; she only controls the objects that may cause her damage around her. Let your baby be free to explore and learn.
Babies begin to crawl between 6 months and 10 months of age. Although many babies skip this stage because they don’t really like to crawl on all fours or just go straight to learning to walk. It is essential that your baby properly controls his balance so that he can crawl; he needs to coordinate his feet and hands, in addition to stiffening his legs to learn to walk later.
Don’t worry if your baby at this stage does not crawl in a conventional way, it is normal for each baby to develop their own techniques for crawling: bend their legs to move the buttocks, move seated, lean on the extremities to slide their tummy, among other.
Clothes Suitable For Crawling
Crawling allows your baby to gain some autonomy, it also gives him the opportunity to experience and discover the environment around him. Learn about the different types of crawling that exist, although these are not a rule because there may be some variations.
Clothing To Protect Your Delicate Knees
- If you have clothes at home that include kneepads and pads, they are perfect for your baby in the stage that will take a long time on the floor. If not, you can buy some pants to crawl, they are pants specially designed for this stage, you can easily add them to your wardrobe and are quick to use and wash. It gives you the opportunity to take care of your baby’s street clothes, keeping them always protected, clean and perfect.
- If you do not want to make an expense in this kind of clothing for your baby, you can also opt for the typical kneepads, which you can put on your baby over their daily clothes, thus protecting your knees. In addition to taking care of your knees, it prevents your clothes from wearing out quickly.
- Another excellent quite effective option would be the recycling of some used socks, you only need to cut the ends and place the socks on the pants (it is a substitute for the classic knee brace), so that the heel area of the sock matches the knee of your baby.
Appropriate Footwear For Crawling
- The booties or socks are effective from 0 months until it begins to crawl, and your baby will be protected from the cold on his feet. During this stage, footwear is not recommended.
- To protect your baby from bumps when crawling, you can choose flexible shoes with soft fabrics, which have extra protection in the heel and toe, in addition to a soft 2 to 3-mm sole. You should be aware of the friction on the baby’s feet.
Special Kneepads For Crawling
When your baby begins to slide and then crawl, you are surely concerned about the damage that can occur to his delicate knees, due to rough or very hard floors. To avoid damage to your knees, you can opt for kneepads specially designed for the crawling stage. In this way, you protect your clothes and your knees. These knee pads can be found in one size, made of cotton, similar to a sock without the toe, you can put them on and take them off without any complications. The crawling kneepads have some silicone dots as additional protection against chafing, as well as avoiding slipping and giving you a better grip when crawling.
Main Problems When A Baby Crawls
Some of the main problems you encounter when your baby starts to crawl are:
- By crawling on the ground during the winter, your baby can get cold and get sicker than normal.
- Slips due to slippery flooring or clothing are not the most appropriate, so it is essential that your baby has adequate house clothes for crawling.
- Your baby’s knees and legs can be more affected during the summer.
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