Most babies crawl in some manner or other before they begin to walk. While the majority of babies crawl on all fours, others do the army crawl, propel themselves around on their bottom, or even crawl backwards. And then there are those who do not crawl at all - instead, their first forays at mobility are on two legs.
There is some debate among pediatricians on the importance of baby crawling. Some say it is not a significant developmental milestone, while others believe it is a skill that helps babies later in life. According to Glenn Doman, author of “How to Teach Your Baby to Be Physically Superb”, baby crawling helps babies develop convergence of vision, which stimulates the mid-brain.
This helps when they later learn to read and write. Babies who do not crawl may also develop speech problems, he says. These problems can be overcome at any time, says Doman, by practicing crawling for a few months - even though the child already knows how to walk. While most doctors recommend that babies sleep on their backs, there is also a consensus about the desirability of placing babies on their tummies while they are awake. Providing plenty of ‘tummy time’ helps to develop a baby’s motor skills.
When on her belly, a baby will lift her head and look around, push herself up with her arms, and try to propel herself forward with her legs. All these baby crawling activities help to develop a baby’s neck, arm, leg and chest muscles.
As they get to see more of their immediate environment in the prone position, babies are motivated to reach out for objects around them. This, in turn, can promote baby crawling. Doman says that babies should be left on their tummies for at least four waking hours of every day.
Baby crawling usually begins between 6 and 10 months. And apart from placing your baby on her tummy, there are other ways that you can help her learn to crawl: put her on the floor as often as possible and remove any bulky clothes that may hamper baby crawling.
Remember that your baby will crawl best when her knees and elbows are bare. It’s important not to force your baby to crawl, but you can encourage her by leaving objects she would like to grab onto or play with slightly out of reach.
Most babies start walking between 10 and 18 months. They usually start by pulling themselves up on the furniture to get into a standing position. Typically this is followed by a period of ‘cruising’ - walking around while holding onto the furniture. It is best to let babies be barefoot at this time, as this helps them to develop their balance.
While it’s important to encourage your baby’s mobility, there’s no need to get hung-up about it either. If you find yourself fretting that someone else’s child is crawling or walking sooner or better than yours, remember that every phase in your child’s life is only temporary. No matter where your baby is on the mobility scale, chances are he’ll be walking, running - and forcing you to run after him - before you know it.
M.F. Patrick is a writer for BrillBaby.
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