The importance of crawling in babies

Most babies learn to crawl between 7 and 10 months old. Currently, children barely crawl, most babies don't even crawl or crawl enough. They go straight to standing up, and that fact can have repercussions on children's development.

This funny way babies move is the result of an evolution in body control, as it helps them strengthen and develop the muscles in their arms, legs, back, and neck, as well as the joints throughout the body. Before crawling, little ones must be able to hold their head up, sit without support, and support themselves on their arms.

Crawling prepares the child for future learning, especially for the reading and writing process. In addition, the child develops their senses and autonomy. The child decides where they want to go and how to move.

Reasons that explain the importance of crawling

1. Develops balance: It develops the cross pattern, which enables the human body to move in balance. This movement involves the axis of the hips and the shoulders.
2. Develops muscle: Crawling tones the muscles of the arms and legs which later allow the child to stand up.
3. Improves coordination between what the eye sees and what the hand and foot do: Crawling helps to better develop vision and the brain-eye-hand coordination. This aspect is important because it will be easier for the child to walk if they coordinate well with their feet. Additionally, this aspect is fundamental for learning to read and write.
4. Enhances tactile, olfactory, and visual qualities: The baby discovers their environment, which includes many textures, colors, and smells. Little ones develop their sense of touch by touching the floor, carpets, and everything they find. In short, their brain hemispheres work harder and connect better.
5. Facilitates conquering the environment: Crawling helps the baby to calculate distances and adapt to the surrounding world.
6. Encourages detachment from the mother: This means the baby is ready to separate from their mother and start getting to know the outside world.

How to encourage a baby to crawl?

To encourage babies to crawl, we should consider the following indications:

• Provide a clean, smooth, safe, cozy, and warm floor.
• The best way to encourage a child to crawl is to place their favorite toys in front of them and away from them so they can find them. You can also place some obstacles in their path, like pillows, for them to navigate around.
• Crawling after an object such as a ball is much more effective than laying down a mat for them to crawl on.
• Always supervise crawling behavior. The child may put objects they find on the floor in their mouth or run into other objects they don't see while looking down.

If your baby doesn't crawl conventionally, don't worry. Some children develop their own crawling techniques: moving while sitting, sliding their bottom by bending their legs, or sliding their belly with the help of their arms and legs.