How to Help a Baby Start Crawling: 4 Activities to Help Baby Crawl
The old saying goes, “You must learn to crawl before you can walk,” but this isn’t always true! Some babies crawl as early as six or seven months, while other babies skip crawling and go straight to walking. Each baby is different and won’t crawl until they are ready.
Even if your baby is not yet crawling, there are activities that you can do to help encourage them to crawl. Don’t feel bad, though, if you do these activities and they still don’t crawl. My second baby refused to crawl and wouldn’t walk until he was good and ready- at 18 months old.
If you need some ideas on how to encourage your little one to get movin’, continue reading for four activities to help your baby crawl.
Timeline of Crawling
As with most milestones, no two babies are alike. Each baby moves at their own pace and won’t crawl until they are good and ready! My firstborn started crawling at nine months, whereas my secondborn didn’t “crawl” until he was fourteen months. I saw crawling, but he was really just pulling himself forward while he dragged a leg behind.
While babies do meet milestones at their own pace, there is an average timespan that your baby should be meeting their goals. For crawling, most babies begin crawling between 7-12 months. If your baby falls on the later end of the spectrum, it’s worth a call to the pediatrician for guidance.
If your baby is falling behind on a milestone, it’s important to talk to their pediatrician. There are usually programs around your area that can help your little one work on the skills they need to meet their milestones. My little guy was behind, so I mentioned it at one of his normal appointments, and he was then assessed by early intervention. He got approved for physical therapy, and now he’s walking and running when, just a few months ago, he couldn’t do more than his scooting crawl!
Advantages of Crawling
Crawling is an activity that you want your baby to do. As much as you may not want their sticky fingers getting into trouble around the house, you want them to begin crawling so that they begin developing independence! Just think of all these benefits your baby can enjoy when they crawl:
Coordination. When your baby crawls, it teaches your baby how to use both sides of their body equally. It also helps build their muscles equally.
Activates both sides of their brain. Before your baby can walk and talk, they are limited in their capabilities. Crawling is one of the first motor activities that they can do that helps utilize both sides of their brain at the same time.
Improve learning patterns. Crawling can help your baby learn better down the line. It can help with their visual tracking and skills, such as getting dressed.
Increases your baby’s confidence. The most important benefit of crawling is that it boosts your baby’s confidence. It helps increase their strength, improves balance, and fine-tunes their coordination. These are all skills your baby will need to begin walking one day!
4 Activities to Get Your Baby to Crawl
If your baby isn’t crawling yet, that’s okay. Some babies need a little extra encouragement to get rockin’ and rollin’. Here are some helpful activities you can do with them to entice them to crawl:
1. Tummy Time
Tummy time: The one-stop shop solution. The benefits of tummy time are astounding, and it is a great exercise for your baby. This exercise helps strengthen their shoulder and neck muscles, which gives them the strength they need to begin crawling.
2. Push-Ups
This exercise requires you to put in a little work! Show your baby how push-ups work and see if they start imitating you. Many babies will get excited and want to copy their parents, and the up and down motion will help build those little baby biceps!
3. Rock on Hands and Knees
If your baby hasn’t figured out how to get on their knees yet, you can put them into position. Once they are on their hands and knees, you can also show them how to rock back and forth. As they become more confident in this position, you can turn on music and encourage them to rock on their own. This repetitive motion can give them the determination they need to continue rocking until they move one knee forward and then another!
4. Entice Your Baby with Their Favorite Toy
If showing them how to balance on their hands and knees isn’t enough, you may have to bring out the heavy hitter. Take their favorite toy and put it just out of reach. Your baby should reach for it and realize it is too far away, and continue stretching and reaching until they crawl to go grab it!
Monitor Your Baby’s Milestones with Baby Connect
Keeping track of your baby’s milestones is an important part of parenthood. While it’s true that everyone hits milestones on their own time, there is a time frame that is within the normal range. If your baby has not yet hit a milestone past the maximum time that it is considered normal, it is worth bringing it up to the pediatrician for potential evaluations.
There are times when the pediatrician has questions about your little one, and this is where documentation comes in handy. Rather than carrying around a notebook that you are bound to misplace while in the thralls of parenthood, downloading Baby Connect will allow you to take your baby’s information with you wherever you go. Remembering your baby’s milestones has never been easier!
