During the first year of life, babies learn something new every month – a new knowledge, a new venture, and a lot of new discoveries. This is also the period when they develop very fast. In the first year of their life, babies start to communicate and learn how to control their bodies and cope with the environment. Parents need to support and accompany their baby on this quest. Many young parents are wondering when do babies crawl. The answer to this question is very important because in this way they can prepare themselves and the baby in the right way.
Although there is no universal answer to the question “when do babies crawl”, the fact is that the vast majority of children start with this activity when they are between 7 and 10 months old. In case you are a parent and your baby spends a lot of time on the floor, positioned with their tummy down, they may acquire this skill even earlier. It is not unusual to see a 6-month baby crawling. What is even more interesting is that some babies simply skip this phase of crawling and start walking right away. So, you should not start panicking and getting frustrated because your baby is still not crawling even though they are 10 months old – the most important thing is that the development of the baby in all other aspects is adequate for their age. Some babies don’t crawl, but they still find a way to move on the floor by pushing their bodies with their hands while they are sitting on the floor or by sliding on their tummy. So, it is very difficult to say when do babies start to crawl in a situation like this. Your baby may initially move backward or to the left or right side until they understand how to move forward. This is something quite natural.
If your baby wants to start crawling, it must first be able to support the arms and upper part of the body. In addition, it must have well-developed muscles in the legs and back. The time spent on their tummy, helps babies to strengthen these muscles. Every time the baby holds the head upright to look around or when the baby lifts up with the help of the arms, they actually strengthen their muscles. Infants who don’t spend enough time on their stomachs may postpone the time when they start to crawl and walk.
Before they learn how to crawl, children learn how to swing back and forth. You can see your baby trying to lift on all fours (hands and feet) and start swinging back and forth while playing on its belly. This is a clear sign that the child will soon start crawling. Eventually, your baby will discover that they can use the momentum of swinging to move forward. Once your baby learns to crawl, be careful, because the baby will want to explore every part of the home. Before you let your baby wander around your house, make sure that the floors are clean and clear from any objects that may hurt them.
How to prepare your baby for crawling
Instead of reading and doing research about when do babies start crawling, you should be focused on exercises and preparation for this moment. Every experienced professional who follows the development of children can confirm that crawling is very important for the proper development of motor skills. Letting or forcing your child into a standing position too early can have many negative effects and this is exactly why crawling exercises are so significant they will be of great importance for the baby even if the baby skips this phase or if the phase lasts very short. Preparation for crawling starts by putting the baby in a prone position when awake for the first days after birth. The position of the stomach stimulates the baby to uplift. This is the position required to learn how to use hands, rise on the knees, keep balance, and eventually move forward.
The baby should be encouraged when it starts to show interest in the environment around it regardless of whether it is crawling or not. As soon as your baby learns how to roll over from the back to the tummy, the baby will start to reach for toys that are beyond the reach of its hands. Since your baby will not be able to reach the toys, it will try to move the body in that direction. In order to successfully finish this task, the baby needs to be prepared by using some specially designed exercises.
These exercises are performed under the same conditions in which the baby will crawl which means on a non-slip floor preferably coated in order to amortize any shock in case of a fall. The clothes they are wearing should be comfortable, but not too loose because such clothes can create problems when they are moving. If the baby is not used to stay on its stomach, especially if the baby was already frequently positioned in a sitting position, it will probably start complaining and it will try to make you lift it up. That’s why it is necessary to be on the floor together with your baby, to keep the attention with toys, and to continue with the exercises on a regular basis.
By doing these exercises, the baby will strengthen the antigravity muscles (these muscles keep the body in an upright position), and the child will be prepared for a standing position without adding pressure to the feet which are not yet strong enough to withstand the weight of the body in an upright position.
If your child did not understand the coordination of movements of legs and arms in order to move across the floor until the age of one year, make sure to seek advice from a specialist.
