The child crawled - and this is an important event in his life. This skill is the first skill that allows you to independently move in space.
The stage of crawling is necessary for the child's body for the development of the musculoskeletal system, preparing it for the vertical load, which will replace crawling. In this resource, we'll show you when and how babies begin to crawl, and how effective exercises can help parents encourage their baby to crawl.
Norms and terms
The newborn does not have musculoskeletal skills, with the exception of unconditioned reflexes, which include grasping, straightening the body "in line" while holding it along the spine, spreading the arms to the sides and pushing the legs away from the plane in an upright position. Only a few weeks after birth, the baby begins to make the first more or less conscious movements.
First, he learns to hold his head, to raise the upper body on his hands while lying on his stomach. Then he masters coups. Then comes the desire to sit and crawl - sometimes at the same time, sometimes in turn, and in any sequence.
In fact, a child in his development during the first year repeats in an accelerated mode the entire course of evolutionary changes that humanity has undergone. The difference is that it took tens of thousands of years for mankind to stand on two lower limbs, and for an individual person - your baby - nature devoted only the first 12 months of his life to this.
On average, pediatric norms indicate that a baby begins to crawl at 5-9 months. The age range is so wide, because all babies are very different. And crawling at five months, and mastering a new method of moving the body in space at 8 months - this is absolutely and indisputably a normal phenomenon.
Even if the baby refuses to crawl at all (there are also such toddlers), this is not considered a deviation in the baby's growth and maturation program and should not cause much alarm in the mother and father.
In order to crawl, the child first needs to strengthen the muscles of the abdomen, chest, neck. A kid who has not learned to confidently hold his head, lift his torso on handles and roll over on his side, on his back, on his stomach, will not be able to crawl due to the immaturity of the muscle groups responsible for the crawling process. Only when the muscles and ligaments are ready to master a new stage, the baby will happily accept gymnastics, exercises and other parenting actions aimed at stimulating crawling.
Regarding the norms, it should be noted that they are quite average and so general that they are hardly applicable to individual babies. Don't worry if your child is ahead or behind them. Each baby develops according to its own purely individual program.
What affects the timing?
The child may not show any desire to crawl after six months, and there may be many reasons for this. It is imperative to take into account the individual "circumstances". And they can be as follows:
- the child was born prematurely;
- the baby has established and diagnosed neurological disorders;
- the baby is inactive;
- the crumbs have an innate melancholic or phlegmatic type of temperament (active and sometimes even restless sanguine and choleric people begin to move earlier and more willingly, they are interested in everything, while the phlegmatic is more interested in good nutrition and healthy prolonged sleep);
- the child has problems with being overweight: boys and girls whose body weight exceeds the permissible age values, in general, with difficulty and much later than their peers, master new motor skills;
- the child must have a suitable "habitat": if he is constantly confined outside the crib or playpen, there will be no incentive to crawl;
- the child has vision problems: visually impaired children cannot relate the distance between objects and see distant targets, and therefore crawling is not stimulated.
Skill development stages
The ability to sit or walk for almost all children looks the same. And only crawling is a wonderful "space" for expressing an individual style: all children, if you carefully observe, crawl in different ways, in the way that suits them. The skill develops in stages, and at each stage this individual style will be clearly traced.
The skill is formed according to its own laws, regardless of the crawling style of the baby. Let's consider the main stages of skill acquisition.
On the belly
Babies usually start crawling on their tummies first. This method does not require a lot of physical exertion from the baby, it involves the muscles of the abdomen and back.
Plastuny is the easiest way to learn a new way, because in this position the baby feels safe. Nothing threatens his balance and position in space. Also, you can always relax and lie in the usual position - on your tummy, if you get tired of moving forward.
The start dates for this stage are the earliest. On average, babies learn to move on the belly at 5-6 months. At the initial stage, the child needs rather strong muscles of the arms, because after a coup on the tummy, they need to learn how to push off the plane with their hands.
At this stage, babies rarely get a purposeful forward crawl. Most often, toddlers amuse their parents with their attempts to move on their bellies to the side or back. This is considered completely normal, no adjustments should be made to such a crawl.
On the abdomen involving legs
About a month after mastering the movement on the stomach, the child begins to understand that in order to achieve the goal in front of him, you need to move in its direction, because moving back or sideways does not bring the cherished toy one iota closer. Then most children begin to use their legs - they are pushed off. It turns out the forward movement of the body forward, but for now the crumb is on the stomach.
As the ability to push off with the legs simultaneously or alternately, a completely full-fledged skill of crawling forward on the stomach is formed, in addition, the child begins to understand that bent legs raise him above the plane, and he learns to get on all fours. The basic (very conditional) timing of the start of the stage is 6-8 months.
On knees
As soon as the baby learns to transfer body weight to his legs and arms, he will begin to get up on all fours and swing. At the same time, he will fall, it hurts to beat his chin and nose, and therefore, at this stage, parents must make sure that there is a place for crawling in the house - with a soft floor covering that will mitigate failures.
It is impossible to force a child to crawl on all fours. The instinct of self-preservation clearly tells the toddler that in the absence of a sense of balance, there is no need to move anywhere. Therefore, the crumb will swing on all fours as much as is needed to strengthen the muscles of the limbs, because it is they who now have the main load. On average, the period starts from 7-9 months. Its duration is purely individual.
On all fours with a permutation
This is the final stage, at which the baby, having learned to assess his own weight and balance on four points of support, begins to rearrange the limbs, while simultaneously distributing the weight to the other three or two limbs. First, the kids rearrange their arms, pulling their legs behind them, then they master the synchronous rearrangement of the arms and legs.
From that moment on, the child resembles the notorious "electric broom", which here, there and in the next room manages to be present almost simultaneously. This period will require special care from parents for the safety of the baby. He already gets to the previously forbidden boxes, shelves, kitchen, stove and trash can. Be carefull.
Baby gender and crawling
Often, on forums on the Internet, you can find statements from mothers that girls begin to crawl earlier than boys. Blaming male kids for laziness and inactivity is not entirely correct - their muscular system and motivation develop no slower than girls.
The speed of mastering motor skills, according to official medicine, does not depend on the sex of the child. The opinion of moms is nothing more than their personal observation of a limited group of children - their child, a neighbor's and a friend's child. In the framework of global statistics, there is no definite advantage in physical development among girls. Children of both sexes have equal potential, provided that their health, weight and social conditions in which they live are also approximately equal.
If the child doesn't want to crawl
There are children who upset their parents very much that they categorically do not want to crawl. They can move in alternative ways - for example, jumping from a position on all fours, or rolling from side to side until they "roll" to the target. First of all, parents may have thoughts about possible developmental pathologies.
Don't panic. Observe your child more closely. If in his movements he uses equally the limbs on the right and left sides, if during movement, even without crawling, the child equally coordinates the movements of the right and left arms and both legs in equal measure, then most likely there is nothing to worry about.
If there are no convulsions, paresis, "dragging" of individual limbs or their complete immobility, there is no need to worry. It will be enough to create the right conditions, to help the child become interested in crawling, so that he can master this skill on his own.
Should I teach my child to crawl? If the lack of the appropriate skill prevents the parents from living a quiet life, then you can use a set of special exercises when carrying out daily gymnastics. The main thing is not to put pressure on the baby, not to force him to do something by force. Attempts to teach crawling should not turn into an obsession, after all, there are children who pass the stage of crawling - sit down and then get up on two legs.
The other extreme is constant attempts to crawl. Some parents complain that it is absolutely impossible to change the baby's clothes, since he cannot lie down in peace even for a minute and tries to crawl away. Sometimes the child demonstrates strange behavior at all - he wakes up at night and immediately begins to crawl on the crib until he rests against the fence. It's connected with overexcitation of the nervous system. Such a baby can be helped by a relaxing relaxing massage before bedtime, bathing in a cool bath.
Gymnastics and exercises for an easily excitable child should be dosed according to the time and degree of physical activity, and classes should be carried out exclusively in the morning, so that the baby has time to calm down and relax before the night's sleep.
Gymnastics and crawling exercises
Gymnastics is good for all kids. It improves blood circulation, stimulates the development of bone and muscular systems, ligaments, has a positive effect on the development of speech and the state of the nervous system. If the child does not crawl, although, according to the mother, it is high time for him to do it, you can stimulate the acquisition of skill by adding special exercises to daily exercises.
It should be noted that these exercises are active, that is, the child also participates in their implementation. In addition, the child will not crawl without proper motivation, no matter how hard you try - you need to make sure that you have at your disposal interesting and bright objects, toys, which will become the very stimulus that will make the child start moving according to the new rules.
Here are some useful and simple exercises aimed at strengthening the muscles of the arms, legs, abdomen and back, as well as contributing to the development of the vestibular apparatus, which is required to start crawling.
"Hunter"
For this activity, you will need a children's developmental rug with an arc for toys. If not, make one yourself from pieces of bright fabric. For the arc, use a thick wire sheathed with foam rubber and fabric. The exercise is intended for the smallest - from 5 months. Put the child on the rug on his stomach and tie a small toy to the arc so that it is clearly visible to the child, but inaccessible.
Hold the baby's chest with your palm while he tries to reach the toy with one hand. Support should be diminishing every day. An important point is that the toy must be hung so that, after stretching, the child can still reach it. The exercise stimulates the development of the arms and neck, allows the baby to feel the transfer of weight to one limb, which is important for crawling.
"Traveler on the balloon"
For this exercise you will need a gymnastic ball. Put the child on the fitball first on his back, roll it back and forth and left and right. Then turn the baby onto his stomach and repeat the rocking motion. In front of the ball, put a toy or object of interest for the baby, hold the baby lying on the tummy by the feet and legs. He will reach for the toy, touching the surface of the fitball with his hands.
Your task is to keep the legs so that the baby does not fall headfirst off the ball. The exercise ends when the child takes out the toy. Then transfer it further and repeat the exercise again.
"Wheelbarrow"
This is an exercise that is popular and familiar to many, which causes real delight in children. The task of the mother is to hold the child by the legs, the task of the child is to step with the handles on the floor. Moving forward will resemble a wheelbarrow, hence the name itself. The main thing is not to make sudden forward movements, otherwise the child may lose balance and hit his head hard on the floor. The exercise is suitable for children over 7-8 months old.
Traveler Frog
This exercise is an improved version of the famous Frog exercise. Place your baby on your stomach. Spread his legs slightly, bending at the knees, this will resemble the movements of a jumping frog. Finish the exercise by creating a support for the child with your own palms. Starting from them, the baby, by inertia, will be able to crawl its first centimeters towards the interesting toy that the mother put in front of him in advance. The exercise is suitable for the smallest - from 5.5 months.
"Dancing on all fours"
If the child has already got down on all fours and cannot decide to rearrange his hands to crawl, help him by completing daily gymnastics with a fun, mobile exercise. Turn on rhythmic music, get on all fours with the baby and sway slightly in this position, preferably in the same rhythm with the baby. And then defiantly make a "step" with your hand forward. Not today, so after a few sessions, the baby will definitely decide to repeat this movement after you.
A lot can be said about a personal example. But it will be enough if we recall that a child under one year old, a personal example is the best teacher. It will look comical and ridiculous, but it is possible that mom and dad will have to spend several days moving on all fours around the apartment.Believe me, after what he has seen, the baby will begin to repeat such incomprehensible, but very funny movements after the elders.
Useful Tips
A mom who is determined to teach her baby to crawl you should take note of a few useful tips, tested on thousands of small representatives of completely different generations.
- "It is mine!". Every child is a terrible owner. Even if your child is ready to give you the last rattle, the baby is still an owner and a greedy person. This is common to all children. Take advantage of this. Invite friends with a crawling or walking child to visit, run the guest into the nursery, and allow them to play with any toys they see. Your son or daughter will first watch how someone else's boy or girl takes his things, and then he will definitely make an attempt to get to the invader and take his back. Perhaps not on the first visit or the second. But he will definitely crawl to pick up his toys. It is a fact.
- Horse work. This game will help your child start crawling faster. Make the reins from the sheet, pick up the child in the chest area and facilitate its movement on four points of support, holding it by the reins. This game should not be offered to children with congenital heart defects and chest deformities.
- Comfortable clothes. Nothing should bother the child. Review his wardrobe, eliminate without pity all the things that can even theoretically hinder movement with seams, fasteners. Sometimes this measure alone is quite enough for a child to feel freedom and begin to move more willingly.
The opinion of Dr. Komarovsky
The famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky calls crawling an important and necessary skill. Your toddler can have serious spinal and musculoskeletal health problems if, instead of encouraging crawling, parents put him on a walker or bouncer. Vertical stress on the spine and muscles should not be premature.
If a child is afraid to crawl, Komarovsky advises to look at the world through his eyes. To do this, mom needs to sit on the floor and look at everything from the bottom up. Sharp corners and dangerous objects, large elements of furniture and interior that frighten the child, will immediately become apparent. Also, such an experiment will help the mother what real dangers need to be eliminated (remove, close, seal with tape and nail it in) so that the child, when he crawls, is not injured.
If the child has already begun to crawl and has chosen his own way of doing it (for example, the baby is crawling backwards), Komarovsky advises parents not to try to correct this manner, forcing the baby to change the trajectory of movement or the setting of the limbs.
The desire of parents to see their child developed, well, at least "like everyone else" is understandable. But Evgeny Olegovich does not recommend comparing the development of a baby with the development of others. Too early attempts by parents to teach a child to crawl can have quite serious negative consequences: posture and gait disorders, joint injuries. Everything should be on time, and therefore Komarovsky advises to start classes no earlier than after 7 months, if the child does not even try to crawl.
Crawling too early, although it is a reason for the pride of young parents, is not good for the baby. Usually, children who have mastered crawling early begin to master walking much later - they are quite comfortable and comfortable on four limbs, stable and reliable. Parents have to start worrying about a new reason - the lack of walking skills.
You need to go to the doctor with the child if, after 9 months, the baby continues to lie, not trying to crawl, sit down. Earlier, Yevgeny Komarovsky does not advise to sound the alarm and drag the baby to neurologists. Neurologists with a high degree of probability will find one of the diseases that in fact do not exist, and parents will spend a lot of nerves and money trying to "cure" the child, which is already developing completely normally.
For how to teach a child to crawl, see the next video.
