Contents:
- Medical Video: Stages of Crawling (Newbie to Pro in 1 Min)
- Why is the baby phase crawling important?
- When do babies start learning to crawl on their own?
- Here's how to train babies to crawl safely
- 1. Recognize the sign that the baby is ready to crawl
- 2. Prepare a soft base
- 3. Increase your stomach time
Medical Video: Stages of Crawling (Newbie to Pro in 1 Min)
Seeing baby's development is the most beautiful moment for parents. Accompanying children to learn to babble, lie on their stomachs, roll over, and crawl will certainly make you anxious and proud of your baby's growth. You certainly want to make sure your little baby grows and develops according to his age, including when the baby starts crawling. Then, when should the baby phase crawl begin? Check out the full information below.
Why is the baby phase crawling important?
The crawling phase is one of the stages of baby's development that you should not miss. Felice Sklamberg, an occupational therapist for children at New York University's School of Medicine, revealed to Parenting that the crawling phase is the main milestone for exercising little one's motor balance and development.
When you notice, the baby will crawl forward by moving the right arm and left leg, then the left and right leg alternately. This process is called a patterncross-crawl. Crossing hand and foot movements indicates that the child's right and left brain functions are balanced.
Health experts even reveal that children who learn to crawl tend to have bodies that are stronger than children who don't crawl. Crawling requires the coordination of the child's hand, wrist, elbow and shoulder muscles to support his own weight. That is why parents must continue to train the baby to crawl so that his body is stronger when the child learns the way.
When do babies start learning to crawl on their own?
Usually, babies will start crawling step by step atages 6 to 10 months. Before starting to crawl, your little one will look enthusiastic to move his arms and legs to the front to reach the objects around him. The more often the baby tries to move forward, the faster the possibility of the child to be able to crawl.
Although this phase is important, but in fact not all babies will experience a phase of crawling. Yes, there are babies who can immediately walk without crawling first. You don't need to panic first if your little one can't crawl like other babies.
As long as your baby is able to move his legs and arms, for example by shifting the body or walking step by step, the child's motor development is considered to be normal and fine.
But if the baby tends to move his body hard, whether it's rolling or crawling, until the age of 12-18 months, you should immediately consult the nearest pediatrician. This is feared to be a symptom of muscle paralysis or a child's brain nerve disorder.
Here's how to train babies to crawl safely
Baby crawling phase is the proudest and most challenging moment for parents. Because the baby's body is still not balanced, the child will certainly be prone to falling or bumping into objects around him.
So, you should keep an eye on every movement of your child while learning to crawl. So, to be safer, let's help train your baby's ability to crawl in the following way.
1. Recognize the sign that the baby is ready to crawl
It's not easy to determine when your baby is ready to crawl. However, there are some signs that you can observe from your child's behavior that show that he is ready to learn to crawl.
A pediatrician, Ashanti Woods, MD said that babies who often roll over and sit alone without help are usually ready to learn to crawl.
Your baby often shakes his body, then moves his hands forward and is ready to crawl.
2. Prepare a soft base
Before training a baby to crawl, provide a soft and soft carpet mat. In addition to preventing collisions, this is also useful for avoiding broken glass or sharp objects that can injure your baby's body.
In addition, choose colorful carpets with children's favorite cartoon images. This can help attract the attention of your child to move forward and touch his favorite image. Without realizing it, your baby will crawl step by step until it is steady.
3. Increase your stomach time
To train a baby to crawl, take advantage of the momenttummy timeaka baby on his stomach as often as possible. This method will provide many opportunities for your child to strengthen the neck muscles, back, shoulders and head. The more often the baby is prone, the motoric development will be faster.
You can also stimulate your baby to crawl by helping him sit upright. After that, put your favorite toy in front of him and invite your little one to grab the toy. This method can push the baby to crawl or shift his body towards the toy.
Don't forget to always give enthusiasm and praise for your little one so that your baby will be more enthusiastic to crawl forward.
