Why crawling is important
Crawling is a functional movement skill that allows kids to move through their environment. It is also an important play skill that they will use and build on as they move through the world. Crawling helps coordinate both sides of the body, asking the limbs to do different but coordinated movements. It builds the core muscles, refines balance skills, and strengthens the hips and buns to prepare baby for walking.
Crawling is also extremely important for hand skills later in life. As baby puts weight through the shoulders, forearms, wrists, hands and fingers, he/she is developing strength, dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and sensory integration that will be used later in life to support many skills, including a functional grip when holding a fork at mealtime, handwriting, and zipping a coat. Baby is also honing his/her visual perceptual skills which helps with reaching accuracy and interpreting the 3D world.
Crawling is a vital skill to support upper body strength and coordination. If your baby skipped crawling, head over to our “What to do if your baby skipped crawling” post for ideas on promoting upper body strength that your child will need one day for dressing, writing, and eating.
Crawling is also a helpful skill for encouraging brain development and learning. In 2007, The University of Sheffield conducted a study that found babies who crawled on hands and knees actually had greater memory retention than children who did not crawl. They taught a new skill to children who were crawling and to a group of children who were not crawling. The children who were crawling were able to repeat the newly learned skill in a new environment. The children who were not crawling needed to be in the same environment to repeat the new skill, suggesting that “the onset of independent locomotion is associated with more flexible memory retrieval in the first year of life.” (Herbert J1, Gross J, Hayne H., 2007)
Your baby may begin with army crawling (i.e., crawling with belly, arms and legs on the floor) or something similar at first- that’s OK. Continue to encourage baby to move. When army crawling, usually 7-10 months old, he/she is using the shoulders, back, trunk and leg muscles in a way that is preparing for crawling, usually 7-10 months old. If his/her belly is still on the floor after a few weeks, try some of the play ideas below.
How long and how often
It’s hard to say, crawling naturally happens as a transition when moving from one place to another. Aim for short tolerated spurts of up to 30 seconds on hands and knees, belly off the floor. Give baby plenty of opportunities to safely explore baby-friendly areas in your home via crawling.
What baby is working toward
Strong hands and shoulders for eating, dressing, writing, or playing sports and musical instruments later on in life
Increased finger and wrist dexterity to stack blocks, dump a container, or pick up small items
Balancing on one arm and one leg while crawling builds skills for future walking and swinging arms
Using the arms and legs together but separately builds future skills to run and throw a ball
Use our milestone checklists to track your child’s skills and progress and always speak with your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s motor development. There are delays and disorders that are unavoidable and require early detection and prompt intervention by a licensed Occupational or Physical Therapist.
Top 3 positions to teach crawling
Play over an adult’s leg - start by placing baby tummy-down over one of your legs. His/her arms are on one side of your leg and his/her legs are behind on the other side. Place a toy or book nearby for motivation. Lift your leg slightly so baby is putting weight through the hands and knees. You can lower your leg as he/she gets stronger and supports more of his/her own weight
Climbing up and over soft furniture - pull the couch cushions or pillows down to the floor and encourage baby to move up, down, on, and off of them. This requires baby to lift his/her knees high to clear the obstacle, it causes baby to have to balance, and it makes a game out of a skill that might be difficult
Climbing up stairs (with supervision of course)- This task, just like the one above, causes baby to move through a reciprocal and coordinated pattern to complete a task. Always stand right behind baby for safety. At first, try placing baby only 1-2 stairs from the top so he/she doesn’t have far to go. As baby gets stronger and more coordinated, move further down on the staircase
Top 3 games to encourage crawling
Tunnels: Roll a ball or preferred toy into a pop-up tunnel or make a tent out of couch cushions. Encourage baby to go through and get the toy. Caregiver can go to the other end of the tunnel and motivate baby to come through. Try making the tunnel smaller by gathering up the rings in your hands if baby seems hesitant at first.
Push-off: Place baby on his/her tummy with feet up against furniture, a wall, or your leg as something to push off of. You can help baby get onto all fours and then encourage forward movement with a toy, book or your hands. Make sure you supervise so baby doesn’t faceplant on a hard surface.
Peek-a-boo: around an ottoman or other piece of furniture. Get down on baby’s level, poke your head around the corner and engage baby with silly faces, songs, or a favorite toy, then hide around the corner but keep talking and encouraging baby to come find you. Even if he/she starts with an army crawl, keep playing! Baby is strengthening the shoulders and arms to bear weight soon.
If your baby skipped crawling, make sure to check out our post for more info.
If you want more info on the science of hand development, check Baby Hands - The Foundation to Dexterity.
Crawling is a complicated movement that supports many daily tasks down the road. It’s best if baby spends lots of time playing on his/her hands and knees to make sure to develop a strong foundation for movement later on. Have some fun playing with your baby in this stage. Soon, he/she will be off moving all over the house, and you’ll never sit still again.
Bree
REFERENCES
Herbert J., Gross J., Hayne H. (2007). Crawling is associated with more flexible memory retrieval by 9-month-old infants. Journal of Developmental Science, 10(2), 183-199.
We’re Bree & Jaclyn
Pediatric therapists and moms with a mission to empower you with knowledge to encourage your baby’s development and continue confidently into your parenthood journey.
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below and we will get back to you. As always, the information we share is meant to provide general education and tips and is not intended as medical advice. If you have a specific question or concern about your child’s development, please speak directly to your child’s doctor or therapist.
