You probably know someone or have at least heard stories of people who skipped crawling, went straight to walking, and “turned out just fine.” We’ve met these people too! If your baby skips crawling, he/she WILL probably be just fine, BUT we are here to make a case for not “skipping” this milestone and circling back to it if your baby did not, or only briefly crawled on hands and knees before walking.
Crawling is a vital skill to support upper body strength and coordination.
Crawling plays a major role in strengthening baby’s upper body. Think about it- when else in your life do you spend so much time putting weight through your hands? 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. Baby is also honing his/her visual perceptual skills which helps with reaching accuracy and interpreting the 3D world.
In my experience working with children in schools and clinics, I can tell you that most kids who were referred for poor handwriting skills in elementary school didn’t crawl. Is there a hard causation there? Probably not. But over the years, there was a strong correlation between the two on my caseload. One reason I think this may be true, is that kids who skip crawling, miss the opportunity to refine and strengthen their upper body muscles. If you watch a baby’s hand and wrist muscles carefully while crawling, you’ll notice that he/she is always making slight adjustments, like your foot and ankle do when you balance on one foot. Those slight movements in the hands and wrist are refining the 34 muscles that move the fingers and thumb. Crawling provides exceptional opportunities for baby to refine these tiny muscles and develop the arches in the palms of the hands. These arches and refined muscles will later allow the child to accurately shape his/her hand to reach for and grab a cup or to hold a fork, write his/her name, tie shoes… In my opinion, as an occupational therapist, crawling is an essential developmental skill. If your child skipped it, that’s ok, but I would strongly suggest spending some thoughtful time making sure that they get the practice of strengthening their upper body that they missed when they skipped crawling.
Want some ideas? Here ya go!
Tunnels
Scooter boards
On a swing on their tummy, propelling themselves with their arms
Tug of war
Playdough
Bounce passing a large ball to you
Cutting/ripping paper with 2 hands
Painting on a vertical surface
Coloring while laying on their belly
Laying over your lap or over a couch cushion with arms unsupported
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.
Crawling is an important developmental skill that supports a lot of daily life tasks. Even if your child skipped crawling, all is not lost. You can still help them strengthen the supporting muscles of the hands by doing some fun play ideas like the ones listed above.
Bree
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.