According to an international study by the World Health Organization, infants typically begin crawling on all fours between 6 and 11 months of age, and approximately half of all infants begin crawling by 8.3 months (WHO, 2006).
If your baby isn't crawling and you haven't helped him on how to teach a baby to crawl at 7 and 8 months, does that mean something is wrong? No. It is completely normal for babies to stop crawling altogether. Let's look at how to teach a child to crawl at 4 (5) and 6 months (s)?
Babies are not “hardwired” to crawl. Instead, infants are motivated to experiment with different modes of locomotion and choose the method that seems most rewarding.
Fortunately, your baby doesn't need to be taught to crawl. From the fully curled fetal position, all babies gradually extend their arms and legs and learn to roll over, then crawl, and finally stand upright. Crawling is a natural way to help strengthen your baby's muscles as they learn to stand up from a supine position and is an important milestone. Don't forget that they learn from what they see and from the motivation they get from you, waving their arms, legs and of course crying to get attention and love from you.
Why crawling is important
Crawling is the foundation of many important developmental milestones, including: bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together to complete a task), integration of primitive reflexes , motor planning, hand-eye coordination, reciprocal movements of the hands and feet, arm strength, body balance and much more! And it's a skill that will prepare your child's body for standing and walking , climbing and running!
How to teach a baby to crawl at 5 months on video:
Different ways to crawl
Babies often surprise their parents. It is especially interesting to observe which crawling method they choose. The pose, speed, and pattern of rearrangement of limbs are suggested to them by the body and nature. That is why there are so many methods of movement in infancy. Let's look at some of them.
In Plastun style
The baby crawls on its tummy. It looks funny. He pushes off the floor like a wounded soldier, bracing himself with his knee and hands.
In this case, the legs bend alternately, and the arms simultaneously.
Reversing
The baby does not move forward, but crawls backward. This usually happens while sitting on all fours. Children hang their heads low and turn them in the direction of movement, keeping what is happening behind them under constant control.
Jumping crawl
The child gets on all fours, sways back and forth, gradually increasing the amplitude. Then he makes a small jump, lifting his legs and arms off the floor. Sometimes this method turns out to be dangerous. The child jumps unsuccessfully and hits his forehead on the carpet or nearby objects. You need to carefully monitor such a frog and wear a helmet for greater safety.
Rolling
The baby does not stand on all fours, but reaches the goal by rolling like a bun. At the same time, he knows exactly which side he needs to turn over in order to be near his mother or grab his favorite toy. Makes coups very skillfully.
On knees
The most convenient and safest method from the point of view of pediatricians and neurologists. The child leans on his limbs, first raises his right hand forward, takes a step with his left foot, and then changes limbs. Children come to this method gradually, improving movements by 7-8 months.
How to help your baby crawl
Recommendations on how to help a child learn to crawl on all fours and what needs to be done?
Give your baby plenty of tummy time
Although babies should always sleep on their backs, it is helpful to give them some tummy time each day while they are awake. When your baby lies on his tummy, he practices lifting his head, which strengthens his trunk and back and keeps his limbs moving freely. Both of these exercises help build the muscles needed for crawling.
Some babies don't like tummy time, especially at first. If your baby screams or protests, try doing this in short intervals and for a few minutes at a time. You can also make floor play more fun by giving them a few minutes in different positions, including their sides, back, and stomach. Finally, try tummy tuck: Lie on your back and place your baby on your stomach so you can watch his face while he practices lifting his head.
Reduce time in walker
Babies who don't spend a lot of time on the floor may take longer to develop the strength needed to crawl. While baby swings, walkers, bouncers and other booster seats are a great way to keep your baby in a safe, confined space, keeping him on the floor encourages him to explore and move around.
Give your child extra motivation
Babies already have an instinctive desire to move, but you can make it a little exciting and motivating by giving them something to strive for.
Try placing their favorite toy on the floor during tummy time, but keep the toy out of reach. This will keep them interested and give them a goal to work toward. Another trick is to place a mirror on the floor in front of the child. When babies see their reflection in a mirror, it may encourage them to jump and then gradually crawl towards the object.
They will likely try some creative ways to get to the toy, such as rolling and stretching. You may find it difficult not to help them, but if you can resist the temptation to move the toy closer, you may be surprised at how patient they can be as they work to solve the problem on their own.
Provide them with a comfortable space to explore.
Set up places on the floor with interesting toys and things that can be safely explored and teach your child to crawl on all fours. If you don't have a carpeted floor, you can help your child start running on the floor a little earlier by wearing pants. Clothing on a smooth surface will help them move with less friction, making it a little easier for them to get started.
Get on the floor and crawl with your baby
Your baby may start crawling earlier if you or an older sibling stand on the floor with them during tummy time. In fact, even if a child sees his favorite toy a few centimeters away, he may not know how to start running or crawling. But if you show them what to do, they may imitate your movement and try to crawl towards the object.
Safety precautions during training
Buckwheat porridge for babies - how to cook buckwheat at home
Before teaching children to crawl at 6 months, parents must create a safe environment for this. The ideal place for classes is a large arena. If training is carried out on the floor, before teaching the baby, parents should:
- Lay down a clean blanket and a flannel diaper (calico diapers will slip and wrinkle). This must be done even if there is a carpet on the floor, since dust from the carpet can cause an allergic reaction;
- Make sure that there are no small objects on the floor that the toddler can easily put in his mouth, inhale or swallow;
- Make sure that there is no furniture with sharp corners nearby so that the baby does not get hurt in the process of exciting learning;
- Remove pets from the room. Dogs or cats may perceive a crawling baby as a threat and exhibit aggressive behavior. Also, the baby himself can provoke the animal to aggression by pulling its tail.
If it's cold at home, the baby should be dressed warmly enough. The blouse should be long so that the chest and stomach are not exposed when moving on the floor. Instead of panties and trousers, it is better to wear rompers with straps - they will not fly off. The feet should be wearing booties or warm socks that do not restrict movement. All clothing must fit properly and not be too tight or loose.
During training, you should remove the pacifier on the chain from the baby. You also need to make sure that there are no belts or ropes on the baby’s clothing. A crawling baby can easily get entangled in them and become very frightened.
Toys that motivate children to move should be round in shape, without sharp corners or small parts. If the baby already crawls well enough and does not need training, he can only be released onto the floor under the supervision of his parents. When mom wants to do her own thing, the little one can be placed in a crib or playpen. It’s very simple to build something like a playpen yourself: just fence off a small corner of the room with sheets of plywood or chipboard. The purchased option is still preferable - by holding onto slats or special rings (in a mesh playpen), the little one will learn not only to crawl, but also to stand up.
For safe movement, you should not forcefully push the child forward and make great physical efforts while performing training exercises. If mom or dad is afraid of accidentally hurting the baby, it is better to do crawling-motivating exercises under the guidance of a nurse or professional massage therapist.
Children who had hip dysplasia in early childhood can be taught to move on all fours only with the permission of an orthopedist and after the doctor allows the patient to remove a special spacer that fixes the correct position of the joints.
If the baby does not feel well, wants to eat or sleep, training should be rescheduled to another time. Classes will be effective only if the little student is in a good mood. If the baby refuses to do some exercises, you should not insist. You can't force a baby to do something he doesn't want to do. After some time, it will be possible to again invite him to master the required movement.
When the child has already begun to move independently around the apartment, you can buy him a playpen with a fence made of mesh or slats.
Attention! Training can only be carried out on the floor, in a child's bed or in a playpen. A baby should not crawl on the sofa - a fidgety child can quickly fall and be seriously injured. There is no need to risk your child's health.
There are children who do not move on their bellies and on all fours; they immediately begin to sit and walk. However, statistics say that there are very few such babies. Most six-month-old babies first learn to crawl forward in a belly-up manner, only then begin to hold their back straight. Therefore, parents must encourage their baby to crawl actively and quickly.
Games with kids
Or how to teach a child to crawl at home
Encourage climbing
Throw pillows on the floor and create an obstacle course that your child will have to navigate through the pillows to get to the desired spot. Work with him on going up stairs - I know, I know... not where you want her to go, but it is almost impossible for a child to go up stairs without using her hands and knees!
Working on crossing the line
Encourage your child to cross the line with exercises in a seated or supported side seat, which encourages weight transfer through weak arms, which can make pushing off quadrupeds more difficult. Crossing the line allows you to work on torso rotation when transitioning from a sitting to a 4-point/kneeling position. To practice, place the toy on one side of your baby's body, out of reach, while you sit on the other side. Ask her to take the toy and pass it to you.
Pull in the laundry basket
Give your child information through his arms/elbows/shoulders and great body strengthening by having him push a basket with a few toys across the floor. You may have to help, but the joy on his face when he starts moving the basket will be priceless! Additionally, it will be nearly impossible for him to move this basket without being on his knees (or feet).
Encourage play
Babies love to please their parents and will recognize the pride on your face when they do something well! Sometimes just being in the quadruped position can encourage your little one to do just that! Play a game of hide and seek in this position or try crawling to get your favorite toy.
Types of crawling in children under one year old
The child’s gradual progress in independent movement is conventionally divided into several stages, each of which is characterized by its own version of crawling.
On the stomach
This is the most important stage in which the child masters his very first method of movement. He will be able to roll over on his tummy independently at the age of three months, and move around on it closer to four to five months. It will happen like this: with the help of his hands, the baby will, as it were, pull himself up, trying to move forward. Of course, it will not be possible to move quickly in this way, but the muscles of the back, shoulders and neck will be significantly strengthened, because the child arches, tries to raise his head and push off with his hands from a hard surface.
Very often, with this type of movement, the baby ends up moving not forward, but backward. There is no need to correct or correct this.
In Plastun style
When the baby realizes that lying on his tummy and trying to push off is not enough, he uses his legs. The conditional time frame for mastering this method is a six- to eight-month period. The child spreads his legs wide, bending them, and then pushes hard off the hard surface, thereby moving forward. The support in this case is the elbows. From the outside it looks very funny and cute. Some children push off not with two, but with only one leg, and there is nothing wrong with that.
On knees
This is a rather difficult option, requiring the ability to sit, evenly transfer body weight to the arms and legs and maintain body balance. This usually occurs between the seven and nine month periods. The World Health Organization has set the upper limit of normal when a child should already walk on four limbs - this is thirteen months.
To help your baby learn to crawl more confidently on all fours, you can play the following game with him: take a soft sheet or light blanket, roll it into a narrow flat ribbon and grab the baby by the chest, thereby the parent will regulate the process and help him move on all fours (support points), coordinate in space.
The kneeling exercise will also be useful. Carefully and carefully you need to place the baby with his legs bent on the floor and hold him or let him hold on to the sofa. A little later, he will learn to independently regulate his balance in this position, without needing support.
It is impossible to force a child to move, because if he does not feel balance, the instinct of self-preservation reflexively turns on and he simply stops crawling. Therefore, you need to be gentle and patient without applying unnecessary pressure.
It is imperative to ensure that the apartment has soft floor coverings, since the child will inevitably fall at first due to the fact that he has not yet mastered the correct synchronized rearrangement of arms and legs and has not learned to balance.
On the knees
A small child will be able to walk using this method after he first learns to regulate his crawling on all fours. It is from this position that he will be able to rise to his knees. The skill of such walking is a prerequisite for quickly walking on your feet.
During the first training time, you need to stand in front of him and hold his hands. Gently pull the baby towards you so that he reflexively begins to move his legs towards the parent.
If you regularly perform a “stand” on bent legs with your child, it will be much easier for him to start moving in this way, because he will already know and feel how to maintain balance.
Question answer
Why do children start crawling much later than others?
1. Body type plays a role: slimmer, fitter babies crawl faster
It's hard to drag your body if you have a lot of excess weight! Thus, leaner children, who have a more favorable ratio of muscle mass to body fat, have an early advantage.
2. Babies also crawl earlier when they have had a lot of “tummy time.”
Research confirms that crawling is associated with the amount of waking time infants spend lying on their stomachs. Babies who spend a lot of tummy time and exercise tend to crawl at an earlier age.
3. Motivation matters too
As noted, crawling on your stomach is exhausting work, and crawling on all fours requires careful control of your balance. Some children may decide it's not worth it and focus on learning other modes of transportation.
How soon after crawling do babies start walking?
It happens in different ways.
The time between the onset of crawling and the onset of walking was approximately 4 months. And in some cases, children who stop crawling actually start walking earlier.
At what age does a child begin to crawl?
It is impossible to say exactly and unambiguously at how many months a child begins to crawl. The time frame is wide.
Normally, a baby learns to crawl between the 6th and 9th months. The next stage is walking.
The formation of motor activity depends on many factors:
- Health status of the baby . Children with neurological and orthopedic disabilities begin to get up on all fours around the age of one year, and to walk around one and a half years.
- Weight . Walking and crawling are more difficult for overweight babies. The body weight turns out to be too much for the spine and body muscles.
- Gender of the child . Girls develop faster than boys. This is true. Girls get on all fours at 5 or 6 months, and boys after six months, closer to 8–9 months.
- Psychological situation . Praise and attentive attention to needs contribute to mastering the skill of movement best. Forgotten in their cribs, unloved children lag behind in mental and physiological development.
- Parents' efforts . Stimulation of activities from birth and daily gymnastics have a positive effect on crawling. If you spend at least 30 minutes a day on physical activity, your baby will crawl earlier.
- Child's temperament . Five-month-old sanguine and choleric patients begin to crawl with great pleasure.
Important! Don’t worry if your baby decides to skip the crawling stage and immediately stands on his feet.
Such children will learn to walk before a year and will not experience fear from their first steps.
What methods of crawling are there, their stages
A child can choose a convenient method of transportation for himself and use it contrary to the ideas of adults. Under no circumstances should you retrain your child.
Most children find it comfortable to crawl this way:
- spasmodically. The baby gets on all fours and rocks back and forth, and then suddenly jumps forward. This is an interesting method that many children use, but it is far from safe;
- in Plastun style. Standing on all fours, he crawls forward. At the same time, his body touches the floor.
- in reverse. Some children crawl backwards, which puzzles their parents. Neurologists even prescribe treatment for such babies, although official medical science does not consider this feature a deviation;
- rolling. This can hardly be called crawling; most likely, the cause is laziness and the desire to get an interesting item. This method is not the most correct, so the parents of such a child should intensively engage in gymnastics and massage with him;
- On knees. This is how 9-8 month old babies crawl. The baby's back is straight, and the hands set the pace of movement. The limbs move synchronously.
After confident crawling on all fours comes walking. There is no need to worry that the baby moves sideways or does not lift its body off the floor. The main thing is that he is trying to crawl, which means he is working on his muscles, strengthening them and preparing them for vertical loads.
