Is crawling really THAT important?
As infant developmental specialists, our answer is clear: YES! Crawling is one of our favorite milestones! What if I told you crawling helps with things like eating, handwriting, bike riding, throwing, and problem solving?
Crawling on hands and knees typically starts between 8-10 months. Before your baby starts to crawl, you might see them master other skills such as sitting up from the floor, reaching far out for a toy in sitting, army crawling, or rocking on hands and knees.
Here are some of our favorite ways crawling enhances a baby’s development:
Coordination. A typical crawling pattern requires the right and left sides of the brain to communicate to coordinate the movement of opposite arms and legs. The repetitive nature of crawling strengths the brain’s ability to communicate and assists with many other future motor skills such as bike riding, skipping, throwing, and swimming.
Strength. Not only does crawling strengthen the shoulders, core, and hips, which are essential for good posture, but it helps develop the muscles and arches of the hands. This allows for improved fine motor control necessary for grasping objects (such as utensils and toys), handwriting, and typing.
Vision. When crawling, the eyes constantly adjust from looking down at the hands to looking up at objects ahead. This promotes the development of important visual functions such as depth perception and accommodation which are used during everyday tasks like walking down the stairs, note-taking in class, and driving.
Cognition. Crawling boosts problem solving as babies explore their environment with this new form of mobility. They use trial and error to test their limits as they figure out how to crawl around, over, and onto new objects.
Balance. During crawling, the sensory systems (visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive) involved in balance constantly work together to help babies adjust their body to prevent falling. This is called postural control and will assist in maintaining balance for future skills such as walking, running, and jumping.
Crawling is one of the most advanced ways babies use to move and learn. It’s FUN for babies because they naturally crave movement and exploration. So, start baby proofing your home and enjoy watching your baby learn an amazing new skill.
Is your baby not crawling yet? Check out Year One Wellness on Instagram for tips on how to jump start crawling!
