Most babies usually start to crawl around six or seven months. However, the age range is wide in terms of when this can actually occur. Some babies start crawling at five months, while others can take as long as eight or nine months. Crawling requires a considerable amount of strength in the trunk and in the upper and lower extremities, so have a little patience and don’t rush your little one! We have provided some techniques below to help you help your baby move.
Please note: If you’re concerned that your baby isn’t as active as he or she should be, talk to your pediatrician. Trust your instincts!
Before we get to the techniques, let’s define the difference between two terms that are often used interchangeably: progressive and crawling.
Crawling is defined as moving across the ground with the stomach in direct contact with the ground. Some babies first develop the ability to crawl in circles; while others, whose arms are stronger than their legs, can crawl backwards first.
Crawling is defined as moving on hands and knees with the stomach off the ground. A type of crawl, known as command Trace, it can be seen when a baby moves on the floor on her forearms while dragging her hips behind her.
The following are some strategies to initiate and develop crawling skills in your baby:
tummy time
An often overlooked aspect of crawling development is time spent on the ground. As long as your baby has adequate head control, they should spend at least one hour a day, every day, on the floor. This activity has many benefits, including strengthening the muscles in the arms and chest as the baby lifts the chest off the floor. While in this position, baby will also have a chance to strengthen her neck muscles as she lifts her head to look around the room. Some babies may not like or be able to tolerate tummy time for long periods of time. If this is her baby, start small and gradually increase the amount of time she spends on the floor. Your baby will be able to tolerate tummy time if he sees you doing it with him, so lie on his tummy face to face with your baby and show him how much fun tummy time is.
Once your baby can tolerate being on his tummy for an extended period of time, he’ll be ready to help him get moving.
crawling in a circle
- Place the baby on the floor supported on your forearms.
- Place a small, brightly colored toy directly in front of her, out of her reach.
- Move the toy to your baby’s side in a semicircle so that he has to turn his head to keep looking at the toy.
- Encourage him to shift his body weight from one hand to the other and try to reach for the toy by rolling onto his stomach.
- As he begins to move toward the toy, move it so that it is out of his reach. Continue moving the toy until it has slid in a full circle to one side of your body. Let him play with the toy for a short time, then repeat this process on the opposite side of his body. Repeat this activity so that baby makes five full circles to the right and left sides of her body.
Practice crawling in circles every day for about a week. Once the baby is confident in her ability to complete this activity, she is ready to try moving slowly.
Crawling forward (double leg assist)
- Place the baby on his stomach on the floor with a small toy out of reach.
- Once she’s busy with the toy, kneel behind her and slightly bend both knees.
- Place your hands under the bottom of his feet and give him a firm surface to jump off of.
- Encourage him to reach forward to grab the toy by crawling forward on his hands and pushing off his hands with his feet.
When the baby is able to crawl forward using the above technique, he is ready to move forward and try to crawl with the help of one leg at a time.
Crawling forward (single leg assist)
- Place the baby on his tummy with a brightly colored toy in front of him out of reach.
- Once he is interested and focused on the toy, bend one knee.
- Place your hand under the foot of the bent-knee leg and encourage him to push off your hand as he reaches for the toy by extending or straightening that leg.
- When the baby has moved forward, switch to the other leg and bend that knee and repeat the above process.
- Continue forward alternating between your right and left legs.
After about a month or two of practice on the floor, crawling in circles, and crawling forward, the baby should be ready to start learning to crawl. Stay tuned for future articles on techniques to help your baby through this next stage of development.