Often parents want their baby to grow up as soon as possible - roll over, sit down, crawl, get up and finally go. However, is it worth taking pride in the fact that the child began to walk independently already from six months?
The need for a crawl stage
In modern pediatrics, it is believed that skipping the crawl stage is extremely undesirable for children, because erect posture creates a strong load on the spine of the baby. When crawling, the back muscles are actively developed, which are responsible for ensuring that the spine is maintained in an upright position.
In addition, when the child begins to crawl, at the same time, he develops thinking, because for a coordinated alternation of arms and legs, complex brain work will be required.
The age at which children begin to crawl
After three months, when the little one starts rolling over, his review is seriously expanding, he begins to see a lot of fascinating objects that were invisible in the supine position. Then he makes his first attempts to reach for toys, and a little later and crawl to them on his stomach. When the baby is already 6 months old, his parents are increasingly interested in the question of what time the baby begins to crawl for real.
Children can start crawling on all fours even at 5 months, but most often this happens after six months, at 9 monthswhen the muscles of the arms, legs and back are well strengthened, and the baby will make attempts or already be able to sit down himself.
If the child is large, then he may not actively crawl even at 8 months, but then the doctor may recommend a massage course to strengthen the muscles of the back. Real crawl as a stage in the development of a child should be carried out precisely on all fours, preceding the formation of walking skills.
Crawl stages
For each child, these stages can take place in different ways: it is possible that someone begins to crawl on their stomachs first, someone almost immediately begins to cross crawl on all fours, someone may not have one of the stages at all.
- Many begin with crawling on their stomachs, with some children crawling backward, others moving sideways or crawling forward in a plastussky way.
- A full crawl can begin like this: the child will put forward both hands at once, and then, with a sharp movement, a bit like a clumsy jump, put his legs to them. Such a crawl can be compared to a frog jumping. Other children immediately begin to get on all fours, while swaying back and forth, and then try to put their hands forward one after another and move their legs towards them. All these attempts illustrate well how children begin to crawl.
- Cross crawling is considered to be the most difficult when the left leg is simultaneously advanced forward with the right hand, after which the leg and arm are replaced in a clear and harmonious order.
Crawl exercises
When the baby learns to do well the coups from the back to the stomach, and then back, it will rise for a while on the forearms, you can begin to perform some exercises so that the child begins to crawl:
- fitball exercises
These exercises develop well the muscles of the child’s back and can even relieve colic in the baby (if after 3 months they have not yet passed to the end). The child must be put on the ball with his head on the ball from his mother and held in the armpits. While the ball gently sways back and forth, the baby learns to arch the back, straining the muscles necessary for crawling. (Watch Fitball and Fitball Activities very detailed article)
- gymnastics for pens
The goal of gymnastics is to strengthen the muscles of the arms and back. Mom takes the child lying on the back by the arms, after having previously ensured that the baby grasps the mother’s thumb well. Then mom smoothly raises the baby's hands up and lowers them. You can also hold the child’s hands apart, then cross them on the baby’s chest. After that, you can try to slowly raise the child by the handles (up to an angle of 45 degrees), and then lower him.
- coup exercises
If the baby is not quite confidently mastered the coups, then this exercise will help to speed up the process a little. Mom puts the thumb of her hand in the baby’s palm and holds it tightly. Then mom begins to send the body of the crumbs to the coup. In this case, with her right hand, the mother holds the left leg of the child, helping him to turn the pelvis.
- exercise "frog"
Mom takes the legs of the child, which lies on her back, by the shins and smoothly begins to bend them into a frog pose, and then also smoothly unbend. By turning the baby on his tummy, it is useful to give him the opportunity to push his bent legs from the folded mother's palms several times and move forward.
When performing the exercises, you need to calmly and affectionately communicate with the baby, creating a favorable emotional background for him and forming a positive attitude to the exercises.
How to teach a child to crawl. The most useful!
Watch the video: how to teach a child to crawl
Firming massage
Of course, a special therapeutic massage prescribed by a doctor can only be carried out by a health worker. At the same time, a mom and dad can do a simple general strengthening massage for a child so that he begins to crawl more actively. The main thing is to remember that the skin of a small child is very delicate, and at home it is best to limit yourself to such a technique as stroking. You can not perform massage earlier than half an hour before or after feeding, limited to once a day. Rings and other jewelry should not be present on the mother’s hands during the procedure. The duration of the massage can be about 5-10 minutes, but if the baby does not like it and the tears begin, then it is better to postpone this matter.
Stroking arms, legs, back
It is most convenient to carry out this procedure on a special changing table. Mom strokes the baby's hands both inside and outside from the hand to the forearm. Massage of the legs is carried out in a sequence from the feet to the thigh, bypassing the knee joints. We turn the baby on the tummy and begin stroking the back up and down. After light and pleasant strokes to strengthen the muscles of the arms, legs and back, you can slightly stretch them in the sequence described above.
We attract the baby to crawl
It happens that the baby is already well crawling on the bed in a plastunsky way or like a frog on all fours, but on the floor does not want to crawl into any. How then to help the child begin to crawl?
- We teach and help
Having convinced of the correct development of the child, from five months you can prepare the baby to crawl. The best place is a clean floor covered with a rug or blanket. Putting the child on the floor and putting a roller under the breast, you need to show him your favorite toy and place it at a small distance from him so that he wants to reach it. The heels of the baby should lean against the wall or in the arms of the mother, helping him to push forward.
You can put your favorite toys or new items in front of the baby, close enough for the baby to take them, but far enough so that he has to crawl to them, and not reach. Be sure to praise the child if he managed to crawl a bit. Let the baby do not understand your words too much, but he very accurately feels the intonation of approval.
- Good example
Crawling adults or other crawling babies nearby will serve as an excellent role model for a child. This action will help to identify all dangerous places and objects in space, prevent unforeseen precedents. The encouragement of parents and a friendly atmosphere will push the baby to more active efforts to crawl. After some successes, the tasks need to be complicated, creating obstacles in the way of the baby.
Young children, who have learned to crawl a little, love to overcome various obstacles: low barriers, walkways under chairs, etc. Use this to make crawling more active. You can buy a special path with small obstacles in the store, or you can make it yourself or use simple tools that are always at hand, such as towel rolls, as such “barriers”.
Summarize
- On a stomach in a plastusky:
On the stomach, the child begins to crawl after six months, depending on the development and readiness of the body. If the baby does not show attempts to crawl after 8 months, it is worth contacting a specialist. The efforts of patient and smart parents will help prevent many diseases and poor development of the baby. To activate muscles, doctors recommend practicing professional massage and exercises to master the crawl skill.
Some children, having learned to roll over on their stomachs, begin attempts to move with the help of arms and legs, rotate in a circle or back off. Statistics show that children usually begin to crawl in a plastubsky way from 8 months. Raising the body, the baby rests on his hands and moves, pulling up the body.
Children crawl
- On knees:
From 9 months the baby knows how to stand on all fours and swing, preparing himself for further crawling. Timely crawling on all fours will help develop the baby’s back muscles, preparing him for walking skills. A child can crawl fully from 10 months, when arms and legs move synchronously and confidently. Cross crawling is the pinnacle of kids' skill.
Girls are ahead of boys in development, so they begin to crawl earlier.
Advises Celekhovich Olga Petrovna - pediatrician of the highest category: how many months do children begin to crawl
Union of Pediatricians of Russia: How to teach a child to crawl? Crawl. Motor skills and exercises. Parent Tips
The importance of crawling
The ability to crawl has a beneficial effect on the development of the child, strengthens motor skills, affects the formation of speech and brain function. Persistence, determination and endurance are trained. Therefore, parents should participate in the desire to teach the child to crawl without missing this stage of development.
On the topic of development:
- Monthly baby development (up to a year)
- When a child begins to walk independently
- When the baby begins to sit
Video: We teach the baby to crawl
Does the child not want to crawl? Get him interested!
The baby crawls a little, but in fact for the full development of the child this is really important. Observe him, and you will see that there are things to which he is not indifferent. Stimulate your baby with the help of items interesting to him, but you do not give them to him. Spread them near the child, and as soon as he crawls and is happy with his prey, take away things and put them even further. We do this using the remote control from the TV, the daughter does not get tired of crawling after him and, accordingly, this is an additional development of the baby. The child is more tired and sleeps better. We wish you success in this difficult task - the care and development of your child!
P.S. When the child begins to crawl independently indoor plants should be removed upstairs, to hide the bin and household items, close the low sockets to close with special covers - see how to secure a home for a small child.
We are 4 months old, and we are already starting to crawl a little. Forward does not work yet, only backward. I regularly do back massage, that would strengthen my muscles. I think by 6 months should already creep.
And my sister has a very curious baby, first began to try to get on his feet. But the pediatrician said that it wasn’t scary, and advised me to perform the same exercises as in this article. As a result, the baby almost simultaneously began to crawl and went.
There are two wonderful children in our family. They have a big difference in age - 15 years. The little baby is 1.5 years old and all the time we compare her with her older brother. She began to crawl at 6 months, and decided to take the first step in her mother’s holiday on March 8. So at 9 months and went where crawling, where step. And our son went about 8 months. Especially children were not taught to crawl or walk. Every child is unique and each has its own time to crawl and walk.
my baby is 5 months old. she’s trying to crawl, and as I take the handles, she immediately takes a vertical position. I support under the handles and she is already slowly stomping. how much joy our children give us)))
It was hard for our baby to crawl, so he learned to sit, and then immediately stand, somewhere already at 7 months old, and besides, he didn’t want to sit down in his bed, bathtub or bathroom, then he went and only after that began to crawl))
Thanks a lot!
I have a very early baby) At 4 months I got on all fours and started to swing, now we are 5 we crawl forward on all fours and get on our knees in a bed and a couple of days ago the baby sat down himself) So girls are not always ahead of boys in development))
That's right, you don’t have to force the child or put him on all fours and move his legs and arms to him. It’s better, as it is written here by our own example, and simply substitute the emphasis on the legs so that the baby pushes itself.
Some late dates are indicated here. My oldest at 10 months. already walked, began to rise to his feet at 5 months, then stand, sit, crawl. Specially taught none of this.