What if my baby doesn’t crawl?
Does it matter if they skip this milestone?
Ever been told that it doesn’t matter if your baby walks or crawls first? We think it’s time we shine a light on the age old debate.
Crawling is considered the first form of independent movement. Children will begin to army crawl (or creep) from around 6-8 months and may begin crawling on their hands and knees around 9-11 months.
Despite what some may have told you, crawling is a critical piece for their early development. Let’s break down how crawling helps your child’s development in an array of areas:
Crawling assists with brain development and coordination: Reciprocal crawling involves your baby weight bearing on their hands and knees, where they move one arm and opposite knee forward at the same time. This criss-cross crawling engages both the left and right hemispheres of the brain by developing a band of nerves that help the two sides of the brain to communicate with each other. The more your baby practices crawling the more synchronised and developed each of these skills become. It’s been found that children who skip the crawling phase may experience learning difficulties later in life - let’s unpack the ‘WHY’ to this:
Physical development:
Gross motor skills: Crawling involves larger movements which use the entire body. Army crawling specifically requires a child to use their toes to propel themselves forward. This increases a child’s awareness of their feet and develops the strength in their big toes. This push through the big toe is important for core activation and to perform higher gross motor skills that require upwards or forward propulsion e.g. running, jumping, hopping. Crawling gives children the stability in their shoulders, core and hips required for upright mobility and higher gross motor skills.
Fine motor skills: Crawling involves repetitive weight bearing through the upper limbs. This develops your child’s stability around the shoulders and strengthens muscles in the hands and fingers, essential to perform grasping tasks, use of cutlery, handwriting and dressing.
Vision:
Hand-eye coordination: Requires using the eyes to direct attention and the hands to execute a task. This skill is important for catching and throwing a ball.
Binocular vision (convergence and divergence): Binocular vision involves developing your baby’s eyes to look far into the distance (divergence) and back at their hands which is close by (convergence). Babies will practice doing this through play as they move towards their favourite toy. Crawling is a fantastic opportunity for your child to develop their visual skills which are essential for being able to catch a ball, copy things on the board in the classroom, driving a car.
Spatial understanding and problem solving:
Spatial Awareness: As your child explores their environment through crawling (like going over, under and through obstacles), they will develop their sense of where they are in space. Additionally, they will begin to improve their ability to orient themselves and work out how far away they are from things.
Problem Solving: Crawling will be the first opportunity your child will explore and make decisions by themselves. Through exploring their environment, they will test their limitations and potential through taking physical risks.
How do I support my child’s development of crawling?
Crawling is supported by lots of free time and play on the floor. It is best to provide increased tummy time opportunities and reduced time spent in equipment such as walkers and bouncers. By providing your baby with plentiful time on their tummy, they are strengthening their trunk and back muscles which are required for crawling. If your baby dislikes tummy time, ensure the surface is comfortable for exploration, such as on a mat or carpet. Additionally, try different positions such as lying on your chest, lying over your thigh while sitting or lying over your arm (like a superman position).
Crawling can also be encouraged via motivation. By placing your babies favourite toy or food a short distance away, this will interest them in mobilising towards the reward. You can also demonstrate crawling, or invite a sibling to crawl in front of your baby, to encourage imitation.
It takes many hours to master a skill, don’t be discouraged if your child is crawling for longer. It does not necessarily mean they are behind in their development. More time practising allows for more opportunity to achieve more refined and fluent movement. It will also mean your baby will be more prepared when they do start walking.
“If you feel like this ship has sailed, fear not. It is never too late to practice crawling.”
Should I be worried if my child skipped crawling?
If you are noticing any asymmetries when crawling or they are not crawling by 9 months, it is best to reach out to your Paediatrician or trained developmental Physiotherapist / Occupational Therapist for a review.
If you feel like this ship has sailed, fear not. It is never too late to practise crawling. We have kids at 14 years of age crawling in our sessions at the clinic! There are ways we can help integrate these systems through an array of different activities.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, contact our friendly team of occupational therapists, speech therapists and physiotherapists. We can give you specific recommendations on how to support your child to learn, play and develop into their potential!