When will my baby start to crawl? When will he start to move to reach his toys? Questions we start to ask once our baby reaches the age of 7 months. Usually babies start to crawl between the ages of 6 to 10 months. They will master this technique which helps them to master balance, get up on their feet and then start to walk. It is the first method that teaches your baby to be independent.
First your baby will learn to hold himself on both knees and hands, and then he will start to rock forward and backward until he’ll figure out that by pushing off his knees he will move from one place to another. Once he has mastered the crawling technique he’ll soon begin to push himself to stand up, balancing on his legs and moving around the house while holding into objects. He will soon start walking, jumping, climbing and reaching everything; it’s just a matter of time!
What are the benefits of crawling?
Improves muscles tone
Increases physical ability
Develops balance coordination
Helps him exploring his environment
Improves his visual skills
Develops physical activities
Why my baby is not crawling properly?
There are many obstacles that influence your baby crawling development. Most of them can be eliminated by using better techniques that teach your baby how to master crawling. Some of them:
You hold your baby most of the times. He spends less time on the floor which decreases his practice to learn how to crawl. Keep your baby on the floor as much as you can surrounded by cushions so he won’t hurt himself if he falls aside.
You put your baby in a walker. Baby walkers are bad for the development and strengthening of legs muscles. Limit the walker time and put your baby on the floor.
Let your baby get his toys by himself. Do not give them to him. Let him make an effort to reach his toys. He will stretch and lean forward which will teach him to start crawling.
Muscle weakness. If you suspect any weakness in your baby’s muscles, inform your pediatrician. He might teach you some exercise to do with your baby or give you some vitamins to help strengthening his muscles.
Encourage your baby to crawl by getting him stimulating toys to follow.
A baby who starts to crawl is a baby who can reach everything. Make your house childproofed and safe to explore by adding extra safety tips as covers for electrical plugs, door stopper, drawers holders, and gates for stairs and remove any breakable or sharp objects from tables and other places that your baby may reach. Enjoy this development phase since it happens once in a lifetime.