Crawl

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Nicole Wendler holds a PhD in biology in the field of oncology and immunology. As a medical editor, author and proofreader, she works for various publishers, for whom she presents complex and extensive medical issues in a simple, concise and logical manner.

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With crawling, your baby expands his motor skills - and above all his radius. Completely new areas of his environment open up. But when do babies start crawling? Read here how you can recognize first attempts at crawling, why crawling is important for overall development and how you can encourage your baby to crawl.

When can babies crawl?

Every new experience with the child delights parents in the first few months: a first smile, a first word or when the first crawling attempts suddenly appear after sealing and rolling on the floor. When babies start crawling, it differs from child to child and depends on their individual pace of development, but also the urge to move and the joy of discovery.

When do babies start crawling?

The crawling usually really starts between the seventh and tenth month. But there are also small late bloomers. If your child only learned to hold their head on their own after the third month, and did not turn their first turn on the floor until after the seventh month, they will probably also be a little later than other children of the same age when they learn to crawl. Don't let this unsettle you: every child has their own pace.

Learn to crawl

Learning to crawl is not as easy as it might seem. Some requirements must be met for a smooth process. First of all, the neck muscles have to be strong enough to look ahead. Your child works these muscles diligently when they raise their heads independently to look at their surroundings.

For most babies, arms are next. The youngsters begin to push themselves up for the first push-up in the prone position. If that works, it is followed by turning from the stomach to the back and back, which further strengthens the core and back muscles. Turning in a circle around its own axis is also a training option for your child.

Some children roll for a while, push themselves backwards through the apartment on a smooth floor, crawl and crawl before they learn to crawl properly. If your legs are strong enough to hold your bottom up, you're almost done.

The only thing missing now is the perfect coordination of hands and feet in the quadruped position. This is not an easy undertaking, especially at the beginning. Usually the legs are faster than the hands, so that the child sometimes brakes with the nose.

So practicing crawling is not possible without scratches and setbacks and takes time. At some point, however, the baby will get the hang of it. Then things move forward rapidly!

The baby isn't crawling?

Even if the individual developmental steps take place in a relatively fixed order for each child, there are always offspring who step out of line. Around 13 percent skip crawling and start running straight away.

However, if the months go by and your baby does not crawl or pull himself up, but only crawls or pulls a leg, you should do something. Then have your child examined by the pediatrician. He can determine whether everything is anatomically in order with your baby or whether there is a blockage. In some cases, an osteopath can help resolve this. Possible long-term effects can often be prevented or mitigated by taking suitable measures.

However, various diseases or disabilities can also delay the child's motor development and thus impair learning to crawl. If you are concerned that your child will be less mobile and develop more slowly than other children, you should tell the pediatrician at the next U-examination.

You can find out when which examination is due and what will happen in the article "U-examinations".

Encourage crawling in babies

There is no need to teach a baby to crawl. It trains by itself, provided it is allowed to act out its curiosity and urge to move. Otherwise it will be difficult or slow to develop new skills. Parents can therefore encourage their baby to crawl by giving the child the space to do so, both literally and figuratively:

• Provide a safe environment in which your child can go on a discovery tour on their own.
• Make your baby feel safe and secure and encourage them to try things out.
• Allow your child a variety of forms of movement, such as first swimming exercises.
• New impressions also outside of your own four walls are important for physical and mental development.
• Make sure there is a balance between movement and rest.

The new sensory impressions that the baby gets when crawling are important for healthy mental development. Spatial vision, the feeling of different surfaces such as grass or sand and the active and self-determined interaction with the environment are important experiences for understanding the world. As a parent, you should ensure that your baby can explore these sensory and physical experiences while crawling.

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