“When does a baby start crawling?” All new parents have this questions since they are eager to see their baby crawl and eventually start walking on it’s own. Crawling is the first attempt made by the baby towards complete mobility on its own. A child learns to crawl by learning how to balance itself on its knees and hands. By moving forward and backward, the leg muscles strengthen and it enables the baby to balk.
When Do Babies Crawl -Tracking The Development
- Prelude to crawling- by the time the baby is around 6 months of age, you will notice your baby trying to crawl. The first signs of your baby trying to crawl include slithering on its stomach, bottom shuffling and even rolling across the room. All these act as a prelude to crawling and it prepares your baby to crawl.
- Steady sitting up- the ability to sit up independently is a must for the child in order to start crawling. By the time the child is 6 to 7 months old, it learns to sit. The neck, shoulder, back and leg muscles are strong enough by now to balance the baby from sudden toppling.
- The gradual crawl- Post the 6th month period, the baby will gradually gain enough balance to move from sitting position to on fours without falling down. Once the baby figures out that by keeping the trunk parallel to ground and the knees straight they can easily rock on the spot, there will be no stopping them from attempting to crawl.
- Complete crawling- by the time the baby is around 9 to 10 months old, it would have gain enough strength in its knees. This is when the baby tries to move forward on its knees. Gradually the baby will learn to crawl from sitting position and return back to the sitting position. Initially, the baby may start crawling by moving forward both the hand and leg on the same side. As the baby gains proficiency in crawling, it will learn to use cross-crawling technique; that is moving one arm and the opposite leg at a time. This enables the baby to pick up pace and balance.
When Do Babies Stand
- Standing – Once your baby starts crawling with ease, the next milestone towards independent movement will be to stand on it’s own. As the leg muscles develop and strengthen, your baby will start trying to balance its body weight on the legs. With some support, the baby will soon be able to stand. Once the baby is able to stand on its own, walking will be the next natural progression.
When Do Babies Crawl – Parent’s role
The more the parents are involved, the sooner the baby starts crawling. It is important that you encourage your baby to start crawling. The best way to encourage your baby to crawl is to keep a toy or any colorful object, which you use when playing with the baby, just out of reach of the baby. This will make the baby to reach it and thereby encouraging the baby to slowly crawl towards the object. Babies would rarely need a push in when it comes to crawling and it will be fairly easy to get them to start crawling. Also, it is necessary to childproof the home at this stage.
Just like in most other developmental milestones, a noticeable delay in crawling too calls for medical attention. Remember that each baby takes its own time, however, if you find that your baby is not attempting to move (trying to turn or crawl), you should seek medical help.
