move
on the
A
lthough we may curse the additional
complications and effort that arise when our
babies start crawling, it’s an important milestone
in their development. Research has shown that
many children who didn’t crawl properly struggle later with
poor balance, weak upper-body strength and poor hand-
eye coordination. A recent study has also demonstrated
that kids who didn’t crawl as babies scored lower on pre-
school assessment tests than those who did.
Crawling is your baby’s first method of getting around
efficiently on his own. Some babies do it instinctively, while
others need a little help. The age range at which
babies start crawling varies: 50 per cent
of infants have started crawling by seven
months; 75 per cent are crawling by ten
months; and 90 per cent have mastered
the art by 11 months.
Through crawling, babies learn
and discover spatial concepts like “in”,
“
over”, “under” and “out”, which also develops the sensory
and motor stimulation needed for gross and fine muscle
development. It also develops the basic physical strength
necessary to stand, walk and write correctly later.
Milestones
In many households, you can see almost comical variations
of crawling: bear walking, bum shuffling, and even a version
called commando crawling, where the baby is mobile on
their tummy. These different styles don’t necessarily provide
the same benefits as traditional crawling; however, they are
an improvement to no crawling at all.
In a traditional crawl, a baby will first discover how
to balance on his hands and knees and then progress by
moving forward and backward by pushing off with his
knees. This process will strengthen the muscles in his
hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders, which will encourage
future development and movement.
In 1994, several health organisations started to
encourage parents to put babies to sleep on their backs
to help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
This life-saving campaign decreased the incidence of
SIDS by 50 per cent, but, according to several studies,
had an inadvertent negative impact on children reaching
development milestones on schedule.
What became apparent was that parents didn’t want
to risk putting their children on their tummies, even
during the day when they were awake and able to watch
them. This resulted in babies being unfamiliar to time on
their tummies – the starting position for crawling – and
therefore not building up the necessary muscles in their
upper bodies. However, the most common reason for
babies not crawling is being carried around or strapped in
a chair all day and not being allowed the chance to learn
the skills.
Here are some of the key developmental benefits that
crawling provides:
1.
Crawling strengthens the trunk and link muscles, which
are crucial for fundamental movement skills (gross motor
skills). It also refines the fine motor muscle groups by
improving hand-eye coordination.
2.
It provides the first opportunity to practise bilateral
coordination, i.e. using arms and legs in reciprocal
As well as getting a baby from points A to B, crawling
has many other benefits, writes
Melanie Potgieter
.
January 2013
67