How to teach a child to crawl and whether it should be done. Teaching a child to crawl: practical exercises

When does a baby start crawling? When his body is ready for it. This means that the muscles of the back, neck, legs and arms have become stronger, the child holds his head and back well in an upright position, and can roll over from his back to his stomach and back. Often children begin to crawl first on their bellies, and then on all fours. Sometimes a child first learns to sit on his own and then crawl, sometimes vice versa. Some children begin to learn to crawl at 4 months, some at 8-9 months, but most begin to move independently at 6-7 months.

Why is it so important for a child to learn to crawl?

Crawling is a necessary stage in a child's development. The development of a baby in the first year of life is called psychomotor, that is, the development of motor skills is inseparable from the development of intelligence, psyche, and speech skills. The child develops sequentially, having mastered one stage, moves on to the next. By overstepping or skipping any of the stages, we leave a gap in the child’s development that cannot be filled with other skills.

Crawling prepares the baby's hands for manipulating small objects, and the back muscles for the stress of walking upright. During crawling, the connection between the right and left hemispheres of the brain is strengthened - this influences the development of intelligence and speech. Crawling is a universal exercise that strengthens all the muscles of the body. In addition, free crawling gives the baby the first experience of independent movement in space, strengthens his self-confidence, feeding his curiosity and perseverance in achieving goals.

Often as a result of crawling minor violations go away or are compensated tone, asymmetry, torticollis and other similar problems. Sometimes, as crawling begins, hidden features of brain development(insufficient connection between certain parts of the brain) - when a child persistently, for more than 2-3 weeks, crawls in a certain specific way: he drags or bends one arm or leg, crawls only backwards. If at this moment help the child learncrawl correctly, then this will have a beneficial effect on brain development, possibly compensating for developmental features.

The most important thing is to provide the child with the opportunity to learn to crawl. To do this, he needs space, time and your caring participation. Ensuring this is simple - put the baby on the floor! Yes, yes, on the floor. Learning to crawl on a large bed or sofa will not work, it’s too soft, but it’s easy for an agile baby to fall from there, just quickly push off with your feet a couple of times. There's nowhere to fall on the floor, but a new, unknown and alluring world opens up around.

You can put the baby on the floor now starting from 2-3 months when the baby learns to roll over well. Make it a rule - when removing the baby from your arms or taking it out of the sling, put it on the floor, and not a crib, changing pad or chaise lounge. First, put him on for a short time, at the same time combining this with “no diaper” time.

Modern lungs. Elastic and pleasant to the touch crawling mats are suitable for children from the first months of life. Crawling rugs, consisting of several parts fastened together like a puzzle, can be easily assembled into one large carpet or long runner, depending on the size and shape of the room. It is more convenient when the tiles of such a puzzle mat are large (for example, 33cm x 33cm) and without small parts inside. The larger the parts of the rug, the fewer joints the rug has and the more uniform the surface, which means it is easier to maintain cleanliness. However, large tiles for a rug are more difficult to buy, are inconvenient to transport and take up more space.

Choose a moment when your baby is full, happy and active. Place him on his stomach, next to him, at arm's length - a new a bright toy(or a thing that he has noticed for a long time and was reaching for, for example, a bright large salad spoon, an unnecessary magazine or something similar). Rejoice with your baby at his catch when he can reach it. After a couple of days, the distance to the new “bait” can be increased.

Crawling on your stomach, on all fours or...

All children are different and develop at their own pace. Someone begins to crawl on their belly, and then quickly learns to get up on all fours and soon becomes master of cross crawl. Some people, having mastered crawling on their bellies, continue to crawl. We will describe the general sequence of skills development, and the terms of training depend on the individual child and his family. ( More details read a book about the stages of child development Beverly Stokes Amazing Babies. Necessary movement of a child in the first year of life")

A newborn baby lying on his stomach learns to lift and hold his head. Then, over a couple of months, he learns to raise his upper body higher, leaning on his hands. When a baby, from a position lying on his stomach with emphasis on his hands, is able to rise almost to his stomach, he discovers that can move backwards by pushing with hands. At this point, it is important that the small fists begin to open without pinching the thumb inside.

Crawling backwards on your stomach An attractive activity compared to simply lying still. A child can crawl like this for a week or two. After some time, he will begin to push off with his feet, gradually getting up on all fours. During this period, the child can quite stand for a long time, swaying in one place and trying to coordinate the efforts of the arms pushing back with the legs moving the body forward. Often such attempts end with a rapid “forehead hitting the floor” and loud crying. Keep calm, it's safe to get some bumps, baby will quickly learn to be more careful and better calculate your strength. Encourage your baby, he is already halfway to full cross-crawling on all fours.

Stage “I’m an airplane” or how to lift your stomach off the floor

Before learning to get on all fours, children go through the “airplane” stage. The child lies on his stomach and at the same time lifts both his arms and legs off the floor, slightly rocking himself. It’s impossible to move from a place this way, so baby screams loudly and requires attention to your experiences.

You can help your young tester by placing a bolster, a soft cloth ball of the appropriate size, or a folded blanket under his stomach. At first the roller may be small, place it under the baby's chest. Then try a larger roller, you can slightly rock the child back and forth, showing him that this way he can move on all fours. Instead of a bolster, your leg will do if you sit on the floor with your child.

It will also be useful at this time professional massage, which will help consolidate new skills and give impetus to the comprehension of new motor capabilities. You can do some exercises with your child yourself.

(Read more about exercises and baby massage).

Do you want to crawl? Ask me how!

If, despite your best efforts, your baby shows no interest in crawling, try setting a good example. The most effective - invite a well-crawling baby to visit about the same age. Have fun crawling with the whole family; this exercise will not only surprise and entertain the baby, but will also help tired mom and dad relax their “backs.”

Use crawling track, a low children's slide or just a wide board (cabinet door). Make a slight tilt so that every movement of the baby helps move forward. Cheer and celebrate every success. Let the baby first overcome ten centimeters, the main thing is that he understands that he can. Remember the “baits”, show and praise an inaccessible target, but do not give it to the child, even if he screams and is indignant. But what a joy it is to reach out and finally get the desired toy!

Baby on the floor? Right there...

Cold? If you do not live in a hut with a dirt floor, or do not walk on bare concrete at home, then the child will be warm enough on the floor. The first time when the baby learns to move, use. It is important that the crawling mat does not slip, is sufficiently elastic and easy to wash. A wool blanket is warm and natural, but as a crawling mat, it quickly becomes disorganized under the pressure of an energetic novice crawler. You can also use tourist foam, but such a crawling mat is too narrow, so one foam is not enough; it is better to use two or three. Experienced parents advise using rugs no smaller than a square meter in size, and preferably one and a half or two, if it fits in the room.

Soon the baby will learn to crawl out of a warm place. If it seems to you that the floor is still cold, for greater comfort for the child and your peace of mind, put on a woolen bodysuit for him (thermal underwear) or merino wool pants. The wool of Merino sheep is warm, soft and not itchy, making it suitable for babies. Woolen pants and a bodysuit are the best equipment for a baby starting to crawl. Such clothes are warm enough to prevent your baby from getting too cold, and thin and soft enough not to interfere with his movement. The less clothing a child wears, the easier it is to learn to crawl. Knit woolen pants from merino yarn yourself, if you know how, or buy ready-made ones from natural swaddling systems, etc.

Dirty? Make cleaning easier by temporarily removing expensive carpeting. (Remember that potty training time will soon come). You can quickly wipe down a wooden or laminate floor. In the hallway and other quickly dirty places, rugs that can be washed in a washing machine will help out. If you don’t have enough time for daily cleaning, buy a robot vacuum cleaner that can also handle carpet.

If, starting from 2-3 months of the child’s life, parents “ will go live on the floor" together with the child, this will help to gradually, even before active crawling, resolve issues with dust, drafts, etc. This will help protect the child from injury (there is nowhere on the floor to fall).

Microbes? For normal development of immunity, a child needs to live in a real, not a sterile world. It is clear that licking street shoes is not good for your health, but meetingWith« homemade» microbes is inevitable. You should not wash the floor with aggressive chemicals, they are even less beneficial to health. For disinfection during cleaning, you can use aromatic oils that have antimicrobial properties (tea tree oil, juniper oil, etc.).

Before the baby learned to fully crawl on all fours, parents need it themselves literally crawl the entire house on your knees. Firstly, you will set a wonderful example for your child, and secondly, you will be able to inspect your home in advance detect all dangers for the baby objects, look into secluded corners and lift up valuable and dear things to your heart. Do the house is as safe as possible for a child.

Hide the trash can and put away all household chemicals, washing powders, fertilizers, pet food, pots of indoor plants, etc. as high and far as possible. Pay attention to low-lying electrical cords (a child can taste them) and sockets, overhanging edges of tablecloths and other dangerous or small objects. Please note that the child must wants to taste it, whatever he finds.

Create each room has a small corner with interesting and safe things for the baby. It could be a shelf at the bottom of a closet or a small box, but such a beacon should be made in every room of the apartment, even in the hallway or bathroom, if it is not locked. Having reached a new place, the child will be carried away by the “local attractions”, and, if lucky, will not have time to climb somewhere else without your supervision.

Remember that from the start of crawling to 2.5 years - period of consolidation of love for order. It's time for parents get acquainted with the M. Montessori system to introduce life-friendly principles into household use.

The most attractive for beginner crawler toys- This a small rag ball with a ringer inside and tumbler. And also all the small noisy objects that are convenient to grab with a small hand and easily throw, so that they fly and roll, and then catch up with you. During the period when the baby is just beginning to move and sways and rolls more in one place, be attentive to the toys that are on the floor with the child. Choose safe, soft toys that won't hurt your child if they bump into or fall on them.

Walkers, jumpers and other “utilities”

According to osteopathic doctors, learning to stand and walk earlier (before crawling) has a bad effect on the development of the child’s entire musculoskeletal system. For the normal formation of the musculoskeletal framework necessary to begin independent walking, the baby needs to crawl for two to three months. After the child begins to crawl, he learns to sit up on his own, kneel down, and then stand at a support. The baby must go through all these stages sequentially and independently, no need to force things and teach the child to walk prematurely. You should not lead a child who has not yet learned to crawl or stand on his own without support by both hands.

Walkers and jumpers– these are items that should not appear in the home of caring parents. If using a playpen is simply restricting a child’s freedom, a kind of prison, which prevents the baby from developing physically, mentally and intellectually, then walkers and jumpers, due to the early vertical load, cause very noticeable harm to fragile muscles and ligaments. The vertical posture, together with the weight of the child, creates excessive load on the intervertebral discs, for which they are not yet ready. They become crushed (compressed), which in the future threatens problems with the spine at any age. The developing foot also experiences greater premature stress in walkers.
One can understand the desire of tired parents to take a break and go about their business while the child entertains himself by jumping. But having learned to crawl, the child will explore the world around him, developing yourself and strengthening your health. Children accustomed to walkers and jumpers significantly later they start crawling, more often than not completely missing this important stage of their development. Is half an hour of your peace of mind worth it?

If the child does not crawl...

Sometimes you can hear parents say proudly: « But mine didn’t crawl, it went straight away!» . They probably don’t know that if a child doesn’t crawl at the right time, this can result in poor posture, back pain and curvature of the spine in the future. Such problems often arise due to bad heredity(the child’s parents and their parents had some problems with the musculoskeletal system), heavy loads, for example, at school, and during the child’s growth spurts.

According to osteopathic doctors, modern children who did not crawl, but immediately walked, increased loads are contraindicated associated with early intensive sports (participation in competitions, professional sports). Roller skating and skateboarding should be excluded. While studying at school it is necessary do physical therapy, swimming and be regularly monitored by orthopedic doctors in order to promptly identify postural disorders or other spinal diseases (for example, premature aging of intervertebral discs).

Everyone these problems are easier to avoid than to cure. If your baby is not crawling yet, but is already starting to stand up, you should pay special attention to this. Your timely efforts will help the child learn to crawl, keeping the spine healthy and making its development more harmonious.

Not crawled yet. When should you start worrying?

All children develop at their own pace. No one knows your baby better than you. In order not to miss conditions that require correction, regularly take your child to medical specialists you trust. Pay attention yourself and tell your pediatrician about the characteristics and pace of development of the child in accordance with his age.

If healthy baby at 8 months is not yet making any attempts to crawl on his own, it’s time to pay special attention to this. Consult a pediatrician, show your child to an orthopedist, get a massage, visit an osteopath. Make sure your child is healthy and he has all the potential to start crawling: loose clothing, plenty of time on the floor and your support. You can use the track for crawling. And the time spent in the playpen or crib should be reduced as much as possible. If the baby has already learned to stand on a support, but hardly crawls, distract him and encourage him in every possible way to try move on all fours.

Now you won't catch up!

With the beginning of crawling of a child in the life of a family a new era is dawning. Now your baby is no longer that cute toddler waving his arms and legs in his crib or sitting importantly in his mother’s arms. Parents realize that he now lives next to them another person with his own character and interests, speed and love of freedom.

Share the joy of a pioneer with your child and enjoy these wonderful moments. After all, very soon your baby will learn to walk, run, climb and talk. Prepare for this time together, don't rush it, let it crawl!

From a very early age, the child begins to explore his own body and its capabilities. And all this is in constant motion. At first, the newborn simply blinks, smiles, moves his legs and arms, and later he begins to crawl, sit up and, finally, take his first hesitant steps. The seemingly ordinary crawling is actually an excellent muscle workout, and this method of movement also helps the child develop harmoniously. Pediatricians unanimously claim that crawling is a preparatory stage before walking. While crawling, the muscles of the shoulder girdle, back, arms and legs will become stronger, and coordination will improve. In general, crawling is a must. But what to do if the baby is lazy and doesn’t want to crawl?

Remember that your child has just begun to discover this interesting new world, he needs to break away from his mother and start exploring the space and objects that are around. Give him a little more freedom, take him out of the crib or playpen more often, and put him on the floor. Sit down next to him: it will be much easier for the child when his mother or loved ones are in close proximity. Place toys or a ball at a short distance from the baby, he will reach for them, try to reach them and at the same time learn to crawl.

Here are some exercises to help teach your baby to crawl. As they say, it has been tested from personal experience and works even with very stubborn toddlers.

1. The first exercise will help form support on straight arms- this is the main condition for starting to crawl on all fours. A six-month-old baby must learn not only to lift himself up in his arms, but also, preferably, to grab a toy with one hand while leaning on the other. If such a skill has not been developed, it is worth helping the child a little. To begin, place him on his stomach, and hang a toy in front of him, just above his head. To grab it, the child will rise in his arms and reach for the object that interests him. If suddenly the toy does not arouse interest, first let the child touch it, and then gradually lift it up.

2. This exercise will help strengthen the vestibular apparatus The baby will learn to work with his hands. Make a cushion from a blanket and place it under the baby’s chest (as in the first exercise, the baby lies on his stomach). The child's head and arms should hang from the roller, while the legs and stomach should be on a flat surface. In this position, the child can turn his head and grasp objects with both hands.

3. Learn stand on all fours. For this exercise, you will again need a blanket bolster, but this time you need to place it under the baby’s belly and chest so that the arms and legs hang above the floor. In this case, the child will instinctively want to lean on them and will be forced to get on all fours.

4. This exercise will teach the child crawl on all fours To do it correctly, it is better to invite another adult assistant. Distribute roles in advance: one of the adults is responsible for the work of the child’s hands, the other for the legs. Then place the child on all fours on the floor with an attention-grabbing toy in front of him. Next, one of the adults moves the child’s left arm forward, the second moves the child’s right leg, and so on.

And don’t forget to set a positive example for your child. If the mother, or even better, another child, crawls in front of the baby on all fours, believe me, the little one will learn to move much faster on his own. And finally, a few training videos on this topic.

From birth, a child studies his own body and learns about the world around him. And this happens best when the baby begins to move independently. For most children, this process occurs in two stages: the baby first crawls, and only then begins to walk. It is impossible to say exactly at what age this happens, because each child is individual. Some people are already actively moving at 5-6 months, while others master the skill only by 8 months. Some children, for some reason, do not want to crawl even at eight months of age. Then parents begin to worry and turn to the doctor with the question: “How to teach a child to crawl?” Sometimes they try to do this on their own, forcing the baby to crawl. Often this leads to completely the opposite result. And some parents, on the contrary, try to avoid crawling. They use walkers, jumpers and other devices to help the child walk faster. But doctors and psychologists do not recommend doing this, since this stage of crawling is very important for the normal development of the baby.

Why does a child need to crawl?

By crawling, children not only improve their motor skills, but also learn about their body and the world around them. This is a very important stage of development.

Modern babies increasingly refuse to crawl. This is mainly due to the reluctance of parents to help them. They believe that crawling is not necessary for children. But most doctors are unanimous in their opinion that this stage is necessary for the normal physical and psychological development of the baby. What are the benefits of crawling?

• moving on all fours trains the child’s muscles and prepares him for upright walking;
• it develops coordination and balance;
• crawling on four limbs activates connections between both hemispheres of the brain, which helps in the future to avoid problems with recognizing the right and left sides of the body and orientation in space;
• the baby begins to independently explore the world, learns to make decisions;
• the child’s tactile sensations improve and fine motor skills develop;
• the child becomes less dependent on the mother, which is very important for his psycho-emotional development.

By the way, the famous American pediatrician, author of the bestseller “The Child and His Care,” Benjamin Spock, believed that “if a child can crawl quickly, he usually begins to walk later. And the one who crawls clumsily or cannot crawl at all will try to learn to walk earlier.”

At what age should a baby crawl?

Each child develops at an individual pace. Some people try to crawl as early as five months, while some children do this only at one year of age.

You should not force your child into the generally accepted framework.

Doctors believe that they need to create conditions for him, and he will crawl. To do this, you need to regularly work with your baby, giving him massage and gymnastics as early as a month. After 4 months, physical exercise should take at least half an hour a day.

In addition, it is very important from the age of one month to place the baby on his tummy more often. And then by six months it will be easier for him to get on all fours and start moving. But if the child is not crawling even at 10 months, there is no need to worry. Perhaps he has his own pace of development. But this rarely happens if the mother has been involved with the baby since birth.

Children who are left to their own devices in a bed or playpen most often lag behind in development. Or, on the contrary, children who are too “tame” and whose parents will take them where they need to go anyway.

In general, a child’s ability to move independently depends on several factors:

• on the level of muscle development and the ability to maintain balance;
• from the general health of the baby - children with neurological or orthopedic problems often do not crawl;
• curiosity and interest in movement;
• from the conditions that his parents created for him.

Before teaching a child to crawl, you need to consult a doctor, since the baby’s reluctance to move may be caused by abnormalities in his health.

Ways to crawl

Victoria Ubushieva, mother of many children: “Our middle child, daughter Dayana (now 5 years old), crawled very unusually! She lay down on her tummy and moved with her hands, and did it quite quickly. It was felt that this was not easy for her, since for some reason her legs did not take part in this process. My daughter moved around like this for about two months. One fine day she figured out how to help herself with her legs, after which she immediately learned to stand up and then walk.”

In most cases, children master crawling after already being able to sit. But each fidget has its own type of crawling. Some prefer to crawl on their bellies: on their stomachs, as if backing away, others spin around their axis, others move as if sideways, and many stand on all fours. There are also particularly interesting methods: on the back and even on the buttocks, bending one leg under you and pushing the other.

While crawling, the baby explores the world and does it as it is most convenient for him.

How to prepare a baby to crawl

All doctors consider crawling an important stage in a baby's development. For example, Dr. O. Komarovsky encourages parents to prepare their children for such movement from birth. To do this, you need to stimulate the child’s cognitive interest and develop his muscles. Regular exercises with your baby, special massage, swimming and general strengthening gymnastics will help with this.

In order to strengthen the baby's muscle corset, you need to lay him on his stomach more often and place bright toys in his field of vision. You can nudge the child a little under his heels to show him how to get closer to the object that interests him. Children explore a new world with interest. And parents need to provide them with all the conditions for this.

Dr. O. Komarovsky writes: “The more actively massage and gymnastics are carried out, the cooler the water when swimming, the better the muscles develop, the more opportunities there are to sit down, crawl, stand up, and walk in a timely manner.”

How to properly teach a child to crawl

If a baby at 7 months is not yet trying to move independently, you can help him. First of all, it is necessary to create conditions for its active movement. As often as possible, you need to put the baby on the floor with a blanket or a hard mattress. Lying on his tummy, the child will try to reach objects in his field of vision.
To better stimulate this desire, you can use bright balls, musical or moving toys. It’s good if the mother is nearby at this time, showing the baby an example and communicating with him.

Natalya, mother of 8-month-old Egor: “At 7 months, Egor had not even tried to crawl. He got up on all fours, rocked back and forth and sat or lay down. Beautiful cars, interesting rattle toys - nothing helped. And then they gave us a toy that was completely out of age: a robot dog (recommendations for ages from 5 years). She can yap, walk and even do tricks. Imagine our surprise when Yegor became so interested in the dog that he crawled after it, trying to catch up!”

We must remember that children at this age learn something only through play. If the child is not interested, or the process causes him discomfort, he will not crawl.
The main thing is to awaken interest in the movement and create all the conditions for this.

What not to do

• Often leave the child in a playpen or crib. They are only meant to keep the baby safe when mom needs to go away;
• Leave the child alone on the floor. It may reach an outlet or other dangerous objects;
• Use walkers, jumpers or a chair for the development of the baby;
• Frequently carry the baby in your arms. It is necessary to give him the opportunity to at least try to move independently;
• Forcing a baby to crawl. The entire learning process should take place as a game.

What exercise equipment can you use?

Basic exercises to strengthen the muscles of the shoulder girdle

Sometimes a baby does not crawl because his arms are very weak and cannot support the weight of his body. It is recommended not only to perform special gymnastics with the child and give him a massage, but also to strengthen the muscles with special exercises.

1. In the smallest child, you can develop the muscles of the pleural girdle by lifting him by the arms. You can use a wooden stick for this, but it’s better to use your own fingers. The baby will grab onto them, and the adult will lift him up. You can rock it a little, kids really like it.
2. Already at 6 months, the baby should be able to rise in his arms from a position lying on his stomach. In addition, it is important that he can, leaning on one hand, take the toy with the other. To develop this skill, you need to regularly perform this exercise: put the baby on his stomach and hang a bright, attractive toy over him. He will try to get it, and to do this he will have to reach for it.
3. The following exercise also develops the muscles of the shoulder girdle: when the child is lying on his stomach, place a rolled-up blanket under his chest. In this position he will be able to pick up toys with his hands. This can be done at 3-4 months, when the baby confidently begins to hold his head. This exercise develops not only the muscles of the shoulder girdle, but also trains the vestibular apparatus.
4. At 8 months, you can strengthen your baby’s arms with the “wheelbarrow” exercise. From a lying position on his stomach, the child must be carefully lifted by his legs so that he rests on the floor only with his hands. In this position, slowly push the baby forward, and he will begin to move his arms. You can “spring it up” a little.

How to teach a child to crawl on all fours

Not all sliders move on all fours. Sometimes they use only their arms, pulling one or both legs behind them; there are also those who crawl on their bellies, or in their own individual way.

Inna, mother of Masha, 1 year old: “Masha crawled at 6 months in an unusual way. I pushed myself with my hands in a sitting position and bounced on my butt. This happened because her butt always outweighed her (she was a little overweight). This method of crawling, of course, was funny, but the pediatrician advised me to re-teach him to crawl on all fours: jumping and shaking are harmful to a fragile spine. After 2 weeks of classes and leg training, she succeeded!”

For parents who are interested in how to teach a child to crawl on all fours, we can recommend the following exercises:

• Place a thick cushion under the baby's tummy and chest so that his legs and arms hang down. If you rock the bolster back and forth, the child will lean on them alternately, practicing walking on all fours;
• if the baby has already stood on all fours, but does not know how to move, you can help him by moving his legs and arms alternately. It is better if two adults take part in this, for example, playing “catch up”.

Often, young mothers enter the query into the search bar: teach a child to crawl at 5 months. Or at 6. But is it necessary to push a child to master this skill at a certain age? If parents are in a hurry because “this is indicated in the table on the website about children,” then this is the wrong motivation. Each child is individual and develops according to his own schedule.

One baby masters crawling after 5 months, while another is in no hurry to learn it even at 8. There is no need to force the little person into a box. It’s another matter if the baby wants to start walking right away, ignoring the crawling stage. This is where mom needs to be careful. After all, crawling is not only develops vision and both hemispheres of the brain, but also prepares the musculoskeletal system for a vertical position, that is, for walking.

The time has come?

So, to the question: “When is it time?” - there is no definite answer. As a rule, babies master moving across the floor from 6 to 9 months. This time gap is due to several factors:

If the baby is 9 months old and still hasn’t crawled, it makes sense. consult a doctor. Perhaps the problem lies in weak back muscles. To help the baby, the doctor will prescribe strengthening procedures.

How can I help you?

So how to teach a child to crawl at 5-6 months? And, in general, is this necessary? Pediatricians will tell you that there is no direct need for this. Most likely, the baby will crawl on his own when his body is ready. However, preparatory exercises They will not bring any harm - on the contrary, they will only do good. In addition, additional interaction with mom and dad will definitely not be superfluous.

Create all conditions

Exercises

Before teaching your baby these exercises, you should consult a specialist. You must be sure that the baby is only a little lazy, but he does not:

• diseases of the musculoskeletal system;
• muscle weakness of the arms;
• muscle tone.

So, how to teach a child to crawl on all fours.

How to teach a child to crawl

5 months

Take advantage of your baby's age-related activity. Help him lean onto his side from a supine position, carefully crossing one of his legs over the other so that his knee touches the surface. The baby will complete the turn on his own.

6 months

Continue teaching your baby to turn. It is acceptable to sit down - for example, using a fitball or on mom and dad's lap. The main thing is not to do this for long. And there is no need to cover the child with pillows. There is a risk that, due to outside support, the child will acquire incorrect posture.

7 months

It is at this age that infants most often attempt to crawl. Traditionally, the following stages of crawling occur one after another:

• on the stomach;
• in Plastun style;
• On knees.

How to teach a baby to crawl on all fours? Create a tunnel for him. Or an obstacle. And remember: babies really like it when mom or dad crawls around.

Safety first

Teaching a child to crawl means taking the utmost precaution.

Probably every mother wants her baby to show interest in crawling and learn this skill himself. But sometimes parents should take the initiative in this matter. How to teach a child to crawl? Do it unobtrusively in a playful way, taking into account the baby’s mood and capabilities. Be patient - you should not expect that after completing 2-3 exercises your child will show stunning results. Be prepared for the fact that he may not crawl. But in any case, your efforts will not be in vain: after all, such activities strengthen muscles, develop the vestibular apparatus, i.e., in general, prepare the child’s body for upright walking.

“Stomp, stomp, stomp baby,” is sung in a funny children’s song. This event will occur approximately a year after the child is born, and by then he will have time to master many other useful skills.

Before they start walking, children try to move around by crawling from place to place. Why and when does a baby start crawling? Do all children have to be able to do this?

When does it start to crawl?

From the first minutes of life, a newborn baby begins to explore the world around him. He looks at everything around him, listens, touches and tastes any thing he can reach. And so, when there are no unexplored secrets left within reach of the hand, natural inquisitiveness encourages the baby to show interest in other subjects.

This period of active cognitive activity begins somewhat earlier than children learn to walk. Therefore, in order to reach a bright toy or mother’s mobile phone, the baby tries to move forward in other ways available to him.

At first, he begins to get good at rolling on his side and on his stomach. Then he will be able, pushing off with his leg or arm, to turn in the other direction, move forward or backward. And when the baby finally understands and masters his new capabilities, he will learn to crawl in the direction he needs.

Usually, the first attempts to crawl are observed in children from the age of five months. By the age of seven months, the most active and persistent babies can crawl quite long distances.

Such data on how many months a child begins to crawl cannot be considered the norm, since in infancy the development of children occurs purely individually.

The period when the baby begins to crawl depends on several criteria:

1. Degree development of the musculoskeletal system. The faster the muscles of the arms and back become stronger, the more confident the child will feel when leaning on his arms, and will soon begin to crawl.
2. Degree nervous system development. Understanding the principle of movement by crawling is the result of hard work of the brain. By this moment, the baby should have formed neural connections responsible for coordination of movements, development of a sense of space and distance.
3. Features of development. Each baby masters the world around him at his own pace. Some people prefer tactile sensations and then they begin to crawl earlier. Others immediately want to observe and only then try to touch.

In addition, it is believed that the time period at which girls begin to crawl begins a little earlier than for boys. It has also been found that premature babies do this a little later, at about ten months of age.

1. Body type. It is usually more difficult for chubby toddlers to learn to crawl, so this process may take them longer.
2. Stimulation. Creating favorable conditions for the development of the ability to crawl can contribute to the earlier development of this skill.

Thus, it is impossible to accurately predict when a baby will learn to crawl. It often happens that a child at 8 months is not yet crawling, but is already beginning to learn to stand and step from object to object. He may not have the need to crawl at all.

Ways to crawl

The little one chooses the method of movement depending on how it is more convenient for him or how he likes it best. There are three main manners of crawling:

• on the stomach;
• in Plastun style;
• On knees.

However, the baby cannot rise, but, on the contrary, presses his stomach to the floor. This can rather be called poking.

With this method, the baby cannot move quickly. Often, crawling on his stomach, he moves not forward, but backward. The ability to crawl in this way strengthens the muscles of the back and neck, helps get rid of intestinal colic and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. For other methods of getting rid of colic, see the course Soft tummy >>>

The way when a child begins to crawl on his belly is very similar to how adults do it.

The main differences from the previous crawling model are the movement of the legs. The baby, lying on his stomach, spreads his legs wide and bends them at the knees. And then, pushing off from the floor, he straightens his legs and thus moves forward. At the same time, he rises on his hands, tightening his body.

Crawling on the belly helps children develop the skills of alternating movements and is an excellent prevention of hip dysplasia.

Crawling on all fours is considered the most difficult way, because the child must keep his body in an elevated position. In addition, he needs to be able to maintain balance and coordinate his movements.

"On knees"

At first, the baby performs all movements not very confidently, often standing in one place, swaying back and forth. However, when he fully masters the technique of crawling on all fours, he will move quite quickly. This method is very useful for forming the curves of the spine, the ability to correctly distribute the load on the body during movement and control the direction of movement.

The baby can immediately learn the most basic method of crawling, and then move on to another technique. The most difficult is the ability to crawl using the “cross” method.

Refusal to crawl: is there any reason to be wary?

The ability to crawl is very important for a baby's development. If a child does not want to crawl, you should not ignore this, considering crawling simply as a transitional stage between sitting and walking.

After all, when the baby begins to crawl, the first signs of independence are formed, he has greater freedom and opportunities.

In addition, crawling is very useful for:

• training the muscles of the back and limbs;
• formation of the skeleton and development of the musculoskeletal system;
• development of coordination of movements and the ability to navigate in space;
• preparation for upright walking;
• improvement of psychomotor development (when crawling with support on the palms of the hands, the child receives a large number of tactile sensations);
• development of the nervous system and brain.

The ability to crawl affects the development of the cerebral hemispheres; a strong relationship is established between them and there is no predominance of one of them over the other. Children who have learned to crawl have abilities in both the exact sciences and the humanities and have creative inclinations.

Neurologists believe that the crawling period is more important for the development of a child’s nervous system than the first steps.

Also, the ability to crawl has a positive effect on the timely development of speech and the absence of speech therapy problems.

Therefore, if the baby has no desire to crawl at the age of 8 months, it is advisable to establish the reason for this behavior and try to correct the situation (you must remember that the period at which boys begin to crawl may come a little later).

Reluctance to crawl can be caused by several factors.

1. Health problems. Muscle weakness, deviations in the development of the musculoskeletal system and nervous system may be observed.
2. Temperament. Children show their curiosity and activity to varying degrees. Some people prefer to watch rather than try to reach and touch an object. This baby does not express much interest in crawling.
3. Finding in a closed space. Spending most of his time in the crib, the baby simply does not understand that there is a big and interesting world outside of it that he can explore.
4. The child is not allowed to lie on his stomach. There is no need to specifically lay the baby on his stomach, but you need to stimulate his activity by any means.
5. Weight. Even overweight children will try to move in every possible way. Most often, a large child does not crawl on all fours , as he finds it difficult to hold his body.
6. No need to crawl. Overly diligent parents are so protective of their child that they rush to help him in any situation. The baby simply does not need to try to get something, because the mother helpfully presents everything in which he shows interest.

In most cases, the reason for the reluctance to crawl is not very serious and the problem can be solved. The main thing is to know how to teach a child to crawl and show a little patience.

Crawling is a natural reflex that is present in children from birth, but fades over time. Therefore, parents do not need to try to teach their toddler to crawl. It is enough to create the necessary conditions for him and simply observe the baby’s behavior, only slightly directing his actions.

Important to remember! Before you try to teach your baby to crawl, make sure that the baby is developing normally and has no health problems.

Parents' help should include the following.

1. To make a child want to crawl:

• put it on the floor more often, surrounding it with interesting things and moving objects;
• you need to interest him, lure him with a bright toy or a loud rattle;
• in the process of trying to learn to crawl, it is important to praise and encourage the baby more often;
• as a role model, demonstrate to him how to crawl.

1. Develop the musculoskeletal system:

• do a strengthening massage (if a child has problems with physical development, you should seek the services of a professional massage therapist);
• do gymnastics with the baby (the simplest exercises should be started from the first month after birth);
• carried correctly in your arms.

1. Learn to navigate in space and control your body:

• learn special exercises (flips, frog, etc.);
• exercises with a fitball, exercises with a roller (the most effective way to teach a child to crawl on all fours);

1. Ensure compliance with safety precautions and hygiene requirements:

• put the baby on a clean floor covered with a rug or blanket (no need to teach him to crawl on the bed or lay a mattress on the floor);
• remove objects that the baby can pull onto the floor, shorten long curtains;
• remove small and sharp objects;
• remove cords from electrical appliances, power extension cords and carriers;
• dress the baby in clothes that will not restrict his movements.

Compliance with all these points will soon lead to positive results. The most important thing for parents is to understand: in order to start crawling, the baby must want it himself, and you shouldn’t expect any effect from regular training.