On The Move

It’s adorable to watch babies figure out and learn how to move around. It happens in all different ways as they tumble, roll, and scoot before learning to crawl and walk. Some children even go straight to walking and skip the crawling stage. So what are some of the cues your baby is getting ready to move from point A to point B? And what are ways you can encourage your little one along in this new adventure?

Babies typically begin to crawl somewhere between 6 to 10 months. Giving your baby plenty of tummy time before and during this stage is excellent in helping develop his strength. During tummy time, feel free to put a toy or object just out of reach of your baby, encouraging him to move toward it.You can encourage your baby to move forward by placing your palms behind your baby’s feet when he is in the rocking position. You are essentially being a stabilizer so he has something to push off of.  

Another form of encouragement is through the use of a rolled up blanket or towel. Place the baby over the rolled up blanket and, holding carefully, lift the baby up slightly from the floor into a crawling position on all fours. Stand over the baby as you help them crawl along.  You can always get on the floor with your baby and show them how it is done!

There are a couple things you might see your baby doing, indicating he is getting ready to enlarge his territory. You might find your baby pushing himself backward and away from you or an object he is trying to get to. He might be staying low to the ground but inching forward also. Or perhaps he is getting up on his hands and knees and rocking back and forth. Some babies go through all these stages while others skip them or mix up the order.

There are a couple popular types of crawls:

• TheClassic Crawl (the baby is on all fours and moves forward)
• The Crab Crawl (the baby moves while one knee is bent and the other is extended)
• The Commando Crawl (the baby keeps his torso on the ground and uses his arms to propel himself forward)
• The Backward Crawl (the baby might push with his arms, propelling himself backward)

Some babies might roll everywhere for a while and others might sit on their bums and scoot around sitting.

Just to be safe, be sure you have baby-proofed your house. Once those little ones know they can get around, there is no telling what they will find and get into.  Check your electrical outlets, loose cords, sharp corners, doors and cleaning supplies!

If your baby is having no signs of mobility (rolling, scooting or crawling) by the age of 12 months, a call to your pediatrician would be best.

Did your baby skip all these steps and go right to walking? Or is your baby right in the middle of a commando crawl currently? We would love to hear about it. Share your experiences below!

By: Bethany Lammott | punkandbird.com |@bird521