“Crawling is your baby’s first method of getting around efficiently on his own. In the traditional crawl, he’ll start by learning to balance on his hands and knees. Then he’ll figure out how to move forward and backward by pushing off with his knees. At the same time, he’ll be strengthening the muscles that will soon enable him to walk,” says the BabyCenter web page.
My son is nearing his 10-month milestone and he does a lot on his tummy, but not the traditional crawl. He swims like Aquaman, does 360-degree spins with his mid-section in the same place, and pushes himself back a few feet. Two questions bouncing around my mind lately – Is he going to start moving forward already? Do I want him to start crawling?
Those are loaded questions!
Yes, I want my son to start crawling forward. Consequently, that will change the game of this stay-at-home dad significantly. Now, I can put my son down on his play mat, take a shower, and know he will be in the same general area when I get out. Once he starts to crawl forward, I can’t trust that scenario anymore. I have been doing a lot of internet reading about crawling and wanted to share this info from the BabyCenter with other parents in my situation: “The best way to encourage crawling — just as with reaching and grabbing — is to place toys and other desirable objects (even yourself) just beyond your baby’s reach.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics also suggests using pillows, boxes, and sofa cushions to create obstacle courses for him to negotiate. This will help improve his confidence, speed, and agility. Just don’t leave him alone — if he gets stuck under a pillow or box, he’ll surely be frightened and may be in danger of smothering.” If this topic interests you, read more about crawling from the BabyCenter.
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