Crawling and Walking
Everything You Need to Know! Jessica R. and Christian N.
When Babies Start Crawling and Walking and How to Help/Stimulate them to Start
Babies usually begin crawling at the age of 6-10 months. Walking begins between 9-12 months, and some babies can usually do it pretty well when they are about 14 or 15 months old. If you're worried about your baby not walking at this age, some do not actually start walking until the age of 16 or 17 months. Babies will sometimes begin 'cruising' around a room at about the age of 1 year. If you want to help the development of your baby's walking or crawling skills, you can do these following things:
- Tummy time allows a child to exercise its legs, hips, and neck and is said to be the most efficient way to help a baby learn to crawl
- Give your baby an incentive to move or create an obstacle course
- --- Place a desirable object(a toy or even yourself) at a short distance and have the child work its way towards it
- --- Be sure to supervise your baby during the obstacle course
- Hold the baby under its arms(at about the armpits), and allow him/her to dangle its feet and push on a surface to simulate walking(this works for newborns)
- At about 6 months, let the baby bounce on your thighs while holding him/her the same when it was just a newborn
- --- This will help the baby's leg muscles develop
What Crawling Looks Like at First
Your baby sitting without any support is usually a first sign of being ready to crawl. At first, while it's lying on its stomach, your baby may attempt to push itself up with its hands. Some people call this activity 'mini push-ups'. Another sign is scooting or bottom shuffling, and placing his/her hand in front of its foot to balance and move itself around. These first signs usually begin at about 6 months.
What to do if your Baby is a Late-Crawler
Babies usually begin crawling at the age of 6-10 months, but many may begin at a later time than others. For example, babies with mellow personalities might start a little later than babies who love to be on the move. Also, weight can affect the babies timing. Babies who weigh a bit more will sometimes start later than slimmer babies. If your baby is a late-crawler, you shouldn't worry. The one thing that matters is progress as opposed to timing. You should contact your health-care provider when...
- The baby is not showing any progress
- The baby is not wiggling its feet by the 3rd-6th month
- The baby is unable to support its own weight and/or has no energy
Causes of a late-crawler may be low muscle-tone or not enough tummy time. Another thing is your baby may just be skipping crawling altogether.