Learning To Crawl: Motivate Your Baby With These 5 Tips!
Practically all babies learn to crawl by themselves, but the parents can be an important support and motivate the little one. Try our tips!
The first years of a child’s life are full of magical and emotional moments. Every little progress adds to the pride of the parents and is celebrated. Today we will show you how you can motivate your baby to learn to crawl .
Babies usually begin to crawl automatically between the ages of 7 and 9 months. They are now developing so far that they don’t need anyone to show them that. But the parents can still stimulate and motivate their young children so that they feel like crawling .
With that begins its first little independence, because it can now move itself to a place that seems interesting. In this way the child can discover new things and at the same time develop their psychomotor flexibility.
Different types of crawling
Some children only pull themselves forward with their arms. They barely lift their bodies or use their legs, much like a soldier moves forward on the ground. Other children lift their bodies while crawling, but still only use their hands to get moving, while their legs do nothing. With classic crawling, however, the child uses their arms and leans on their knees, which they then move to move forward. Some babies are very skilled in the quadruped position and crawl very quickly. Another option is to lift the body completely and only support yourself on your feet (not on your knees) and hands. Everyone has their own methods!
How can you motivate a child to crawl?
1. Lay your child on their stomach while playing
2. Challenge your baby to keep them interested in crawling
As soon as your little one feels a little more comfortable lying on their stomach, place a toy on the floor in front of them. However, this should be out of reach so that your child feels like fetching it. This is how you can motivate them to move.
Even if this is not easy at first and your child becomes frustrated, you should not give them the toy. It will find a way to approach the toy itself, even if it takes time. It may even begin with his first attempts at crawling!
3. Crawling with your baby
Children learn very quickly by observing role models. If your baby sees you crawling himself, he knows how to do it. This doesn’t mean that they will imitate you right away, but it does help them see that they can develop this skill themselves and show them how to crawl.
4. Mobile and hanging games
If your child is lying down and you hang a mobile over them, they can use it to strengthen their arms and abdominal muscles. It is attracted to the bright colors and movement and will try to reach the figures. It trains its muscles, which then helps it crawl.
5. Help your child move
Use a towel or sheet that you wrap around your baby’s tummy to hold him / her with. Then lift it up slightly with the towel so that the upper body is slightly elevated. Your child will intuitively try to put their hands on the floor. When it does, gently rock it a little forward and then back again in the towel.
You can also do this exercise by holding your baby by his hips with your hands.
What if the baby doesn’t learn to crawl?
Most children crawl before they learn to walk. But there are also many who go straight from sitting to walking without crawling in between. This is completely normal.
However, if you find that your child is having difficulty crawling, you should consult your pediatrician. He can determine whether your little darling is developing correctly in terms of motor skills.
