Creepy-Crawly! It sure is spooky when your little one starts moving around and you realize it’s time to baby-proof everything! What are the differences in the different types of infant crawling?
Before your child learns to walk there are three physical development milestones that are usually met: Crawling, Creeping, and Cruising. These milestones are usually achieved between 6 and 10 months, however it really can very based off of other developmental milestones. If your little one has not started crawling by 12 months, reach out to their pediatrician.
Crawling
According to the AAP, Crawling is any progression either backwards or forward. This is the very first steps to your child being able to independently explore the world. There are a few variations of crawling:
- Commando Crawl (Or Belly/Army Crawl): This is when babies move their body forward on their hands or elbows, while dragging their bellies on the floor.
- Bear Crawl: Babies keep their arms and legs extended straight, walking like a bear on their hands and feet.
- Bottom Scooting: Babies scoot on their bottoms, using their their hands to move themselves forward
- Rolling Crawl: Incorporating rolling to get from one place to another
The best way to provide the foundation for crawling is Tummy Time!! Floor play and learning to crawl play such an important role in motor skill development! Here are a couple products that are amazing for Tummy Time:
Creeping
Creeping is moving around with the arms straight, belly off of the ground, and weight on the hands and knees, in a quadruped position. When your child is moving in this position it helps strengthen their back and neck strength.
Did you know?! Creeping and putting weight down on the hand to move helps strengthen the small muscles in the hand and helps prepare the muscles for fine motor skills such as the pincer grasp, which leads to skills down the road such as handwriting and tying shoes!
If your child skips over creeping, there are ways that you can still develop these muscles, such as the wheelbarrow walk, or having your child crawl under things! Talk to your pediatrician or a physical therapist to come up with more ideas!
Cruising
Cruising is the final step before walking!! Once your child is on the move, they will start pulling themselves up on things, and then walking alongside those things. The movement of walking alongside objects, moving hands and feet from side to side is called Cruising! Your child will start taking wider steps, and relying less for support, and before you know it they will be walking!
For more information about physical development, and other developmental milestones visit: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/Pages/default.aspx
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