First crawling: when does it occur and what does proper crawling look like?
When a child turns six months old, parents impatiently wait for the next milestone in their development, i.e. crawling. What does proper crawling look like, when does it occur, and what should parents pay special attention to?
In today's article, we tell you how to encourage your baby to crawl and support the baby's harmonious motor development. We will also pay attention to selecting the right type of diapers for a small, world-hungry explorer. We invite you to read!
Crawling vs. quadrupling: terminology
First of all, it should be made clear that crawling is a term used by parents in the context of what physical therapists and doctors call a child's motor skills crawling.
Expert advises
In professional terms, crawling and crawling are not the same thing. The difference is that crawling means moving from the all-fours position backwards, and crawling means moving from the all-fours position forward.
Information about crawling is highly sought after by parents on the Internet, so in this article instead of the term quadrupling, we will use the more popular term interchangeably crawling.
When the child should appear crawling, do all babies crawl?
According to WHO (World Health Organization) studies, the development window, i.e. the age frame in which a child should acquire the ability to crawl, is 5,5-13,5 months. Exactly when a baby will start crawling depends on the individual development of a given baby.
Research conducted by WHO has shown that in approximately 42% of children, crawling is immediately preceded by learning to sit independently without support. In turn, approximately 36% of children first develop the ability to sit independently, then learn to stand with support, and only then move on to learning to crawl. Approx. 8,5% of healthy developing children first sit up, learn to stand and walk with assistance, and only then return to learning to crawl. In over 9% of children, crawling appears at a different point in their motor development.
When will your baby start crawling, or maybe your baby won't crawl at all?
WHO reports that approx. 4% of healthy developing children skips learning to crawl. They immediately learn to stand up and walk, without having to learn how to crawl on all fours. Of course, this does not mean that in the coming years such babies will not be able to crawl, for example while playing imitation of their beloved dog.
If parents are concerned about whether their baby's motor development is progressing properly, they should always consult a doctor physiotherapist and/ or pediatrician.
Crawling and diaper selection: why are Dada Pants the perfect choice?
When your baby starts crawling, his needs change significantly. This new stage of development requires the parent's support - also in choosing the right type of diaper. One that will provide not only comfort and freedom of movement, but also reliable protection.
Diaper pants come to the rescue of parents Dada Extra Care Pants, which, thanks to their improvements, not only take care of the baby's delicate skin, but also offer effective protection against leakage in every position. Their 10% greater absorbency, 20% wider cut and improved ruffles guarantee that your child will enjoy freedom without the risk of surprises. What's more, Dada Extra Care Pants are available in 4 sizes, even for children over 18 kg.
Each new skill a child acquires that leads to learning how to walk is valuable to us. Dada Extra Care Pants support your baby's mobility, allowing you to easily take your first steps without any restrictions. The ease of putting on and taking off diapers (like regular panties) facilitates changing diapers for active babies as well as learning to use the potty. This makes them a good solution for this key stage of a child's development, when the child needs the best possible protection and support.
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Senior specialist in the Department of Assessment and Cooperation Development, Institute of Mother and Child
How it looks correct crawling, what should parents be concerned about?
Before the child masters the complex skill of crawling, while actively playing on a mat/carpet, the baby works actively for many months including: strengthening the muscles of the shoulder girdle, trunk muscles and improving motor coordination. Learning stable support on the forearms while lying on the tummy, turning from the back to the stomach, from the stomach to the back, crawling backwards and forwards, or sitting up independently without support are just some of the skills that a child usually needs to master before he or she learns to crawl. .
What does preparation for crawling look like?
First, while lying on its tummy, the child lifts its hips and chest higher and higher from the ground (attempts to assume the all-fours position) and begins to experiment: swings shifting the body weight forwards and backwards, sideways, and over time also diagonally. At the beginning, children push themselves hard against the ground with their hands, which often causes them to stumble they move backwards instead of forwards.
What does further learning to crawl look like?
After experiments in the all-fours position, it's time for the first one attempts to detach from the ground first one hand, then the other, and then also the knees.
Expert advises
In the correct, textbook crawling pattern, the child removes and places on the ground alternately (diagonally) the right hand and left knee, and then the left hand and right knee, successively moving forward. The head is slightly raised in extension of the spine, shoulders away from the ears, back straight, feet positioned neutrally, in extension of the lower leg. In the first 1-2 weeks of learning to crawl, the child is just learning this new motor skill, which, among other things, may cause confusion in the order of moving the arms and legs, often fall and return to crawling or playing on the tummy.
What should make parents alert? How it looks invalid pattern crawling?
It's worth it with a pediatrician and a pediatric physiotherapist consult, when, after a few weeks of learning to crawl, the child:
- tilts the head back strongly and constantly (as if the child was constantly looking at the ceiling);
- when crawling, the child's back is significantly sunken (deepened lumbar lordosis);
- a crawling baby turns almost exclusively to one side;
- the child constantly moves identical limbs forward (e.g. right arm + right leg, left arm + left leg, i.e. crawls ipsilaterally, not alternately);
- the baby drags one of his limbs or stiffens one of his arms or legs.
We should also go for a consultation with a physiotherapist or pediatrician when the baby has finished 10 miesięcy and not at all trying on to learn to crawl and/or has not yet achieved other developmental milestones, including: crawling, sitting without support, standing up on furniture.
How to encourage your baby to crawl to support your toddler's motor development?
Many parents want to actively accompany their children in achieving subsequent developmental milestones, so they wonder how encourage baby to crawl?
In addition to ensuring the child's comfort associated with a properly selected diaper, as we have already mentioned above in the text, we should ensure that the surface is not slippery (carpet, foam mat). Alternatively, it is worth buying comfortable shorts with anti-slip inserts on the knees.
Parents ask: When the baby will finally start crawl?
Parents should not force anything to accelerate, e.g. when a child is learning to crawl, do not push the toddler's hips to help him to move faster. It's worth giving to your child good example and present yourself, what crawling looks like.
You can involve your baby's siblings or friends in this game. Interesting toys that roll or move on the floor, naturally encouraging the baby to move, are also great motivation for learning to crawl.
Źródła:
WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Motor Development Study: Windows of achievement for six gross motor development milestones. Acta Paediatrica Supplement 2006;450:86-95.
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