As new parents, you may stare at your baby in amazement and eagerly await anticipated milestones, like laughing, sitting up, and crawling.
Currently, your baby is not mobile, he will be climbing the furniture and unlocking the baby gates before you know it.
You don’t need to teach your baby to crawl.
This is a natural developmental milestone that happens when your baby is ready.
In this article, I will be sharing how to support and encourage your baby to crawl.
How to help your baby to crawl?
1. Give your baby tummy time daily when he is awake.
When your baby spends time lying on his belly, he practices raising his head off the ground.
This develops muscular strength to support himself on his arms and legs.
This strengthens his back and builds the muscles he needs for crawling.
Your baby might not enjoy tummy time especially at first.
If your baby cries, try doing it only a few minutes at a time.
Have a bonding tummy time by lying down on your back and putting baby on your tummy, so you can look at his face while he practices lifting his head.
2. Give your baby more floor time.
This encourages exploring, movement and developing the strength he needs to crawl faster.
3. Give your baby a little extra motivation.
Put your baby’s favourite toy on the ground during tummy time but put the toy just out of reach.
This will interest your baby and try ways to get to the toy by rolling and stretching.
Place a mirror on the floor in front of your baby.
As your baby sees his reflection in the mirror, this can motivate him to scoot and then crawl to the mirror.
4. Provide a comfortable space for them to explore.
Set up an area on your floor that has your baby’s toys and things he can safely explore.
If you have an uncarpeted floor, you can help your baby start scooting across the floor by dressing him in long sleeves and pants.
Clothes on a smooth surface will help your baby move with less friction, which will make it a little easier for him to get started.
5. Get on the floor and crawl with your baby.
Get on the floor to show your baby how to crawl, he may imitate your movement and attempt to crawl toward the object.
What are the different methods of crawling?
Classic hands-and-knees or cross crawl
Your baby bear weight on his hands and knees then moves one arm and the opposite knee forward at the same time.
Bear crawl
Your baby keeps his elbows and knees straight, walks on hands and feet like a bear.
Belly or commando crawl
Your baby moves his body forward while dragging his belly against the floor.
Bottom scooter
Your baby scoots around on his bottom using his arms to move forward.
Crab crawl
Your baby moves backward or sideways like a crab,
Rolling crawl
Your baby gets to his destination by rolling from one place to another.
When will your baby start crawling?
You will probably see your baby start to crawl between 6 and 10 months.
If your baby is bigger than average, it might take him a little longer to figure out how to move around.
When to see a doctor?
Your baby is trying to move but is only using one side of his body.
You are concerned that your baby isn’t progressing in his ability to move around.
Your doctor can assess whether your baby’s development is normal and on track.
I hope all these pointers will help you to support and encourage your baby to crawl.
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As one of the best infant care in Tampines, Nurture Infant House Tampines provides a happy and healthy learning environment for your infants to learn and grow independently.
Our infant care at Tampines have over 10 years of experience in caring for your beloved infants aged 2 months to 18 months old. Check out our Tampines infant care’s testimonials regarding the care that parents’ infants have received at Nurture Infant House.
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If you are looking for good infant care in Tampines or preschool in Tampines or childcare in Tampines central, do consider Nurture Infant House.
Located beside our Tampines infant care is our Genesis Childcare 1989.
Boasting over 30 years of specialized experience, we have nurtured thousands of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers so if you are looking for childcare in Tampines to start your little ones in life, why not start your search by registering with us for a complimentary guided tour?
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Lastly, would you like to visit our Nurture Infant House to find out more about our environment and setup as well as understand our operations by talking to our teachers and supervisor?
Nurture Infant House (2 to 18 months Infants)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-61 Singapore 520433
Genesis Childcare 1989 (Playgroup to Kindergarten 2)
Blk 433 Tampines Street 43 #01-63/65 Singapore 520433
Opening hours: Monday to Friday (7am to 7pm) & Saturday (7am to 2pm)
Public Bus services: 8 / 21 / 28 / 29 / 293
Tel: 96664141