Baby mobility and physical skills

Crawling

Crawling around on their tummies is a first means of locomotion for many babies. Once they begin to roll over at about six months, they rock back and forth on their tummies in the crawling position, but don't make much progress forward at first. It takes more activity and muscle-building before your baby begins to use his hands, arms and knees to move forward, and he may have trouble moving-in-the right direction at first.

Their style is less important than the physical effort they expend and the experience they gain in doing so. Some babies start by crawling backwards or sideways, before moving forward. Some slither on their stomachs, others use their arms, hands, and feet, with their bottoms and knees raised. They begin to scoot about on one knee and drag the other leg behind-which leads to creeping.

Crawling styles
Some babies never crawl at all -- crawling and creeping are not skills that are predictable stages in every child's development. It's important, however, to encourage your baby and give him ample opportunity to move around and explore the world, using whatever styles of locomotion work for him. You can encourage your baby to crawl by placing toys or other interesting objects just beyond his reach. As he becomes more adept, create obstacle courses for him to crawl through and over, using pillows, sofa cushions, or a foam rubber roll. Hide behind the obstacles and play Peekaboo to pique his interest even more.

Give your baby lots of supervised time on the floor so that he has the opportunity to move and explore. Cover his knees so that his skin would chafe or get sore, which could be uncomfortable and discourage him from crawling more. Be alert to the danger that your baby might tip or pull over a chair or his carriage. He should wear a safety harness when you put him into a highchair, carriage, stroller, or car seat.

Crawling opens up a new social skill for your baby because he can now come to you. He doesn't have to wait for you to come to him. Crawling means that your baby takes a more active role in exploring the world. He also develops his problem-solving skills by trying various styles of crawling or other methods of locomotion to get where he wants to go or reach the thing that interests him.

After your baby can comfortably crawl forward, he may begin crawling upward too. He will enjoy climbing over pillows, cushions, or furniture, and up stairs under your watchful eye. This can be a nerve-wracking time for parents. You need to help him get back down the stairs at first, and teach him to back down step by step rather than to crawl down face forward. He may use another method altogether for getting around or learn to pull himself up and begin standing, then cruising (standing and moving while holding on to items for support), and eventually walking.