This article shows why tummy time and other activities are great for building the muscles needed for crawling in the future.

Are you scratching your head in confusion?  Of course a newborn is not expected to crawl.  Crawling actually does not develop until the baby is somewhere between 6 and 12 months of age. There is wide variability because crawling is such a complex activity.   Even though your baby is a long way from crawling there are many things that you can do to get that little body ready for crawling. Why bother?

Basically, crawling is one of the most important things a baby learns to do the first year.  Here’s why:

• Crawling works all the trunk muscles hard…that means a stronger core!
• Crawling involves a complex sequence of steps using both sides of the body. This motor sequencing helps build pathways and makes connections in the brain!
• With each movement forward, the center of gravity shifts. This means the body has to balance four different ways with each crawling sequence. That really helps improve the baby’s sense of balance in preparation for walking.
• Crawling is heavy work!  Because crawling uses muscles and work the joints so rigorously, “organizing stimulation” occurs in the brain.  

The best thing to do to ready your newborn for crawling is to get on the floor with a blanket for lots of tummy time play. Initially your baby might not love “tummy time.”  It is hard because all the body muscles have to work! If you start with just a few seconds a day, while you entertain and distract, you can slowly increase the amount of time. A few moments of tummy time each day will soon grow into longer playtime on the stomach. Once your baby is strong enough, this will become the preferred position. Why? Because in this position, your baby has more freedom to move.  

Gentle movement side to side and up and down while firmly supporting your baby will help her become more comfortable with a variety of movement sensations.  Movement also starts to get equilibrium or balancing reactions activated.  Good balance is important for independent sitting and crawling.

Games that require reaching while lying on the stomach will help strengthen the back muscles critical for crawling. Dangling interesting objects in front of your infant will also entertain him and encourage lifting of his head.

Here are some great activities to make your infant strong; making it easier to learn how to crawl:

 

• Place your baby on the tummy to play with trucks, balls and just about everything.  As your baby gets stronger, encourage reaching while in this position.
• Gently roll you infant side to side.
• During diaper changing and bath time, lift arms and legs up and down in an alternating fashion (e.g. left arm up while the right goes down-­‐same with legs).

Next: Tummy time activities for your newborn

By Jill Mays, author of Your Child's Motor Development Story - Understanding and enhancing development from birth to their first sport.Jill has worked with children for more than 30 years. A mother of three children, she has juggled motherhood with her work in a private occupational therapy practice and consulting where she helps parents and educators understand the complex concepts of sensorimotor development.