How important is crawling?

How important is crawling? Very!  There are some children that skip crawling or scoot on their backsides rather then crawl before they walk.  I can't stress enough how important it is for you to try to encourage your baby to crawl. Crawling works on coordination of the upper and lower limbs preparing the body for improved balance in walking. Crawling further trains the balance system by giving your baby a new opportunity to learn to move his body against gravity. Crawling also helps to develop shoulder girdle strength that will help facilitate fine motor skills and hand function as the child transitions to upright. Crawling also provides visual training and eye hand coordination for future learning.  The distance of a babies head to their hands on the floor is the same distance they will eventually use, when older, to see a book that they are trying to read. One way to ensure that your baby crawls is by giving him ample tummy time when he’s first born.  Another way to encourage a baby that is a few months old to learn to crawl is by giving them many opportunities for play while on their stomach….such as with bright and musical toys or getting on the floor with them.  If your baby starts to scoot, don’t assume that it’s too late to teach him how to crawl. You can help him by placing him in the crawling position and using your hands to help him along.  Another great exercise for training your baby to crawl is teaching him to crawl up the steps.  You can complete this activity carefully, and when your baby finally gets the hang of it he can practice this fun activity over and over again.  Place a fun toy at the top of the steps for him to retrieve. Always make sure you are behind your baby in case he loses his balance.  After you have practiced on the steps follow up with a few minutes of encouraged crawling time on the floor. If your baby skips the crawling stage you can still encourage crawling games like crawling through a tunnel or crawling under a table to retrieve a toy.  Activities such as these even once a child has already learned to walk will help your baby develop the skills that crawling facilitates.