When did your baby crawl?

Question

I daughter has acid reflex and we try to put her on her belly but as soon as we do she throws up. I don't want her to get behind so i was just wondering when every ones baby started to crawl, even if they didn't have acid reflex. I am worried I can not put her on her belly enough for her to figure out how to.

Answer 1

My little boy crawled at 8 months old, but every child is different. It will come! And when it does watch out, she will be everywhere!

Answer 2

Everyone is right: some babies never crawl. Some just get up and walk, some scoot and some roll.

Babies will inevitably find a way to get around. They will utilise everything available to them to get to all those strange objects that are just perfect for sucking on.

I wouldn't worry if she is not crawling. My little boy hated being on his stomach until he was able to roll onto his back and vice versa, so now he is rolling around like a little champ, grabbing everything that comes within reach.

I would just pop her on a rug in the middle of the floor and put some toys around the place and see what she is most comfortable with. If she is able to scoot, roll, or move in any way at all, you will soon find out.

From there you can work out ways to help her find her feet :)

Answer 3

Average is between 9 months and 18 months but some chidren skip crawling altogether and do the 'side shuffle'. It is not absolutely necessary for development but if the child does not crawl they might miss out on left/right oposition learning which may impede the ability to march with the arms swinging later in life. Not important though as military training is not for everyone!

  Let the motivation come from the child. They will do what is natural in their own time as directed by their genetic clock. As a lifetime teacher, I have seen thousands of different physical timetables and it doesn't matter a bit what the child does at what stage. They all grow up and mature at different rates but all get there in the end. No worries!

Answer 4

Hi, this must be tough...you know she needs tummy time but throwing up stinks. Just a couple of suggestions before stressing the importance of the crawling milestone.  

Tummy time benefits can be gained a number of ways. You can do tummy time on your chest where there is a soft surface, incline and motivation to stay/play being so close to mom or dad.  Tummy time on an inclinde is really best for the baby with gerd. So, if a boppy pillow isn't working - sometimes it's too thick - so try rolling up a receiving blanket or towel & tucking under your darlings arms. This gives her tummy time with a little support & decreased pressure on her belly. Also, tummy time in brief amounts is ok. You can gradually extend it as she tolerates it by putting a playmat under her, favorite toys around to motivate her lifting her head or reaching, a child safe mirror is a great tool for tummy time or better yet, face to face with mom, dad or sibling is a great distractor from a bit of discomfort.

At birth, the brain contains billions of nerve cells. Simplistically put, the infant brain is an unwired circuitry board. "It has been established that through movement, especially the repetitious act of crawling, these neurons are stimulated, organized and our electrical system is switched on. This allows our brain to control cognitive processes such as comprehension, concentration and memory."2 Movement moulds the circuitry and repetition makes it efficient.

"Crawling is key to developing motor skills and therefore also crucial for myelination."4

Gross Motor Skills include all the major muscle groups. Included in this skill set are hand/eye coordination, strength and muscle tone. "Crawling strengthens the trunk and link muscles, both crucial for the development of Gross Motor skills."5

When an infant crawls, it visually determines where it wants to go, and physically moves in that direction. The infants' hands become the guides and the child's first test of hand/eye coordination becomes established. This skill set is used in later life for reading, writing and sports activities. Well developed Gross Motor skills enhance the Near Senses. The child will be more physically confident.

Fine Motor Skills encompass the small muscles especially hand control and the muscles around the mouth. Mouth movement and the palms of the hands are located on the same neurological loop, therefore, it stands to reason that sharpening these areas will affect language development, handwriting and finger dexterity (written and verbal communication). "Crawling refines these muscle groups by strengthening them. Stimulation of the palms triggers the language centers of the brains."6

When the baby crawls and grasps, its fine motor skills are enhanced; key abilities when the child is old enough to feed himself or hold a pencil.

"Crawling allows for the integration of sensory information, giving the baby a complete picture of his/her environment."7 When these senses are stimulated, the child will acquire balance, develop space perception (proprioception) and depth perception (which are the Near and Far Senses).

While crawling, the baby starts to understand where they are in the grand scheme of their environment. "This serves as an anticipatory and preventative measure as they learn to avoid obstacles in their world."8 Understanding where they are in their environment stimulates abstract thinking skills, another essential skill which, when developed, will assist them with tasks such as mathematics.

Crawling stimulates the inner ear or the vestibular system especially through the infants' head movements which will affect the child's overall balance.

Tactile stimulation during the crawling process stimulates the kinaesthetic process giving the baby a sense of themselves, choosing what they like and don't like by exploring, and by facilitating confidence in "choice- making" in later life.

A child must look down and focus in the distance when it is learning to crawl thus developing their binocular vision. "We believe when a child creeps, his near-point vision is developed."9

Reception and interpretation of language is stimulated when a baby starts to crawl as the infant uses both ears simultaneously and develops binaural hearing. "The efficiency of the development of visual and auditory skills establishes dominant input in the learning process."10

"Educational kinesiologists believe creeping on the tummy and then crawling are particularly crucial because they get both sides of the brain working in concert, creating pathways that can transmit messages from one side of the brain to the other. This message highway, called the corpus callosum, allows the body to coordinate the use of both eyes, both ears, both hands, both feet."11

Crawling is a cross lateral movement which strengthens both the left side and the right side of the brain, including the corpus callosum. "This enhances learning, as the left brain names, sorts and files information, while the right brain stores it in memory."12 Communication between the two sides of the brain allows us to share sensory information, by thinking and moving at the same time.

Crawling also allows the left and the right parts of the body to work together making walking and running more efficient. "This integration of the physical and the neurological, helps to establish our learning profile."13

The crawling process is a critical stage in your baby's development. Anything that can facilitate this endeavour must be looked upon as a necessary component to their everyday routine.

"These developmental years are not just a chance to educate, they are actually your obligation to form a brain, and if you miss the opportunities you have missed them forever".14

Crawling begins with the baby having time on its tummy. Recent research has stated the merits of having the child sleep on its back, however, during waking hours, it is important to ensure that the infant has ample opportunities to be placed on its stomach. This will allow the child's motor skills to be properly honed, and will result in the more rapid development of its cognitive and perceptual abilities.

Answer 5

My baby hardly crawled at all but stood up at 10 months having previously got around on her bottom...then she walked shortly after that. Babies will compensate for what is happening in their lives..when or if she can sit up then she will probably learn to scoot on her behind!

Answer 6

My son rolled and army crawled until he was 1 year...He started crawling on his first birthday..Now at 14 months he is walking...Every baby is different and even if it takes some longer than others does not mean that the child is behind..Don't worry and try to relax..She will do things on her own terms..Good luck and enjoy...

Answer 7

Well for starters, some never crawl. Some walk at 7-8 months. My baby is 8 months and 'scoots' backwards and can spin in circles on her belly, but no crawling yet!

Answer 8

8 months but not all babies crawl. Maybe just wait since she has reflux. She might decide to never crawl and be running before all the babies on the block. I have also herd wearing your baby in a mei tai carrier utilizes the same muscles, maybe try that?

Answer 9

Ok you have a condition here with your baby. Throw out "I don't want her to get behind". She's dealing with enough. Best to learn now that babies are all different. Don't set her on a schedule of comparison. That just sets you up for worry and her up to be a disappointment.  

Answer 10

try putting her on her tummy an hour or so after she ate. My boy didn't have a reflux but he would spit up while being on his stomach pretty often. I still let him do tummy time I just always tried to wait for most of the food to digest. But even if your baby doesn't crawl at all - it doesn't matter, a lot of babies skip that step and crawling is not necessary for learing to walk.

My baby started crawling a week before he turned 8 months.  

Answer 11

Every baby is different when they do things. My daughter started crawling at 6 1/2 months and then started walking at 10 months. But we have a friend and her baby didn't crawl till he was 9 months old.  

Answer 12

My son started doing an 'inchworm' type of crawl around 7.5 months.  But at 9 months, he started doing the regular crawl.  :)

Answer 13

If it makes her throw up, don't put her on her tummy.

Baby milestones don't mean anything. If your daughter never learns to crawl at all, it won't matter - she'll probably shuffle on her bottom or go straight to walking.

My first crawled at 7-8 months. My second couldn't even sit up then - I don't remember exactly, but I guess he was 10-11 months before he crawled? He's now a highly intelligent, physically normal 9 year old who loves karate. Being late on a couple of baby milestones won't make your baby behind - it just doesn't work like that. My son walked at 18 months and taught himself phonics before he was 3.