Some time has passed. The baby has already grown up. He can roll over both on his tummy and on his back. And with what smile he looks at the new world around him, how beautifully he “talks” to himself in his crib. How proud parents are of their baby! And then suddenly it turns out that your friend has a child of the same age, but he already knows how to crawl, and yours doesn’t even want to try to move on his own.

Why doesn't the baby want to crawl? Why all this? How can this be influenced and how can we teach a child to crawl? - these are approximately the thoughts that jump with anxiety in the head of almost every second mother who strives to better understand how to raise children. And that's all true. After all, crawling itself is very useful for the development of the baby. It improves the respiratory system and ventilation of the lungs, moving many muscles.

Attempts at crawling, and especially crawling itself, must be encouraged in every possible way, after which the baby will be able to begin to move independently earlier, and he will gain self-confidence. It has been recorded that those babies who crawl, or at least make timid attempts to do so, grow faster and develop more correctly.

However, it also happens that the child does not want to crawl. How should parents behave in such a situation? Let it be as it is? Or maybe you should still try to teach your baby or toddler to move? The clear answer is – you need to move! And to do this, you should be patient, try, and “things will work out.”

Six to eight months is approximately the age at which children begin to crawl. But every baby is special, so one may start crawling earlier, another later. And yet, if even after eight months he is not going to crawl, then you can help him with this, instill an interest in such an activity.

To start classes, the first thing you need to do is prepare the space - put a large blanket on the floor, maybe a carpet - the child should be in comfortable clothes that do not restrict his movement. Also do not forget about comfortable shoes, which should be on his feet. Today, shoes for children in Yekaterinburg, as in any other locality, can be purchased online. Now let's begin!

Take a towel (sheet) with a soft cushion on it, and then the child should be placed tummy down on this cushion so that he can rest his arms and legs on the floor. Then you need to lightly pull the edge of the sheet so that the baby rolls over the bolster. This method helps children quickly get used to standing, and therefore moving “on all fours.”

The next exercise for your baby is crawling. To do this, his favorite toys should be at hand. The child himself lies on his tummy, and his favorite bright toy lies not far away. The baby will try to reach it, after he has reached it, it must be placed a little further. This means that he will need to make an effort to crawl a little. At this very hour, you should not stand aside, you need to talk to the baby, support him, help him, thereby encouraging his endeavors in his first movements.

Probably all parents have heard about the benefits of such a skill as crawling. The ability to crawl contributes to the comprehensive development of the baby and to some extent makes the life of adults easier. Of course, you have to hide all valuable and fragile things from little crawlers, but moms and dads no longer have to worry about this developmental milestone. In addition, the baby actively explores the world and reaches out to objects and toys that interest him.

However, not every child begins to crawl at the “supposed” 6-8 months. Some children learn to sit, stand up and then immediately walk. Is this a violation, is it worth sounding the alarm and, in general, what to do in such a situation?

Do all babies crawl? Should a baby crawl?

The question of whether a child needs to crawl is difficult to answer unequivocally. On the one hand, crawling is a natural stage of development. Thanks to the ability to crawl, the baby strengthens his muscles and spine, learns to coordinate his own movements, becoming more dexterous every day.

On the other hand, not all children crawl. Among your friends (and maybe you yourself) there are probably people who did not crawl in childhood. They all grew up, and the absence of this important stage of development had virtually no effect on their development. It is impossible to say what would have changed in their health and life if they had crawled through a few months of their infancy.

A child of 5, 6, 7, 8 months does not crawl

It’s a little funny to hear this phrase: “My baby is not crawling at 5.5 months!” Moms, don’t rush your children - everything has its time. At 5-6-7 months, many children do not crawl. Your task is to provide the child with the opportunity to move and explore space, to create motivation for crawling; in some cases, a course of special massage may be necessary (usually for plump, leisurely children).

If an 8-month-old baby does not crawl, this worries parents even more. But if the pediatrician, neurologist and orthopedist have not seen any reasons for concern, there is definitely no need to worry. It is likely that your baby is part of a fairly large percentage of “non-crawling” children and will immediately start walking. Or it will crawl a little later.

A child of 9, 10, 11 months or a year does not crawl

When a child who is already 9-10 months old or almost one year old does not crawl, mothers understand: all the “average” periods have passed, and the baby will probably begin to walk without going through the crawling stage. Well, that happens. In any case, you must create a safe development environment for the baby and be attentive to his attempts to move.

If a child is born premature, all estimated pediatric time frames for acquiring new skills are shifted. Your baby will develop according to its gestational age. He will crawl not at six months, but, say, at 10-11 months, so not crawling at 9-10 months is the absolute norm for such a baby.

Why doesn't the baby crawl? (Komarovsky and other doctors)

Why doesn't the baby want to crawl? Babies with normal physical and psycho-emotional development always strive for movement after they have mastered the ability to roll over onto their stomach and love this position. But they do not know about the norms: it happens that a child does not know how to crawl “traditionally”, but chooses alternative methods of movement. As an option, he strives to get up and go as quickly as possible.

Pediatrician Komarovsky, popular in Ukraine and Russia, says the following about crawling: “ Don’t waste time and nerves constantly looking for “irregularities” in your own child. Believe me: truly serious illnesses in which a baby cannot learn to crawl, sit or walk are quite rare.<…>Just understand the main thing - parents are obliged to do everything that really depends on them in order to have the proper influence on the growth and development of the baby.<…>The more actively the massage and gymnastics are carried out, the cooler the water when swimming, the less extra kilograms (or grams - it doesn’t matter) in the child - the better the muscles develop, the more opportunities there are to sit down, crawl, stand up, walk in a timely manner».

Other experts (pediatricians and neurologists) say approximately the same thing: crawling is included in the list of important baby skills, but is not critically necessary, such as the ability to hold up one’s head and roll over on one’s stomach.

If your child has stopped trying to crawl on his belly, this may be a temporary phenomenon; his body is not yet strong enough to crawl. Children may sometimes crawl less as they learn new skills such as standing hands-free and walking. If the child suddenly stops crawling, and especially after vaccination, immediately contact a neurologist!

The child crawls poorly

If your baby is crawling, that's great. But parents will always find a reason to worry. The most common complaint is that the child does not crawl on all fours.

Indeed, some children crawl “wrongly”: backwards, on their butts, pushing off with one leg, on their backs; others squirm like little worms and are in no hurry to lift their bellies off the floor.

Crawling on your belly is the first stage of developing the crawling skill. Why does a child crawl on his stomach, on his belly? and still doesn’t start crawling on all fours? The answer is obvious: crawling on your tummy is easier. The baby tries to move as best he can. Perhaps he is still small and the muscles of the abdomen, back, and spine are not yet ripe for crawling on all fours. Do not panic; There are special exercises for teaching a child to cross crawl; massage is also very useful for strengthening muscles.

A fairly common situation is crawling backwards. Why does the baby crawl backwards? And again, it’s easier for him this way. It often happens that children go through the crawling stage in this way. Nothing wrong with that.

A funny, but disturbing picture for parents - the child crawls on his back or on his butt, pushing off with one leg . And this is also a variant of the norm. Don’t be annoyed with your baby, but show him the “correct” way to crawl.

We wish your children health and new discoveries, no matter whether they are made while crawling or immediately walking!

How to teach a child to crawl? This question is asked by parents whose children have already crossed the six-month mark, have learned to sit, but they still have no prerequisites for this most important stage in development, which should precede walking.

Is it necessary to teach a child to crawl?

Don't worry if your baby doesn't want to crawl: maybe the baby just doesn’t have enough “bright targets” on the floor– new attractive toys/items.

Perhaps there is not enough help from parents, after which he will be able to master this fascinating process, and his musculoskeletal system will prepare for further loads of the next stage of development - walking. Do not forget that from a position on all fours it will be convenient for the baby to sit down and stand up.

Firstly, Crawling promotes baby's physical development, in which the muscles of his arms are strengthened and thus a connection is established between the left and right hemispheres, as well as the legs.
Secondly, at baby's coordination improves, and the baby is able to better control his body.
And thirdly, when a child moves around the house more, he understands the world better, which favors accelerated neuropsychic development.

Each baby has its own rhythm of development, but it can be accelerated. Most often, you can quickly teach a child to crawl in two ways: massage and gymnastic exercises.

It is worth knowing that for well-fed babies who do not have problems with the endocrine system and metabolism, but who are simply overfed, this process will be a real test. Therefore, from birth it is worth monitoring your baby’s nutrition, adhering to monthly weight gain norms.

How to help a child with a cough: we suggest.

Preventive massage

Most often before such important stages in a baby’s life, like a rollover from back to tummy (at the age of 3-5 months), an attempt to sit up (5-7 months), crawl (7-9 months), stand on legs (9-12 months) and start walking (10 -12-15 months) it is recommended to undergo preventive massage.
You can massage your baby yourself at home
Many people manage to get a referral to a massage room at a clinic and receive a free massage course.

Some people choose paid ones medical centers, and someone can afford to invite a professional to their home.

In any case, massage has a positive effect on the condition of the skin, musculoskeletal, nervous and cardiovascular systems of the baby’s body.

If none of the methods is suitable, then from 6 months to prepare for crawling, you can massage yourself by doing:

crossing your arms over your chest 6-8 times,
bending and straightening the legs 4-6 times with each leg,
turns from back to stomach 2-3 times in each direction,
massage of the back and buttocks (stroking, rubbing, kneading, effleurage or pinching) 2-3 times for each appointment,
abdominal massage (stroking, rubbing, sawing, pinching around the navel) 2-3 times for each appointment,
sitting down 2 times,
circular movements with hands 6-8 times,
raising straight legs 4-6 times,
lifting the body from a position on the stomach 1-2 times.

It is worth knowing that massage should not be performed chaotically and not for many weeks in a row, but only 10-12 days, at the same time, strictly following the order of actions (it is better to write them down in advance and put them in front of you as a reference note) and at least 10 minutes (25 minutes at best).

Gymnastic exercises

When should you teach your baby to crawl? If the baby is about to turn 9 months old, he has no health problems, as confirmed by an orthopedist, a neurologist and a pediatrician, and he has not yet made any attempts to crawl, then it’s time to help him.

Preparing the space

Many kids in apartments overloaded with furniture and belongings simply do not want to move. This is understandable: who wants to hit their foreheads on chairs, sofas, etc.?

To do this, just get on all fours and move around the house a little. What's extra? Maybe there are too many outdoor flowers scaring the baby? What about cleanliness?

It is necessary to remove everything unnecessary, wash the floors well, beat out the carpets, shake out the rugs, and wipe off the dust.

Now you need to make sure that the baby is warm on the floor. If the floor is not heated, then you should put a good carpet. Do not put rugs or blankets. They slide, thereby instilling even more fear in the baby of an unstable surface.

The baby should feel freedom, having at his disposal not only a crib and a playpen, but the entire room.

The main mistake of many parents is their excessive concern for the baby, whom they want to dress as much as possible. It is simply inconvenient for the “cabbage” toddler to move his body in space in so many things.

Let's exercise together

Do exercises with the whole family - it will bring a lot of pleasure to the baby and you

The baby should be placed on the floor on his tummy in front of you and stand on all fours in front of him and slowly crawl away from him.
It’s good if both parents participate in this process, one of whom will grab the baby’s body from above, placing him on all fours, and the second, crawling away, will slowly rearrange his arms and legs.
Having shown the child a little how to move in a new way, the child needs to present a new bright toy or an object that will attract the baby's attention.
A previously unseen and attractive toy will be the best incentive for a baby to master crawling.
The toy should be placed at some distance from the little one, who will certainly want to get to it.
If the baby’s efforts are not crowned with success, then you need to repeat the manipulations from point 3 and help the baby work together to get the desired item.
Such actions should be repeated as often as possible.

It is preferable that these classes are carried out in the morning, when the baby is still full of strength after a night's sleep and feeding, and in good mood. In the evening, the baby may have absolutely no desire to move, and simply cry for an attractive toy.

Additionally, you can teach your child to stand on all fours independently using the following exercise. Place a rolled up blanket or pillow under the baby's stomach. Correct position: The baby's stomach and chest lie on a blanket or pillow, and the arms and legs hang on either side. From this position, the baby will have to get on all fours. The same effect can be achieved if the mother, sitting on the floor, brings her legs together and places the baby face down on them. In this position, it is necessary to rock the little one back and forth.
If the baby already manages to stay on all fours, then he can be taught to rearrange his legs with the following exercise. It is necessary to place a high mattress on the floor and place the child on the mattress so that his chest is on the mattress, his knees are on the floor, and his elbows are resting on the surface of the mattress. Stand up from the opposite end of the mattress and pull it towards you. In this case, the baby will be forced to move his knees, as his support for the upper body moves forward. It is advisable that there is a second parent behind the baby who can protect the baby in case of a fall, or you need to choose the widest possible mattress so that when the baby falls on its side from time to time, it does not hit the floor.
Now there is a stand on all fours, and mastering the movements of the legs has begun. The most time to connect the handles.

To do this, you need to grab the child under the chest with one hand and lift it above the surface (for example, a table) and lift the legs with the other hand.
The correct position of the child: the palms of the baby’s hands are maximally open, resting on the surface of the table. You should definitely put another new attractive toy at the opposite end of the table and push the child in this position so that he begins to rearrange his hands.

After all this manipulation the baby should be placed on the floor again and lure him with interesting toys, moving away from him on all fours.

Gymnastic exercises on the table

It is necessary to lay the baby on his tummy and gently bend his legs at the knees.
The baby's head should remain on the table surface.
Having lowered the legs, you should give the baby a few seconds to rest and repeat this exercise 5-6 times.
Having picked up the baby under the chest, you need to let him jump so that his legs rest well on the hard surface of the table.
Having placed the baby with his tummy on a ball or roller, you need to roll him back and forth.
The same exercise can be performed at a low level, if the second parent, holding and moving the baby’s hands on the floor, helps him reach the desired toy.
Having laid the little one on his back, you need to do exercises for his arms and legs. First, you should carefully perform crossing movements of the arms, then the legs 6-8 times, and then alternately bring the left arm with the right leg and the right arm with the left leg also 6-8 times.

Ways to crawl

Each child is individual, and any way of crawling is not a deviation from the norm.

All of the above exercises are designed to teach a child to crawl correctly, i.e. “classical way” - standing on all fours, leaning on straightened arms and legs bent at the knees, first moving the arm forward, then the leg and moving exclusively forward.

But there are kids who, leaning on their arms, will “walk” on their haunches, those little ones who, pulling their bent legs behind them, will move like baby seals.

The babies who crawl like little frogs are touching: lying on their tummy, the baby rows with its legs and pushes off with its feet, moving its body in space, as well as those who, like worms, wriggle on the floor, arching their bodies and moving along the floor.

Many kids, instead of moving forward, move in reverse, looking between their legs and checking that the target is already close.

All these crawling variations are not deviations from the norm. No need to worry.

Many babies skip this stage of development altogether, immediately standing on their feet. But the baby should definitely crawl and the method does not matter.

Grandmother's method

Many practicing parents who are not afraid to experiment, when asked how to teach a child to crawl, can recommend another “grandmother’s” method.

To do this, it is enough to use an inclined surface, which can be a thick board or a sheet of plywood with sides. The sides should be covered with soft and durable material. A kind of “slide” should be raised, finding a reliable support point for it. Having placed the baby on the top of the surface, an attractive toy should be placed below.

The main thing is not to let the baby simply slide down the “slide”, namely by lifting him by the torso and placing him on all fours, giving him the opportunity to slowly move down, moving his arms and legs towards the desired goal.

Having touched upon the question: how to teach a child to crawl, let us summarize that To stimulate this process you need:

Space in the house and comfortable clothes.
Bright new toys or objects that can attract the baby and which will become his goal and incentive to move his body in space.
Massage.
Gymnastic exercises.
The activity of parents who themselves will not mind demonstrating to the child the basics of this process.

After watching this video, you will learn how to understand that the baby is ready to crawl, how to make sure that the child does it correctly, and what mistakes parents usually make when trying to help the baby master the new world.

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The child does not crawl: a gymnastics complex for a child to learn to crawl.

The child does not crawl: a set of exercises for a child to learn to crawl

The child does not crawl, although according to age-specific development standards, this skill should already be mastered? What is the reason? How to help your child master this very useful view movements? What kind of gymnastics should be done?

In the first articles of the series about the development of crawling in babies of the first year of life, we already learned:

- what's happened "correct crawling" how it differs from reflex crawling and crawling,

- when and how it appears and crawling develops in babies,

- which conditions favor the development of crawling, and which ones hinder and why do babies sometimes not crawl, but immediately stand on their feet,

- how to spend time with your baby games and gymnastics to develop crawling,

— how to stimulate a baby's first attempts to crawl to the toy.

In this same article - the third article in the series about crawling babies - we will talk about special cases. What are these cases? These are situations when, even in conditions where the child has every opportunity to crawl at home, when an adult correctly uses toys to stimulate crawling, systematically performs gymnastics (that is, everything that is mentioned in the previous two articles is done), but the child cannot learn to crawl on all fours.

These are the cases when the child needs additional help from us - adults - in physical development. A special corrective set of exercises that teaches the baby to stand on all fours and crawl on all fours will be very helpful. These exercises, of course, will also be useful for healthy children. But for children with delayed physical development, they are like their “daily bread.”

One session with corrective exercises lasts approximately 7 minutes, maximum 10 minutes. At this time, the adult talks to the child, calls him by name affectionately, names movements and body parts, and comments on what is happening.

A correctional gymnastics complex will help a child learn to get on all fours, maintain balance, crawl on all fours, coordinating the movements of opposite arms and legs.

Corrective exercises for training getting up on all fours

Exercise 1. Get on all fours. The child lies on his stomach. You can place a roll made from a flannelette blanket under your stomach. Supporting the baby under the stomach with his left hand, the adult first bends one of the baby's legs, then bends the other leg. And helps him get on all fours.

Exercise 2. Teddy bear. The child lies on his stomach and leans on outstretched arms. An adult supports the child under the stomach with one hand, and with the other hand he helps him transfer the center of gravity to one hand and the leg of the same name and bend the leg on the opposite side. Then the adult helps the baby shift the center of gravity to the bent leg and the same arm and bend the other leg.

Exercise 3. Kach-kach The child stands on all fours, with a blanket placed under his stomach. The hands are open, the arms are straight (help the baby take the correct position). The adult carefully rocks the baby back and forth.

Exercise 4. Tumbler The child stands on all fours, resting his stomach on the cushion. The adult rocks the baby in different directions: forward, backward, right, left and achieves stable balance.

Exercise 5. Watching the toy The baby stands on all fours without support from the bolster. A bright toy on a string is placed in front of the child's eyes. An adult uses a string to move the toy up, down, right, left, encouraging the child to turn his head in different directions. At the same time, the adult supports the baby by the stomach, helping him maintain the correct position on all fours.

Exercise 6. Take a rattle. The child stands on all fours. If a child needs support, then a roller is used as in the first exercises of this complex. If the baby stands steadily on all fours without support, then the roller is not used. The adult places a rattle with an easy-to-grip handle in front of the baby and encourages him to reach out to the rattle and take it, stimulating the shift of the center of gravity to one side (after all, to do this you need to take your hand off the support!) Then the adult moves the rattle to the right or left or moves it away from the baby and again offers to get it.

Exercise 7. Training your legs and sense of balance The child stands on all fours. An adult helps him maintain the correct posture. An adult takes one of the baby’s legs and moves it to the side, forward, back. Then the same movement is repeated with the baby’s other leg.

If your baby has already mastered the “on all fours” pose, then you can carry out a correction complex with him to train crawling on all fours.

Corrective exercises for developing crawling on all fours

Exercise 1. Leg Curl The child stands on all fours, resting his stomach on a bolster made of blanket. The adult bends his legs one by one. After several movements the exercise becomes more difficult. An adult bends the child’s legs one by one, transferring the center of gravity of the leg to the bolster (placing the leg with the knee on the bolster).

Exercise 2. Take out the toy. Developing balance The child stands on all fours. First, a roller is used for the exercise. Then the exercise is carried out without a roller (when the baby is ready). The adult invites the child to take the toy, holding the toy in his hand. With his other hand, he simultaneously bends the child’s leg of the same name. For example, if the baby reached for the toy with his left hand (and accordingly, he tore the left hand and stretched it forward), then the adult bends his left leg, placing it on the bolster. The center of gravity at this moment is transferred to other limbs - the baby’s right arm and right leg.

Exercise 3. Learning to maintain balance The child stands on all fours. We repeat exercise 2, but in a different way. When the baby reaches for the toy with his left hand, we bend him right leg. And vice versa.

Exercise 4. Crawling with support Take a wide towel and place it under your baby's tummy. The child stands on all fours. The adult shows the toy to the child, and the baby begins to crawl towards it. An adult supports the child with a towel in a position on all fours.

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Moms watch closely proper development baby and are very worried if the child later begins to hold his head up, sit down, and stand up. A special source of pride for a young mother is the development of the baby with some advance or even “skipping over” some stages, for example, when the baby, without crawling, immediately began to walk. But is it really that good? The head of the Center for Psychodiagnostics and Psychocorrection at the IBP, Ph.D., Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Psychology of the Russian State Medical University Tatyana Germanovna Goryacheva shared this with us.

Little couch potato: when is it time to crawl?

Crawling helps stretch the ligaments in the wrists and hands, which is necessary for the development of fine motor skills in babies.

According to Russian medical standards, which are based on many years of observations and scientific research, with timely development, a child begins to crawl around 6-7 months, sometimes later. But some babies don’t even have time to attempt to crawl, because their parents put them in walkers, believing that the crawling stage can be completely skipped. Some people think that this will be better for the child’s intellectual and physical development, while some mothers are simply too lazy to wash the floors every day. And the child, having never learned to crawl, begins to walk. However, it is not only walkers that are “to blame” for the fact that more and more children begin to walk early, without having time to crawl. Sometimes the reason may lie in a different plane. In the mid-90s, scientists around the world, including Russian doctors, began to strongly recommend that parents put their babies to sleep on their backs to prevent sudden infant death syndrome. As a result, the number of child deaths decreased by 50 percent! This was a huge victory for pediatricians and parents in the fight against early childhood mortality. But it also led to other consequences: since mothers began to be afraid to place their children on their tummy not only during sleep, but also during wakefulness, the development of children’s motor functions slowed down. After all, in order to crawl on all fours, a child needs to use both his arms and legs, the muscles of which must be sufficiently trained. How can a child train these muscles if he constantly lies on his back in a crib, sleeps with his mother in a kangaroo, in a cross-cradle or in a playpen? No way. And when the mother finally remembers that due to constant lying on her back, the back of the baby’s head can become flat, and turns the baby onto her stomach, the baby starts crying after a minute, because he’s not used to this position, it’s hard and unpleasant for him. And mom immediately turns him back onto his back.

Is there a difference? Do you need to learn to crawl?

No sane parent would force their baby to lie on his stomach when the baby is indignant and screaming. But it is still necessary to gradually accustom the baby to lying on his tummy. After all, the period of crawling is very important for the development of subcortical structures of the brain. Minimal brain dysfunctions, which are now diagnosed in many children after difficult births and birth injuries, are partially compensated during the crawling period.

In addition, crawling helps strengthen the musculoskeletal system, training the arms, wrists, elbows and shoulders. As a result, children who have been crawling for at least a couple of months are more physically developed and stronger compared to babies who missed this stage. And their fine motor skills are better developed, since crawling helps stretch the ligaments of the wrists and hands, which is necessary for the development of fine motor skills. It will be easier for such children to learn to hold a pencil or spoon in their hand, and in the future to master writing and drawing.

What is also important is that crawling promotes the development of bilateral coordination. Our brain consists of two hemispheres: the right is responsible for the functions of the left side of the body, and the left is responsible for the activities of the right. When a child crawls, active, coordinated work takes place between the two hemispheres. Kids control their bodies better and orient themselves in space.

Unfortunately, not all children independently fill the gaps in their own development. It happens that a smart, developed child, unexpectedly for everyone, has difficulty mastering literacy, making many mistakes. At the same time, the kid really wants to study with straight A's, but he just can't do it. If a child has problems with school, it is necessary to consult with a neuropsychologist, who may prescribe a course of rehabilitation classes for the child. This is a system of special physical and intellectual exercises that help develop certain parts of the brain. Similar correctional courses are conducted today in many specialized centers. What is important is the attitude of the parents, who must believe in their child, encourage him, help him - and then the child will really be able to overcome all difficulties.

Mastering the space

Starting from the first months, you should try to place your baby on his tummy more often. First, for 5-10 minutes several times a day, gradually increasing the time. Try sitting on the bed and placing your baby on your lap, or placing him on his tummy on the changing table before changing him. The baby will learn to hold up his head, and later will begin to lean on his hands and rise, doing this more and more confidently from time to time. If your child is stubborn, place him on your chest so he can look around without raising his head high. You can also place a rolled up towel under the baby's chest and arms. You can place a couple of bright toys next to your baby that he will reach for. If the child can already easily reach the rattle he likes, move the favorite toy further away so that the baby tries to crawl to it. Of course, you shouldn’t be zealous and bring the baby to tears - after all, the first “inclinations” may not happen right away.

When the baby is 5-6 months old, you can spread a large blanket on the floor so that the baby can explore new horizons. By limiting the child’s space with a playpen or crib, the mother thereby deprives him of the opportunity to explore the world. Are you preparing lunch? Spread a blanket in the kitchen and give the child a saucepan with a lid as an object of study.

If a baby loves to crawl, this is very good for his development.

There are many useful exercises. For example, taking the baby under the arms, the mother can alternately place one leg on the floor and then the other and begin to slowly lower the baby, encouraging him to lean on his hands. When the baby gets on all fours in this way, carefully hold the baby under the chest: you shouldn’t let him go at all. Let the child stand in this position for a while, and the mother can slightly rock him back and forth. Or you can try exercises on a large exercise ball: place your baby on his tummy and gently rock the ball from side to side, so that your baby's feet sometimes touch the floor. Light gymnastics also helps to master the crawling technique faster: the mother should bend and unbend the baby’s legs, first one by one, and then simultaneously. When the baby is already able to hold his head up well while lying on his stomach, you can take him by the heels and vigorously bend both legs 3-4 times. Or you can just tickle children's heels.

The child did not crawl. The train left?

Children who miss the crawling stage may have some difficulty writing and reading later in life

It is quite obvious that if a child has jumped over some stage of development, it is no longer possible to return this moment. But there is no need to despair. The child’s brain is incredibly plastic and receptive until the age of 9-10 years, and during this period it is quite possible to carry out a correction that will compensate for the developmental deficit. By the way, many children, even without any remedial classes at the age of 2-3 years, themselves “catch up” by actively crawling on the floor while playing. If you notice that a child spends a significant amount of time lying down and crawling on the floor while playing, you should under no circumstances pull him back, calling him to order and demanding that he take a vertical position. It’s better to lay a carpet on the floor and let him play as he likes - most likely, your child simply did not “crawl” at one time and is now filling the existing gap. And it is very, very important for him to do this.

Comment on the article "Does a baby need to crawl?"

We are generally against walkers; a child should do everything in his own time, when his skeleton and muscles are ready for it. And the remote control became an incentive for us to crawl, we really liked it, better than toys.

27.02.2013 14:11:15,

In many countries, all these jumping walkers are prohibited, because... lead to orthopedic problems of varying severity. IMHO, these are toys not for kids who don’t really need them, but for their vain parents. Well, what will it take away from you if the child goes a month later, but ITSELF and CORRECTLY? Will your neighbors/girlfriends/relatives bite you? The child is not doing that uncle a favor, but HIS first step.
IMHO, you can intervene at all stages of a child’s development, you can teach everything, even the alphabet in a year (even a monkey can be taught to play the piano). I understand that it is impossible not to compare your child with peers and not to try to “outdo the competition,” but by constantly and obsessively interfering, you can nip at the root the child’s independence and initiative, his self-sufficiency and cheerfulness:(

16.12.2009 14:45:58,

Very useful article!
I was worried when my second child was in the first days at all! I couldn’t lie on my back - I curled up and cried - but doctors recommend it! I decided not to worry and put my daughter to sleep on her tummy. It turned out that she did the right thing. According to the latest medical trends, sleeping on the stomach is considered healthier for the baby. 5 years ago (when the first child was born) - children were almost forcibly placed on their backs.
Trends change, but you and your children and unnecessary worries remain. I would like to be less categorical in the recommendations of pediatricians.

16.12.2009 14:18:16,

Total 9 messages .

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