Crawling, specifically, is the act of moving using four points of support. The baby’s body is supported on the knees and hands while the torso remains elevated. There are different types of crawling. However, the most recognizable and complete is the one that shows a cross-pattern movement. This pattern implies that the right arm moves in sync with the left foot, and the left arm with the right foot.
The act of crawling allows the baby, first of all, to gain strength in their limbs, neck, and back. It also promotes a greater degree of autonomy. This implies the possibility of discovering their own body and exploring a wider environment while developing their senses. Additionally, it allows the baby a change in perspective and the way they see space, now able to visualize it in three dimensions.
Therefore, acquiring this motor milestone is fundamental for the baby’s development, and its benefits go far beyond the motor domain.
One of the main benefits is beginning to identify and interact with the environment at all times, regulating movement and the sense of balance. The aforementioned cross-pattern movement is the neurological function that allows organized bodily movement and body balance. Through crawling, the child learns to recognize and locate different parts of their body to start moving safely, in a balanced and coordinated manner, stimulating proprioceptive and vestibular receptors.
Sensorimotor Stimulation:
Likewise, crawling stimulates and integrates the tactile functions of the palm. It registers and sends the brain information about the sensations and textures the baby is experiencing. This circumstance has a direct benefit related to the development of fine motor skills, which will be very important for acquiring later skills such as writing. Additionally, crawling allows the brain to record all types of information related to the space covered and its surrounding environment, encouraging the baby’s neurological development.
Oculo-manual Development:
Crawling requires the deployment of specific visual functions. For example, the baby’s eyes need to focus when looking at the floor to properly place the hand and knee. Therefore, it is a muscular exercise for vision that develops the visual convergence process. Optometric studies show it reduces the risk of later visual problems such as strabismus. Hence, crawling allows the baby to execute and perfect vision to explore the environment through which they move. Also, a relationship has been established with the acquisition of later skills such as reading or writing. This is due to the visual level when the baby focuses both eyes to position the hand and knee.
Reflex Integration:
One of the main functions that crawling helps integrate is the development of fall reflexes. This is especially important for preventing accidents once the child begins to walk independently. The baby will tend to support their hands when falling because this movement will have been previously integrated, knowing how to do it, thus avoiding falling face down without support.
Muscle Toning:
Crawling also physically prepares the child for the next step, which is walking. Crawling helps tone the muscles needed to maintain a straight spine once the baby starts to walk. The joints of the wrists, shoulders, spine, femurs, and hips bear the tension of the weight the baby places on their palms. This is how the body learns to perceive and handle the opposition of gravity.
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Cognitive Development:
The autonomy that crawling provides the baby allows them to explore and interact with the world around them. This situation permits the maturation of cognitive functions through the connection of the cerebral hemispheres and the brain lateralization process, by which a dominant hemisphere is finally established. This process, which determines the predominant use of the right or left side, creates neural connections that advance learning and therefore increase the child’s abilities, proving fundamental for their later development.
How can I help my baby during this important stage?
Throughout their growth, our children progressively acquire the different skills or abilities that allow them to complete their development on all levels. Therefore, a baby who does not present developmental problems will reach these milestones on their own when they are ready. We must respect their pace and set aside comparisons with other children of the same age. As long as they are in a controlled environment supervised by an adult, the floor is a fundamental developmental tool that allows freedom of movement. It is very useful to opt for mats and knee pads.
Beybies has the best knee pads you can give your little one, as besides having beautiful designs, they are non-slip for better grip on the floor… Also, to complement, you can create a closed space where they can move freely.
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