Now I know I have been banging on a lot about crawling lately……but guys…..this next blog is so important.

But first…..who doesn’t love a good back story?

4 years ago I realised I would have to actually purchase a mop. Either that or I could attach an Enjo to my newly commando-crawling baby’s belly and he could become my mop. 

He was about 7 months old, and I remember awkwardly realising the last time the floor had actual soap and water on it was when my Mum had visited from interstate when he was 6 WEEKS old. Yep. We have slate floors. I swear you couldn’t tell. Until my baby decided to rub his entire torso all over it. The bloody commando crawl.

Now let me say one thing in my defence. My vacuum cleaners and I have always been tight guys. I purchased a Miele after I ebay-ed my husband’s RIDICULOUS fancy-pants-275kg-vacuum that he bought in his bachelor days. This thing had so many ‘functions’ that it could pretty much feed and bath your kids and put them to bed for you. It also had a 75% interest rate on the loan. I’m not even kidding.

I may have sold it without him knowing. I may have sold it for $1000 less than it was worth. He got pretty mad and said my replacement couldn’t be more than what I sold it for. I researched the shite out of vacuums and got the little Miele and I was in love. 

Side note: Since then we have bought the King of all Vacuums : a V10 stick Dyson and holy-mother-of-God-how-does-it-keep-sucking-all-that-horrendous-stuff-from-the-ground??!!!! Over and over again! I don’t understand.

Anyway.

To get over my allergy to mopping and to save my baby from a debilitating floor-disease, I went out and bought a steam-mop on my BFF’s recommendation. I was a changed woman. My floors were glistening like the god-damn sun. Until it broke just a few months ago. Needless to say after 4 years of insisting that OF COURSE I could manage to do the cleaning because I am a ‘SAHM guys’……. I have waved the white flag after baby number two and returning to work for the second time. We are finally getting our cleaner back. YYYYEEEESSSSSS. I am BEYOND excited about her return. Kerrie. If you ever read this….. you are an angel and I will never let you go again. Ever. Again.

Now. Back to the crawling. This is a physio-blog after all and I’m sure at this point you are wondering what on earth you have signed up for………

So. I started unchaining Fraser from the play pen because my floors were now hospital-grade clean (p.s I love play pens: more on that another day)…… and the worm was off again!

Now as a physio I did REALLY want him to crawl up on all fours. Why? Who cares?  Kids all walk eventually anyway right? This is true. But this tiny little window of opportunity never pops up again. This opportunity to crawl around for hours and hours at a time. I read something once, that on average, a baby will spend about 800 hours crawling in those few months before walking. Awesome huh?

4 point crawling is a beautiful part of a baby’s movement sequence. 

• It is a building block for trunk, pelvic and shoulder muscle strength, which leads to better posture and control in standing, sitting, walking, running and even climbing.

• It stimulates the systems required to help baby balance. This may lead to improved balance in the next developmental stages of walking, jumping and riding a bike. 

• Crawling assists with strength and endurance in the smaller muscles of the hands and wrists, important for fine motor skills such as eating and writing.

• It requires a baby to use their brain and body in a co-ordinated manner, using a ‘cross-pattern’ movement. It is also the beginning of hand-eye coordination. It is the foundation of abilities such as throwing, dribbling  a ball, kicking and climbing, marching and dancing. Even gymnastics!

• Crawling helps to develop the senses of touch, sight and proprioception (body awareness). Combined, this assists baby to advance their spatial awareness. This is essential for learning to judge distances and navigate around their world without bumping into things (and later, driving into things!).

• It is the most efficient way for a baby to explore the world around them at that age. They will gain confidence and perception as they discovers new things about themselves and their environment. 

So you can see why I wanted him to crawl. 

But friends it is this next part that is the really important bit……

There are some babies who just won’t crawl. About 10% actually. It is sometimes due to being placed in sitting and not enough tummy time, but sometimes it is just down to the baby’s body make-up and personality. In Fraser’s case he just got so quick in commando crawling that every time he tried up on all fours it took too long and he was straight back down again. 

It is absolutely fine if babies find another way to explore. The commando crawl, the ‘bear walk’ (with bottom in the air) or the ‘gorilla walk’ (with one leg out to the side) are all common and give good opportunities to develop strength and body awareness as well. Even bottom-shuffling will give them the independent mobility they need. Four point crawling is just the ideal, and a good indication that your baby is well on track from a developmental perspective. 

See this opinion piece I did for ‘The First Five Years’ for some great ideas about what to do if your baby is in that 10% who will not crawl. If a baby bottom-shuffles instead, the major thing they miss out on is weight bearing through their upper limbs (arms) for that period of time. There are lots of ideas to help them build strength in their arms and get lots of lovely ‘big-kid crawling practice’ in that article.

Fraser did crawl eventually. And I actually didn’t do much at all to help him get there. He kept commando crawling for 4 long months. I did do a few little exercises with him from my eBook every couple of days, and then one day he just got it (I think he was nude and on grass at the time….I don’t blame him for wanting a bit of height!). He eventually got so bloody good at crawling on all fours that he ended up with friction burns on his knees! 

Now if I didn’t know better, I might have got him up in a walker, encouraged standing in an activity-centre, had him dancing in a jolly-jumper, walked him by his hands and got him cruising on furniture. He might have walked sooner, but he might never have crawled.

Please give your babies every chance to crawl Mummas and Papas. The opportunity is too good to miss. Don’t get them up into standing and walking when they are not ready. 

It is all the beautiful developmental stuff that happens BEFORE walking that is so important for their little brains and bodies. Keep them down on the ground exploring. Create obstacles to climb over and under, and nooks and crannies for your baby to get stuck in and puzzle out for themselves. 

It is annoying and you will do twice as much washing but it will be worth it. 

Have a look at my eBook for lots of other ideas to help your baby into the crawling stage and to try and avoid that bottom-shuffle. Some babies do need a bit of a nudge, and I am here to help.

Alana xx

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Summary:

• Four point or ‘normal’ crawling is a wonderful developmental skill for your baby to achieve. 

• It strengthens muscles, improves posture, and assists with the development of fine motor skills, coordination and balance. 

• It is the most efficient way for a young baby to explore his world

• Not all babies will four point crawl on their own and might tend to commando crawl, bear walk or do a combination instead. This is quite normal and okay. 

• The best way to encourage 4 point crawling is to persist with tummy time and to avoid standing and walking your baby.

• If your baby is not independently moving around before their first birthday, then it is suggested that you seek the advice of a health professional, just to be sure.