OT Tip - Crawling

I interrupt the previously planned topic of fine motor activities for different age developmental milestones to sit on one of my OT soap boxes! This past weekend I was talking to a friend of mine who has a 7 month old who was born 4 weeks early, so at corrected age he is 6 months along in development. He has just started rolling over and I asked her if he had started crawling yet. She said that no he hadn't, which a 6 months corrected age is still pretty early. She then went on to say that the federal program Help Me Grow (a birth to three program in early intervention) had come to the house to complete an evaluation because he was a preemie. They told her that crawling was not a developmental milestone anymore. They wouldn't be looking at whether or not he was crawling so it didn't matter. As soon as I heard this, the OT wheels in my brain started turning and needless to say they weren't happy! I went on to tell her that I didn't agree with that and that crawling was a very important aspect of development. She, of course, didn't know why so I briefly explained why; to increase neck and core muscle strength for improved learning when school age. 

This got me researching and making my poor husband listen to all my findings while on the way home from church! I found a really good article and I wanted to share it with all of you! Whether you have a special needs child or not, this is extremely important information that you need to know! And believe it or not, it ties into tummy time, another one of my soap box issues! :) 

Since the back to sleep program, so many parents are afraid to put their babies and children on their stomachs anymore, which is leading to a lot of no crawling babies. Now, I'm not saying that since your child has not crawled or was not put on their stomach much that they are going to have learning disabilities or end up as special needs kids. However, there are so many benefits to tummy time and crawling that I really feel every parent should know these things if they have kids!

The article that I am citing is actually from a therapeutic riding center in Canada, which works with special needs kids to imitate the aspects of crawling on horses to help develop under-developed muscles. However, the article is a great resource for any parent of any child. 

So why is crawling so important and why should we encourage our babies to crawl? First of all, it is one of the most "essential developmental phases for optimal future learning.” writes Sharon Promislow, an educational Kinesiologist and Educational Consultant. Not only does it strengthen the neck, arm, leg, and trunk muscles of a young child, but the mechanics of crawling actually stimulate different areas of the brain which influence the child’s ability to learn. "Crawling Correctly"

Not only does it encourage learning, it also encourages fine and gross motor skills by strengthening large and small muscle groups. It stimulates far and near visual and tactile senses. Also understanding language with both ears, instead of laying to one side with only one ear towards a noise. This helps to increase their visual and auditory learning skills. It also helps with cross-lateral movement (using both sides of the body in coordinated movement), coordinating arms, legs, hands, feet and eyes together, which enhances how children share and make sense of different sensory inputs from the body. The most important reason is that the myelin, which is a substance that coats the nerves in the body, is produced the most when crawling. This helps the messages the brain sends and receives to be more clear and completed faster! And more myelin means faster and clearer learning for your baby!

Most importantly, crawling is movement based learning, which is how all children are designed to learn. Some great books to read on this subject are:

  

• Smart Moves - Why Learning is not all in your Head by Carla Hannaford
• Dynamic Self: Activities to Enhance Infant Development by Anne Bailey and Elsie Carter Burton
• Your Active Child - How to Boost Physical, Emotional and Cognitive Development through age appropriate activities by Rae Pica 

Also, I highly encourage you to read this article, where a lot of my info came from. It is called "Crawling Correctly." 

It sites a lot of research studies and quotes from all the authors and more that I mentioned above. 

The most important thing from all of this; encourage your baby and child to be on their stomach and to crawl. I can tell you, they aren't going to like it at first. They are going to cry and want you to pick them up almost immediately. Working your way up to 10-15 minutes 2-3 times a day is ideal. Starting out at 1-2 minutes and then getting to 5 minutes is the first step! Make it fun, interact with them, encourage them to move around and explore their world! 

Most importantly, enjoy your time together. They grow up so fast, before you know it they will be all grown up! 

God bless and happy parenting! 

Disclaimer: I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. The advise in these tips is not a replacement for medical advise from a physician or your pediatrician. Please consult their advice if you suspect any medical or developmental issues with your child.