Some babies start crawling at around six months, others never crawl at all.  Don’t worry if your baby doesn’t start yet – they may be perfectly happy to let the entertainment come to them for a while.

Crawling is the first time babies can see a bit of the world under their own steam.  Often it comes after sitting, as they gain the strength to propel themselves forwards onto all fours.

Learning to crawl takes a lot more motivation, energy and trial and error than we appreciate – and then there’s the small matter of left, right co-ordination.  Luckily, there’s more than one way to get around.  The main techniques are:

The commando

Babies often start off with this arm over arm technique, as at first they are not strong enough to support their weight on their arms.  Some are so speedy they don’t see the need to try another method.

The bear crawl

The hands and feet with bottom-in-air method often comes next until they are able to drop down onto their knees.

The bottom shuffle

Some babies avoid crawling altogether by bottom shuffling – a technique which brings the advantage of being able to take their toys with them!

You can help your baby learn to crawl by:

• Placing enticing objects just out of reach.
• Showing them how it’s done.
• Cheering them on!  Many babies practice by repeatedly lifting themselves onto all fours before. they finally start to move.  Let them know how well they’re doing.
• Child-proofing the home to keep them safe on their adventures.

On the move

When your baby does get mobile, you may be surprised at the things they make a beeline for.

For example, they may have been wondering what those tubes over there by the wall are and what those brown stick things are.  Once those radiator pipes and chair legs have been approached and explored, she’ll be onto the next distantly-seen object or toy.

Toys that have wheels or that roll along are great for your baby learning to crawl.  They’ll love to push the toy along and then crawl-chase after it.  Some babies crawl very quickly and can be up the stairs or out of the door before you know it.

• Put stairgates at the tops and bottoms of stairs, and in doorways of rooms you’d rather they didn’t get into, and keep outside doors shut.
• If you have older children, keep an eye on their toys. They might have small parts, which could choke your baby.
• Encourage big brothers and sisters to play with them in their own rooms so that toys in the living room are safe for everyone.

More milestones

Rolling

Sitting