Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 66 views

    "Crawling": Why Is Crawling Important?

    Uploaded by

    Irish Llesis Ansin
    Crawling is an important stage of infant development that supports neurological and physical growth. It develops bilateral coordination, body awareness, motor skills, balance, and hand-eye coordination. The two primary types are belly crawling and hands-and-knees crawling. Hands-and-knees crawling, where opposite arms and legs move together, is especially vital as it stimulates the corpus callosum in the brain to develop communication between hemispheres. Allowing infants to progress through crawling at their own pace supports strong cognitive and physical abilities later in life.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    "Crawling": Why Is Crawling Important?

    Uploaded by

    Irish Llesis Ansin
    66 views4 pages
    Crawling is an important stage of infant development that supports neurological and physical growth. It develops bilateral coordination, body awareness, motor skills, balance, and hand-eye coordination. The two primary types are belly crawling and hands-and-knees crawling. Hands-and-knees crawling, where opposite arms and legs move together, is especially vital as it stimulates the corpus callosum in the brain to develop communication between hemispheres. Allowing infants to progress through crawling at their own pace supports strong cognitive and physical abilities later in life.

    Original Title

    ANSIN - Crawling

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Crawling is an important stage of infant development that supports neurological and physical growth. It develops bilateral coordination, body awareness, motor skills, balance, and hand-eye coordination. The two primary types are belly crawling and hands-and-knees crawling. Hands-and-knees crawling, where opposite arms and legs move together, is especially vital as it stimulates the corpus callosum in the brain to develop communication between hemispheres. Allowing infants to progress through crawling at their own pace supports strong cognitive and physical abilities later in life.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    66 views4 pages

    "Crawling": Why Is Crawling Important?

    Uploaded by

    Irish Llesis Ansin
    Crawling is an important stage of infant development that supports neurological and physical growth. It develops bilateral coordination, body awareness, motor skills, balance, and hand-eye coordination. The two primary types are belly crawling and hands-and-knees crawling. Hands-and-knees crawling, where opposite arms and legs move together, is especially vital as it stimulates the corpus callosum in the brain to develop communication between hemispheres. Allowing infants to progress through crawling at their own pace supports strong cognitive and physical abilities later in life.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 4

    “CRAWLING”

    Crawling is a slow creeping mode of locomotion, consisting of forward motion


    with weight supported by the infant's hands (or forearms) and knees. It is the primary
    means of mobility in infants.
    Crawling is your baby's first method of getting
    around efficiently on his own. In the traditional crawl,
    he'll start by learning to balance on his hands and
    knees. Then he'll figure out how to move forward and
    backward by pushing off with his knees. At the same
    time, he'll be strengthening the muscles that will soon
    enable him to walk.
    Why is crawling important?
    Traditional hands and knees crawling is crucial
    for developing bi-lateral coordination, which helps
    support neurological development important for later
    reading and writing. In addition, the feeling of hands
    and knees pushing against the ground provides essential "body in space" awareness.
    And it strengthens the shoulders which supports other fine motor skills such as self-
    feeding, dressing, and holding a crayon or pencil. Crawling also changes the
    position of the head in relation to gravity, which helps develop balance and coordination,
    visual development of depth perception, and hand-eye coordination.
    Infancy
    For most babies, creeping, wriggling, or slithering forward on the stomach comes
    before crawling, typically by the age of seven months. Infants also find that they can
    cover a distance simply by rolling from place to place. Especially on smooth floors, it is
    easy for them to move forward using only their arms or elbows and pulling their legs
    along, which are held out straight behind them. Infants can also get around while
    remaining in a seated position and pulling themselves
    with one or both arms, a form of mobility sometimes
    called hitching or bottom shuffling. From the infant's
    perspective, it has several advantages over crawling: it
    can leave one arm free, it allows better visibility, and the
    baby is already in a sitting position when she reaches
    her destination.
    Two main types of crawling
    Experts have observed 25 unique combinations of body
    parts used by babies to move across the ground,
    however the two main types are belly crawling and criss-cross crawling on hands and
    knees.
    Belly crawling. About half of babies begin crawling by keeping their belly against
    the floor. These children typically start crawling earlier than those who start out on
    hands and knees because belly crawling takes less strength
    and balance.
    On occasion, babies use this method of crawling right up until
    the moment they walk. Others move to criss-cross crawling
    before walking.
    Criss-cross crawling or hands and knees crawling
    requires limbs from opposite sides to coordinate with each
    other. A baby alternates arms and legs, getting the arm on
    one side to meet the floor at the same time the opposite leg
    does.
    Also called contra-lateral, or cross-lateral crawling, this
    diagonal style of movement is vital in the development of an
    important pathway in the brain that belly crawling does not
    impact — the corpus callosum.

    Crawling styles
    Each crawling baby is different, and your baby's crawl style is likely as unique as she is
    herself. Typical crawling styles include:
     The Classic: Moving one arm and opposite leg together.
     The Scoot: Dragging her bottom across the floor.
     Crab Crawl: Propelling forward with one knee bent and the other extended.
     The Backward Crawl: remember, any motion is good.
     The Commando: lying on her tummy but using her arms to move forwards.

    Criss-cross crawling is vitally important to brain development


    The corpus callosum is a band of nerve fibers between the hemispheres of the
    brain. Criss-cross crawling stimulates the corpus callosum to develop in a balanced
    way, facilitating the hemispheres of the brain to communicate. A baby’s cross lateral
    movements work both sides of the body evenly and involve coordinated movements of
    the eyes, ears, hands, feet, and core muscles. This helps support cognitive function,
    problem solving, and ease of learning.
    How babies learn to crawl
    Your baby will likely start crawling soon after he's able to sit well without support
    (probably by the time he's 8 months old). After this point, he can hold his head up to
    look around, and his arm, leg, and back muscles are strong enough to keep him from
    falling on the floor when he gets up on his hands and knees.
    Over a couple of months, your baby will gradually learn to move confidently from a
    sitting position to being on all fours, and he'll soon realize he can rock back and forth
    when his limbs are straight and his trunk is parallel to the floor. Somewhere around 9 or
    10 months, he'll figure out that pushing off with his knees gives him just the boost he
    needs to go mobile. As he gains proficiency, he'll learn to go from a crawling position
    back into a sitting position.
    Crossing the midline of the body
    In criss-cross crawling a baby can also move a limb to the opposite side of the
    body, such as touching the right hand to the left shoulder. This type of movement is key
    for developing vision, hearing, learning, and integration of reflexes.
    Other ways crossing the midline helps babies:
     Increases lower back strength in preparation for upright positioning.
     Prepares the ankles for the flexion used in walking.
     Exercises spinal rotation.
     Strengthens hand-eye coordination.
    What about other crawling methods?
    You may notice your baby using other
    combinations of limbs and movements to move across
    the floor. Scooting on the bottom, using one foot or knee
    to push or pull, crab crawling, leapfrogging, or even
    repetitive rolling may indicate difficulty coordinating the
    cross-body movement necessary for hands and knees
    crawling.
    How can I help my baby learn to crawl?
    The following suggestions can help encourage crawling:
     Give your baby as much floor time as possible.
    Exploration helps babies try new movements.
     Allow your baby to discover sitting and standing completely on her own. This way
    she will build strength and coordination necessary for crawling on hands and
    knees.
     Minimize holding or propping your baby upright to prevent her from developing
    excess muscle tension that makes crawling difficult.
     Avoid popular trends that tell you crawling is not important.
    If your baby arches her back a lot, does
    not want to curl up and snuggle, does not use
    both arms and legs, uses rolling more often
    than crawling, or does not seem interested in
    moving, seek assistance from a functional
    neurology doctor. Science has known for
    years that children who miss the vitally
    important crawling stage may exhibit learning
    difficulties later in life.
    Crawling is important for proper brain
    development as well as for increasing bone and muscle strength. The average age for
    walking isn’t until about 12 months; this means that half of children walk after this age.
    Concerns of late walking shouldn’t start until 15 to 18 months. Also, crawling on hands
    and knees is vitally important for proper development of the brain and body. Allow your
    baby to crawl for as long as she wants, and when she walks on her own she will take
    the benefits forward with her throughout life.

    REFERENCES:
    “Crawling is important for childhood brain development.” The functional neurology
    center. Available at https://thefnc.com/research/crawling-is-important-for-childhood-
    brain-development/. Dr. Jeremy Schmoe, DC DACNB FACFN FABBIR
    “Stages and styles of crawling.” At
    https://www.pampers.co.uk/baby/crawling/article/different-styles-of-crawling (May, 2020)
    “Why Crawl?” Michigan State University. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/why_crawl
    (March, 2013). Kittie Butcher, Ashley VandenBerg and Terra Dodds, MPT
    "Developmental Milestones: Crawling." Baby Center. Available online at
    http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/6501.html. (December, 2004) Aliene S. Linwood, RN,
    DPA, FACHE

    You might also like