How important is it for your baby to crawl?

Remember those moments of firsts with your child? First bath, first haircut, first laugh. They are special moments. For many kids, the first time they crawl is between 7-11 months. This crawling stage usually lasts for a few months before they begin to walk. Some of you are probably asking, “What if my baby only crawled for a short period or didn’t crawl?” Or maybe your child did more of a “scoot” instead of a traditional crawl. It is a very common thing we see in our pediatric chiropractic office. Let’s explore what happens when your baby learns to crawl. We’ll break it down into three things: cross-crawl, spinal development, and neurological strength.

Cross-Crawl Patterning:

Crawling is a crucial developmental stage that the parents and their pediatric chiropractor should examine. Crawling allows babies to create a connection between both sides of their brains. When practicing and trying to move their adorable, squishy little bodies for the first time, they must first move their right arm and left leg, followed by the left arm and right leg. This back-and-forth motion is called “cross-crawl patterning.” These signals start on one side of their brain and must cross over to the other. It means that when your sweet baby crawls, both sides of their brain must work together quickly. The significant part is that this is the same thing that needs to happen later in life for things like walking, running, multi-tasking, and tons of other things. If the crawling stage is skipped (or if they “scoot”), their brain is unable to “cross” signals as quickly, which can result in coordination problems at the very least.

Spinal Development

It begins even before your baby becomes mobile. When babies are born, they have one big primary curve in flexion (called kyphosis). When a baby spends enough time on their tummy, it begins strengthening the muscles in their neck, which creates the first curve (cervical lordosis). Once they start to crawl, their trunk rotates, and new muscles in their back begin to strengthen. It prepares them for an upright posture when they start to walk. It also forms the curve in their lower back (lumbar lordosis). Without these curves, they cannot withstand the regular forces of gravity when they stand. It is also why we strongly discourage using chairs and devices that prop your baby up artificially before they can do so on their own.

Neurological Strength

When your baby crawls, their body is fighting against the weight of gravity. Not only does this strengthen their muscles, but it also strengthens their delicate little nervous system. They touch new surfaces and textures and will develop the senses in their hands that will later allow them to grasp and hold small objects. They also start learning depth perception and the distance between their eyes, hands, ground, and things around them. It is called optical convergence. It helps the baby understand the distance from the sofa to the ground and whether it is safe to go head-first or feet-first. This ability is important in the future to see things clearly that are near or far and to focus between them quickly. It sets the basis for reading, writing, problem-solving, and many other things.

The more a baby crawls, the faster and stronger these connections do their job. This process transforms their beautiful brains! All babies have their own timing, so as challenging as it may be with percentiles and ‘norms’ being thrown at you, try your best not to compare your baby to others.

What can parents do?

Tummy time! Some resources say 20-30 minutes a day. I feel that isn’t enough! Try to do 30 minutes every time they are awake. When they are first born, it will be less but try to work as much as possible. Make sure to encourage them once they begin to push themselves up. They respond very well to parental encouragement!

What if my baby cries during tummy time?

It requires a longer answer, but some common things can happen. Things like neck tension, muscle imbalance, gas pains, etc., can complicate tummy time. It is a great time to have your baby checked by a pediatric chiropractor like ourselves. We can often alleviate the problem’s cause to help make tummy time easier.

What if my child is past the crawling stage but didn’t crawl?

We see this a lot. A pediatric chiropractor should check your child if this is the case. One cool thing is that their bodies are so powerful that they can be trained later in life! Have your child crawl around the house on all fours for 30 minutes or more daily. It can begin re-training their brain to crossover and develop similarly to if they had earlier. This process isn’t ideal or as strong as them learning it the first time, but it does help!

Should my child be checked?

As you learned, this crawling stage is crucial for the proper neurological development of your child. If your child isn’t crawling, has difficulty during tummy time, is “scooting” instead of crawling, or if you feel something is “off” in your head, it would be a great time to get them checked. Sometimes it is thought that something needs to be “wrong” with a child to bring them to a pediatric chiropractor. It is absolutely not the case! There are so many amazing things to gain from pediatric chiropractic care. We would be happy to show you it all!