Once a child learns to sit, the next milestone that many caregivers eagerly await is crawling. However, there is a big difference between sitting and zooming around the room on hands and knees. It is common for caregivers to wonder how this transition occurs and if they need to do anything special to make it happen. Thankfully, there are many mini-milestones between sitting and crawling that parents can encourage and celebrate. 

‍

Crawling Mini-Milestones

‍

In order to move across a room, a child must first be able to get in and out of sitting. You may see your child:

• Lean and reach in sitting
• Sit in a variety of positions
• Move from sitting to the floor with control
• Move from the floor to sitting 

‍

Once a child is out of sitting, they can start to explore movement on the floor. You may see your child:

• Push up onto extended arms and pivot side to side on their tummy
• Get into a downward dog position with their bottom in the air
• Rock on hands and knees
• Roll from front to back and vice versa- some children may log roll right across the room!
• Use their arms to pull themselves forward or push themselves backwards

‍

You’ll find exercises to help encourage these mini-milestones in our extensive exercise library. You can even filter by crawling to find exercises specifically designed to help reach this milestone! 

‍

Tips to Encourage Crawling

‍

Children are natural problem solvers who learn through trial and error. Give your child the opportunity to explore, struggle, and make mistakes, and they’ll be learning new skills in no time. This may look like:

• Putting a toy just out of reach while your child is on their belly or sitting
• Letting your child topple over out of sitting if they’re on a safe, soft surface
• Placing them down on the floor in a different position each time- instead of placing your child in sitting, try laying them down on their belly or their back
• Giving them plenty of time to play freely on the floor with your supervision, but not your interference. Learn more about setting up a safe play space here (https://www.ladderhealth.co/content/creating-a-play-space-for-your-baby)

‍

When to Ask for Help

‍

Crawling emerges in various forms over a wide age range, which makes it difficult for caregivers to know when to seek help. Children crawl on their bellies, on hands and knees, and on hands and feet (bear crawl). It is perfectly normal for a child to crawl at 7 months and another to crawl at 10 months. Signs that your child may need additional help include:

• Using only one side of the body to crawl or propel their body
• Using only their arms to move their body
• Using only their legs to move their body
• Sitting independently for several months without any signs of the mini-milestones mentioned above

If you have concerns about your child’s motor development, our team of physical therapists is here to help. Take our intake screener to see if your child may benefit from a virtual evaluation.