12 Nov Is your 9 month old baby not yet crawling

Wondering if crawling is important because your mother said you just got up and walked without crawling

As more and more babies are not placed on the floor on their tummies to play and explore, more and more children are missing the gross motor milestone of crawling. This has reached a point where there is now debate about crawling as a necessary milestone for babies. 

Here at My Favourite Physio, our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists believe that crawling between the age of 6 to 10 months is an essential foundation for a child’s gross motor skills development for later on when they are older and at school. 

3 reasons why crawling is important for a baby’s development
1. Baby learns the transition movements of moving in and out of position such as lying to sitting, sitting to crawling, crawling to pulling to stand. It is important to be able to independently move in and out of positions with ease.

2. Crawling requires a reciprocal movement of opposite arms and legs, which allows baby to strengthen their hip and pelvic gridle. Children who miss the crawling stage, tend to have poor balance and coordination at 4 years old because they do not have the pelvic stability and strength to do one leg activities like hopping.

3. Crawling also build core strength and shoulder gridle strength which is crucial for helping babies learn to sit upright to use their arms for feeding, table top play and dressing activities. Children who do not crawl will tend to struggle with sitting at a desk for writing and fine motor tasks like cutting and drawling at 4 years old.

If you are concerned about your baby not yet crawling, reach out to My Favourite Physio on (02) 9790 4233 to speak to one of our Expert Paediatric Physiotherapists. Find out how we can help your little one achieve their best potential!

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