Crawling refers to the baby’s locomotion on hands and knees, lifting his or her body off the ground. Crawling is a milestone in child development and the precursor to walking upright.
What is crawling?
Crawling means the baby’s locomotion on his hands and knees, lifting his body off the ground. Crawling means the first possibility of independent locomotion for the child. Crawling usually begins with the baby turning around itself. Sealing is a preliminary stage of crawling. Here, the child pulls itself across the floor on its stomach with the help of its arms. Then he starts to lean on his hands and knees. From this position, it practiced pushing off the knees and forward or backward movement. The time when crawling begins varies from baby to baby. Usually, the first crawling attempts begin between the sixth and ninth month of life. At about one year of age, the baby masters this technique properly. There are also children who do not crawl at all, but pull themselves up on furniture and start walking without a crawling phase. If the child has already practiced the prone position, it can also lift itself off the floor with its arms. This raises the chest and head and strengthens the muscles necessary for crawling.
Function and task
The developmental steps of child locomotion are turning, crawling and walking. With the onset of the cable age, anxious times set in for parents, because now the child is almost unstoppable and many things within its reach can be a source of danger. When it begins to crawl between the sixth and ninth month, the baby strengthens the muscles of its arms, legs and back in the process. This enables it to hold itself horizontally on all fours. If the baby finds that he can even make rocking movements with his arms and knees supported, he crawls in a coordinated manner, i.e. he moves his left arm and right leg or vice versa forward at the same time. Crawling is like walking in horizontal motion and is important for child development because it strengthens the muscles of the arms, head and back. It also develops the sense of balance and coordination. A child who crawls well learns to walk easily later. The diagonal movements involved in crawling are an important gross motor developmental step. Strength and gross motor skills are trained as well as the connections of both brain hemispheres, which control the crosswise coordination of arms and legs. Training the right and left hemispheres of the brain is the basis for learning many other skills such as reading and writing. At the same time as mobility, the child’s visual ability also begins to improve. His visual radius becomes larger and larger, spurring the baby’s curiosity. It can now recognize objects that are farther away and wants to reach them to explore. Crawling also sets in motion a number of psychological processes. The child learns that it is capable of independent locomotion and thus experiences freedom as well as insecurity. The baby can now even disappear from the mother’s field of vision under its own power. This is exciting, but also frightening. For healthy development, it is important that parents give their child security during these phases of discovery and always the opportunity to return to the protective lap. In addition, the home should be made crawl-proof, meaning potentially dangerous items should be moved aside and stair gates should be installed.
Diseases and ailments
Because people are not machines, each child’s development is different. There are no standards for when a child should crawl. Still, parents are quick to worry if your child starts certain developmental milestones later than other children of the same age. Or they fear crawling is not setting in at all. A child always has his or her own pace, and crawling is only part of the overall development. When learning basic motor skills, the sequence is crucial. If a developmental phase is skipped, deficits may or may not result later. Crawling links both sides of the brain (bilateral integration) and trains coordination. However, parents can encourage their child to crawl. The prone position helps strengthen arm and leg muscles. By placing their child on their tummy, they can place toys in front of their face to appeal to their urge to move.By distributing favorite cuddly toys around the room, parents create an incentive to crawl toward these objects. If the baby reaches its cuddly toy, it has a great sense of achievement. However, these attempts should be accompanied. Nevertheless, there are developmental delays or disorders that need medical treatment. The disorders can be motor or neurobiological in nature. Physical limitations in infancy can be caused, for example, by malpositioned bones or underdeveloped muscles. The nerves may also play a role. Furthermore, genetic diseases, viruses, tumors, ulcers and metabolic diseases can hinder normal child development. Weaknesses in the brain can have an effect on the musculature. Environmental toxins can affect the child’s development at all stages. Premature infants are particularly susceptible to developmental disorders. If in doubt, consult a physician. During the usual preventive examinations, the pediatrician closely examines age-appropriate development. If he or she finds deficits, further treatment, such as occupational therapy, becomes necessary.
