When does a baby start crawling?

Definition

The crawling of a baby is an important milestone in its (motor) development. When a child starts to crawl cannot be generalized. Some children develop very quickly, others somewhat more slowly.

There are also children who do not crawl at all, but skip the crawling phase, so to speak. As parents you should not put any time pressure on yourself or your child to reach the milestones. However, you should keep in mind at what age you reach which milestone. Then you also have a good feeling for whether everything is all right with your child or whether an introduction of the child to the pediatrician can be useful.

When does a baby start crawling at the earliest?

The first babies start to crawl around the age of 6 months. In rather rare cases even a little earlier. However, the time span within which babies start to crawl is relatively wide.

On average, when does a baby start to crawl?

On average, babies start crawling between the 6th and 10th month of life. This figure does not include the early and late bloomers.

When does a baby start crawling at the latest?

A healthy baby should generally have started crawling by the time he or she reaches the age of one year. However, some children skip crawling and try to stand up carefully. Of course, by holding on to something in search of help. If a baby has not yet made any effort to crawl or move in any other purposeful way by the end of the first year of life, the paediatrician should be consulted outside the U examinations.

Can I teach my baby to crawl?

To make it easier for the baby to crawl, it should be placed regularly on a surface with enough space. If the baby is always lying in a bed or in a small playpen, there is not enough room for him to practice crawling. The best thing to do is to lay a cuddly blanket on a floor with a relatively large amount of space, the crawling blanket that has been chosen for this purpose.

There are indications that babies who are often laid on their tummy tend to crawl earlier. Regularly laying the baby on its stomach can therefore help to promote the development of crawling. In general, a baby will start crawling when he or she is ready. This does not require any imitation movements of the mother, which are supposed to encourage imitation or the like. If the parents create the right environment, this is the best way to motivate the first crawl.

How can I motivate my baby to crawl?

As already described above, the most important requirements for crawling motivation are sufficient free space and a comfortable soft blanket. An extra portion of motivation can possibly be achieved by placing toys for the child at a small distance. If the child would like to reach this distance, this can also motivate him to crawl. However, it can also quickly lead to frustration if the child is not yet able to crawl and therefore cannot reach the toys. Parents should therefore not overdo it with the motivational games.