68. Crawling

Crawling is your baby’s first taste of mobility and independence. Babies who are crawling are surveying their environment and beginning to understand their place within it. It’s also important strength-building exercise, preparing young limbs for standing and eventually walking.

To help your child be a strong and confident crawler, give her lots opportunities for tummy time on a playmat or blanket. Once your child can come up into yoga-style cobra pose put something interesting to reach for on the mat - a ball or toy wheel is best as it can move away and keep baby on the chase. As they reach for the object, they have to take one hand off the ground, leaving them to support their whole weight with one arm, as they would when crawling.

Sitting up supported to play with a treasure basket will also strengthen core muscles in preparation for crawling.

Crawling tip: create a starting block by placing the palms of your hands behind your baby’s feet when they are on all fours. Like a track athlete, they need something to push off from.