Jeepers Creepers: She’s crawling!

PREPARING FOR A VISIT FROM A CRAWLING BABY - Usually between birth and 10 months – babies are really on the move! It requires remarkable brain development and muscle coordination to accomplish this task – no wonder the child on the move is so pleased! Babies need to coordinate the movement of their arms and legs, and develop the muscle strength in their arms, shoulders, and legs to support their weight. While a child this age is usually watched very closely, in the conversation during a visit and adults unused to the child’s speedy progress, it is better to prepare the house in small ways that make a visit much more pleasant and safe. Things to prepare for this visit include:
1. Clean your floors – it is amazing at such close range, how many little pieces of lint or string or seed or anything that defies discovery by older eyes remain even after a good vacuuming. Put your glasses on to give yourself a chance.
2. Pad sharp corners using duck tape and flexible ¼ in foam found in sewing centers. Cut the foam in small pieces, fold several times, and tape to the corners of coffee tables, legs of furniture if cornered. Get low to the ground to see where the potential rough spots are.
3. Place barriers in front of stairs, even a small step into another room can cause a tumble. If the child visits you fairly frequently, child gates may be a good investment because crawling is only the first step.
4. Invest in electrical socket covers and install them on all lower unused sockets.
5. To encourage crawling and enjoy the child’s new discoveries, place safe toys that a child can manipulate in tiny hands just out of arm’s reach. If the child is beginning her new movements with backwards crawling, place toys in front to attract her attention, but then leave a few that can be discovered as she crawls backwards. In this way the child will not be so frustrated with lack of progress.
6. Have fun observing the child’s unique way of learning this major developmental task, guessing what style she is using. Here are a few:
• The “I’ll Have the Usual”: This is the classic crawl—alternating hand on one side and knee on the other to go, go, go.
• The “Crab”—Just like at the beach, the “crab” bends one knee and extends the opposite leg to scoot forward.
• The “Commando”—Look out, this crawler lies flat on her belly and drags herself forward using her arms.
• The “Rolling Wonder”—Who needs to crawl when rolling gets me where I need to go?
• The “Take It in Stride” Kid—Some children skip crawling and go right to walking. No time to waste—here I come!