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Expert’s tips for getting your baby up and crawling

Once your baby starts crawling, it’s a whole new phase of exploration and independence. They can act on their own initiative to get a toy they see, move around or attempt to chase the family pet. 
You may see your baby explore several different variations on crawling as they learn how their body moves, from scooting on their belly, also known as “army crawling”, to crawling on hands and knees.
Encourage your baby to crawl by letting them practice pre-crawling movement and positions, like tummy time.
Remember, though, that each baby’s developmental path is unique. Many factors can influence how, when, and if, your baby begins to crawl, with most babies learning to crawl between seven to 12 months.
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Wondering if your baby has the prerequisite skills to crawl? Maral Amani, Pediatric doctor of physical therapy and child development expert at Lovevery, shares the five prerequisite skills required for crawling and recommendations for how to encourage them:
Studies have clearly shown the benefits of tummy time for crawling development, and research indicates that babies who spend more time in the tummy-down position tend to crawl earlier.
Pushing up onto their hands through straight elbows is an important component of crawling. Your baby’s arm strength has been developing through their tummy-time play.
If your baby is scooting on their tummy but not yet getting into the crawling position, you’ll want to introduce play positions that can help them learn to put weight through their hands with straight elbows.
READ MORE: Five tips and tricks to get your baby to love tummy time
Place your baby belly-down over a firm pillow rolled-up blanket tall enough to lift their belly off the floor and straighten their arms. Hold or place a toy that makes noise, on an elevated surface – this encourages your baby to lift their chest and extend their arms to see the plaything.
Reaching and turning on their belly, also known as “pivoting,” is an important pre-crawling skill.
To support pivoting, place your baby’s favorite toys on either side of their body just beyond their arms’ reach to encourage reaching and turning while on their belly, a helpful catalyst for crawling.
If your baby rolls as they reach, you can gently help them shift their weight in the opposite direction.
For example, if they reach for a toy on their right, you would gently lift their right hip off the floor and gently pivot them to the right to discourage them from rolling onto their back.
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Place items like the Soft Book or Framed Mirror from The Charmer Play Kit on the floor and position your baby on all fours over your legs with their hands on the book or mirror.
To introduce this new movement, choose a toy your baby can’t easily pick up off the floor, since they may not be able to support their upper body with just one arm.
Gently bend their knees under their hips and rock them backward and forward, holding the toy to prevent your baby from picking it up. This will strengthen your baby’s arms as they push up from the floor, and get them used to bearing weight o their knees.
Sidesitting is excellent for developing core strength for crawling. Position your baby so they’re sitting with one leg bent in front of them and the other bent behind. Then, give them something exciting to reach for.
This helps them shift their center of gravity and put one or both hands on the floor for support, getting them closer to an all-fours position.
Sidesitting is also an important part of transitioning from sitting to their tummy.
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Place a firm couch cushion (or a pillow of a similar height) on the floor with a plaything, like the Things I See Texture Cards from The Inspector Play Kit, on top of it.
Position your baby in a kneeling position, with their knees touching the cushion, their body leaning forward, and hands in front.
You can gently use your hands to maintain their knees tucked under their hips. Kneeling is an important part of crawling because the position calls for them to put weight through their knees and helps build their core strength.
It can be a challenging position, so practice in short bouts and give your baby regular opportunities to practice.
Reminder to never leave your child alone with blankets or pillows.
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