Many mothers avoid letting their babies crawl on the floor, and some proudly boast that their child skipped crawling and went straight to walking. However, crawling is actually one of the major motor skills demonstrating a baby's physical coordination. Generally, babies begin crawling around 10 months of age, though some may start earlier or later. Before their first birthday, a baby's intellectual development is often reflected through gross motor skills like crawling.Therefore, parents should consciously encourage crawling practice, as it helps enhance cognitive development. Crawling also expands a baby's range of movement, broadens their field of vision, and increases interaction with the world. I. Crawling Expands a Baby's Sensory Range Initially, when infants are swaddled, their sensory range is limited.Sitting or lying down slightly expands this range, but stimulation remains insufficient. Crawling dramatically broadens both visual and auditory horizons—transitioning from static to dynamic positioning and shifting focus from isolated points to expansive fields. This increased sensory input naturally fosters development in thinking, language, and imagination.
2. Crawling directly promotes brain development
This stimulation directly fuels significant intellectual leaps in infants. Crawling exerts the most potent effect on midbrain development. Structurally, the midbrain houses the headquarters for both visual and auditory reflex centers. Thus, crawling lays the groundwork for enhanced future language and reading abilities.The refinement of these two functions greatly aids the baby's future learning.
III. Crawling Movements Help Train Coordination Between the Baby's Head and Limbs Crawling movements develop gradually. Parents with childcare experience will recall that babies cannot crawl immediately. They first undergo head-lifting training, then rolling over, followed by rolling sideways, progressing to sitting, and finally developing into crawling.After mastering these sequential movements, crawling gradually matures. However, mastering crawling alone isn't sufficient for developing full limb flexibility; consistent crawling practice is essential. Through intensive training, crawling movements naturally become more refined, enhancing limb coordination and paving the way for transitioning from crawling to upright walking.Yet many parents overlook crawling, viewing it as an animalistic habit with limited future use. They rush to skip crawling and move directly to walking—a mindset that violates developmental norms and hinders cognitive growth. Parents should encourage early and frequent crawling practice to foster limb coordination, supporting future motor system development.
Some babies learn to crawl backward; others spin in circles without moving forward; still others crawl on their stomachs without using their limbs to support their bodies. These are all part of the crawling process. Therefore, parents should patiently guide their child's crawling practice based on their individual characteristics.