Did you know? Learning to crawl is more difficult than learning to walk!

It's no surprise that some babies miss out crawling all together. When a baby learns to crawl, all manner of things are happening in their body and brain. We're not going overboard here when we say that this seemingly 'simple' process is actually incredible!

1) Their body is learning to balance, while being off the floor – that's no mean feat! 

2) Their hands and knees are moving together to promote bilateral co-ordination. This means both the right- and left-hand side of the brain are working together. In later years, bilateral coordination is needed when learning skills like banging blocks, climbing, tying shoelaces and cutting with scissors. 

3) When your baby crawls, they build strength in their shoulders which will support them in gaining stability. This further supports self-feeding, dressing, throwing and writing as they grow and develop.  

4) Your baby is learning to use different parts of their hands. When they crawl, your baby will use the outer side of their hand, by their little finger. The pressure and feelings created in this movement support future understanding of how to grasp objects and where to apply pressure when holding a pen.