Crawling
“You Gotta Crawl Before You Walk”
To achieve a quadruped position (on hands and knees):
-
While
your child supports weight with forearms or hands, lift the pelvis and wait for
him to participate by pulling knees under hips (if your child does not actively
move, simply prop his knees under the hips and fade the presence of your
hands).
Use
pillows, or a wedge/bolster under your child to facilitate and maintain the
quadruped position.
Frequent
“floor time” is necessary to allow your child ample opportunity to practice.
To Crawl:
-
Once
a quadruped position (hands and knees) is consistently maintained, rocking back
and forth indicates readiness to crawl.
Keep
your child on soft surfaces (carpet, mats) because forward falling “face
plants” are almost inevitable.
Place
toys just beyond your child’s reach and/or have another person verbally
encourage movement from short distances away.
Be
ready to quickly lift your child by the abdomen when his stomach touches the
floor.