When will my baby crawl?

We frequently get this question from parents.  Often young babies of 2-3 months may be seen bringing their legs up under their body and kicking them out behind when on their tummy, and their parents wonder if they will be crawling forward soon.  In order to crawl on their hands and knees, babies need to master certain skills on their tummy first.  

A baby will be able to bear weight on her hands with her elbows straight on her tummy and shift her weight to one side to reach with the opposite arm.  She will also be able to shift her weight at her pelvis and lower body, bringing one of her hips up off the floor with the leg on that side bending up by her body.  Once she masters that, she will be able to pivot in a circle on her tummy to get to toys.  It is also the position that she will use to get on to her hands and knees from her tummy.    You may see your baby pushing herself backwards on her tummy in an attempt to crawl forward toward a toy or pushing up into a plank position from her tummy.  These are both signs that your baby is preparing herself for crawling.  Many babies will start crawling forward with their tummy down before they crawl up on their hands and knees.  Once she is up on her hands and knees, your baby will play with rocking in this position.  At first, the rocking may not be very controlled, and she may may fall.  With practice, she will be able to control these weight shifts better, and they will progress from simple back and forth rocking to more advanced side to side and diagonal rocking.  She will be able to reach for toys from the hands and knees position.  She will be able to get into the hands and knees position from her tummy and from sitting.  Once she has mastered all of these things, she will be ready to take off crawling on her hands and knees!  

October Babies On The MOVE Baby Classes

October brought the beginning of a new series of classes at Babies On The MOVE.  In our Master Mover classes, we talked about standing and getting into standing.  It brought us to the conversation about shoe recommendations for little feet.  We recommended babies be barefoot at home and talked about the type of shoes that are best for new walkers when they are outside. The Mini Mover classes brought lots of new little babes.  We talked about what's important about playing on your back and side, as well as how to make tummy time more fun!  There was an impressive showing of dads at the Sunday classes!  We frequently have more of a mommy & me showing to class, but dads are of course always welcome and encouraged to come too (or instead)! Looking forward to our November classes which are right around the corner. 

August Babies On The MOVE Baby Classes

We have had a busy month at Babies On The MOVE!  The studio that we have been hosting classes at - Open Arts - underwent major renovation and now has two wonderful large studios that we can use to host classes.  In MINI MOVERS class, we learned a trick to enjoying tummy time from one of our little friends - just sleep through it!  Disclaimer: tummy time is not a recommended sleeping position, but his awesome mom doesn't mind if he takes a little nap on his tummy as long as she is there to keep an eye on him.  MINI MOVERS also learned ideas to try if your baby doesn't want to put weight on their arms when they are on their tummy or if they don't want to put weight on their legs in standing.  MASTER MOVERS was a big party with lots of fun babies and parents.  The babies were all working on something different developmentally, but still had fun playing together!  We can't wait to see what everyone is up to next month! 

July Babies On The MOVE Baby Classes

Summer is in full swing and so are our Babies On The MOVE baby movement classes in Morrisville, North Carolina!  Families are escaping the heat to get inside and learn about ways to play with their babies to help them build strength and progress to the next motor milestone.  We love to do tummy time and teach parents ways to make it fun for everyone, but that's not the only thing you can do to help your little one build their muscles!  All of the developmental positions are important for building your baby's foundation for future movement - lying on their back, lying on their tummy, lying on their side, sitting, and standing.  Playing with your baby in all of these positions with the correct alignment will help them gain strength and master new skills.   

June Babies On The MOVE Baby Classes

We had a great weekend of classes at Babies On The MOVE!  The groups were smaller than usual this month, so all the babies got lots of personalized attention.  Once again we were reminded of the wide variation that exists in normal baby development.  It is so fun to see babies that are the same age choosing to move in different ways based on their personalities, exposures, and interests!  Our classes this weekend also reminded me of the differences in the way a dad interacts with baby as compared to mom.  Mom tends to be the safe spot, the home base.  Dad helps show baby the world outside of mom.  I love seeing dads interacting with their baby in a more adventurous way - upside down baby, airplane baby, and football carry are all great ways for dad to play with baby!  Looking forward to seeing new friends and old at our classes in July!

May MASTER MOVERS Baby Classes

Thanks to all who came out for the MASTER MOVERS baby classes this weekend on Friday and Sunday in Morrisville, NC.  We had a great time seeing old friends and meeting new ones!  This class really highlights for me the wide range of typical development that happens from 7 months until babies start taking their first steps.  It is truly amazing to see how much and how fast babies change!  We offer the Babies On The MOVE classes monthly for this reason. The babies in the MASTER MOVERS classes this weekend were a prime example of the range of typical development.  In one class, we had an almost 7 month old moving and grooving in tummy time while an 11 month old was taking some independent steps - oh how things can change in four short months!     

May MINI MOVERS Baby Classes

Thanks to all who came out for our MINI MOVERS baby classes this weekend on Friday and Sunday in Morrisville, NC.  We loved seeing some familiar faces as well as meeting lots of new ones.  The babies in both classes were amazing this weekend!  We focused on playing on their backs, playing on their sides, and helping them roll.  Of course we also talked about the dreaded tummy time!  I am pleased to say that everyone had a chance to play on their tummy happily, even if it was just for a little bit!  It was really fun to see the new tricks that our friends who attended last month had learned.  We had such a great time teaching the class, that we completely forgot to take pictures to post.  Baby brain must be contagious!  We look forward to seeing everyone next month!