Is it okay for a baby to walk directly before crawling? It is healthier to crawl first and then walk

Many babies learn to walk directly at an age when they should have been crawling, skipping the crawling step. Some mothers think that this is because their babies are smarter and learn faster. But is it good for babies to learn to walk directly before they can crawl? What is a healthier way that is beneficial to the baby's growth? Let's take a look.

Can the baby just walk if he can't crawl?

As we all know, crawling is of great benefit to babies. It not only exercises the body's coordination and muscle strength, but also enhances the stability of the shoulders. Moreover, a seemingly simple crawling can stimulate the baby's vestibular function, promote the development of sensory integration, and make the baby's body more flexible. Therefore, crawling can be said to be a milestone in the baby's motor development. Babies can get in touch with things they are interested in by crawling and moving independently. From then on, the baby's world is no longer limited to the area around the body, but moves in the direction of their interest. This greatly increases the baby's ability to explore and helps to cultivate the baby's ability and confidence to solve problems independently in the future.

It is best for babies to learn to crawl before they learn to walk, because crawling is very important for babies. It is better for babies to learn to crawl before learning to walk.

Why can't babies crawl?

1. Parents don’t give opportunities

Many parents are over-protective and worry that their children will get dirty or hurt while crawling, so they always put them in walkers, asking them to walk without crawling. This does not create conditions for the baby to have the opportunity to train crawling, so naturally he will not crawl.

Crawling is an important part of the development of human individuals, and it is especially important for the physical and intellectual development of infants. Because during crawling, the infant's brain nerves, motor nerves, muscles and bones are developed uniformly, laying the foundation for the healthy development and growth of children. Generally, infants start to learn to crawl at seven or eight months old. If a one-year-old child still cannot crawl, it will have a certain impact on his normal development. At this time, parents must not save trouble and must give their children the opportunity to learn to crawl.

2. The baby has delayed motor development

If a 10-month-old baby still cannot sit or crawl, you should be alert to the possibility of motor retardation. If the child has an abnormal birth history, such as asphyxia, umbilical cord around the neck, third-degree turbidity of amniotic fluid, premature birth, etc., this possibility should be considered. It is recommended to ask a local pediatric rehabilitation doctor to evaluate the child to determine whether there is motor retardation. If so, rehabilitation training and treatment should be carried out as soon as possible.

3. Baby's physical problems

If the baby suffers from congenital motor system diseases, cerebral palsy, congenital hip dislocation and other diseases, it is easy for the baby to not be able to crawl. Therefore, mothers should carefully find the cause, do not take it lightly, pay attention to observe whether the baby has other abnormal symptoms, and take the baby to the doctor as soon as possible to avoid delaying treatment and affecting growth and development.

Benefits of Crawling

1. Crawling can not only help babies promote brain development, but also strengthen the integration of their vestibular and sensory systems, making their bodies more flexible. You should know that when babies crawl, the impulses of alternating movements of the left and right limbs will cross through the pons, making the entire brain active. This helps to exercise the balance of the cerebellum, and can also be used to coordinate the hands, eyes and feet, and promote gross and fine motor skills, which is very helpful for children's future writing, reading and motor skills.

2. When crawling, in order to understand the surrounding environment and move forward, it is necessary to integrate sensory information and the coordination of hands, feet and eyes, which can help the children develop a certain sense of space and distance, so that they can understand where they are and how to avoid obstacles in front of them. Crawling can also help increase communication between mother and child, and has a certain effect on the baby's language development; it can also allow the baby to move his body according to his will, and be able to contact more things, help expand the baby's knowledge, help promote the baby's cognitive ability, and also play a certain training role in the child's thinking and memory.

3. The last point is that crawling is very helpful for the baby to stand and walk. When the baby crawls, the head and neck are raised, and the chest and abdomen are raised. The limbs need to be lifted alternately, so that the body can bear the weight in a coordinated manner. These can exercise the baby's chest, abdomen, waist, back, limbs and other large muscle activities throughout the body.

Parents should help their babies learn to crawl

"We encourage children to learn to crawl, and as parents, we should consciously guide our children to learn to crawl."

When training your baby to crawl, first let the baby lie down in a prone position, raise his head, and support his body with his hands. Parents should gently bend the baby's legs and place them under his belly. In front of the baby, put some moving, interesting, and colorful toys to increase the baby's interest, inspire and entice him to crawl. Many babies will crawl backwards at the beginning. Parents can gently push the baby's feet with their hands to help the baby understand how to move forward.

Some babies cannot lift their abdomen off the ground when crawling. Parents can lift the baby's abdomen with a towel and let them practice crawling on their hands and knees. When the baby's limbs muscles are strong and can support the weight of the body, he will gradually learn to crawl.