Written by Editorial Team
Just as are were getting ready to tick “crawling” off your baby’s development chart, you notice that your baby is not crawling forward as is deemed “normal”! but crawling backward. Time to panic? Not really. A baby crawling backward is not uncommon. In fact, a baby who does not crawl at all is also not a worrisome concern.
As long as the baby tries to move on the floor, making use of all his arms and legs, you should not be concerned. Read on to understand why babies crawl backward and how you can encourage them to crawl forward.
In This Article
Your baby is very efficient. Whatever task they need to accomplish, they will find the easiest and most energy-efficient way to do it. Did you know that to crawl forwards, your baby’s legs need to be very strong, and to crawl backward, your baby’s arms need to be stronger?
According to pediatricians, babies have stronger arms than legs and their upper bodies are more developed. Because they lie so long (approximately 9 months) in the womb, they do not have a lot of strength in their legs.
With that logic in mind, if you observe your baby, you will see them push on the floor with their arms and as a result move in reverse rather than forwards. In fact, you can read more about types of crawling in babies and get to know all about the techniques.
Yes, it is. We explained the logic of your baby crawling backward in the last section. It is very common for babies to start by crawling backward.
You need not worry or panic as long as the baby is able to reach where they wants to reach. And in due time, when the feeling is stronger, they will start crawling without any special attention or encouragement from your side.
However, as parents, you might feel a bit impatient and want to entice your baby to crawl forward. If you do, go through the tips in the next section which will give you some ideas on how to help and encourage your baby to crawl forwards.
The first step forward a baby takes might actually be a step backward. As babies learn how to move their arms, legs, and arms again, they sometimes crawl backward before they learn how to move forward. Anyway, they will soon learn to crawl forward.
Here are some tips to encourage your baby to crawl forward:
Please be prepared for some crankiness as you try these tips. Your child is bound to get frustrated as he tries to crawl forward but is unable to do so. Do not give in to the cries and let him take the toy. If you are patient enough, he will figure it out and be successful in crawling forward.
Your baby will start crawling anytime between 7 months and 10 months. While some babes do it sooner, some do it later. On the other hand, some even skip the whole crawling routine and start walking directly. Some babies pick up alternatives to crawling – like slithering (whole body on the floor and moving like a snake), rolling, dragging themselves in a sitting position, and so on.
Many pediatricians believe that infants follow a developmental pattern similar to parents. So go ask your parents if you crawled and when. That should give you an idea about if and when your baby will crawl.
Always remember that every baby is unique. So even if your baby slightly deviates from what is considered “normal”, it is alright. In most cases, your baby will catch up sooner or later. However, if you are really worried, talk to your child’s pediatrician and find out if your child is developmentally progressing.
We’ve divided crawling into seven phases, but keep in mind that no two babies are alike, so it’s quite natural for them to have their own path that looks a little, or a lot, different from what we’ve indicated here.
As they learn to explore the world, some newborns may skip or mix up some of these processes.
Some babies will never complete the “traditional” crawl, which is just OK.
Did your baby crawl backward? What tactics did you use to entice them to crawl forward? Do leave your comments below.
Autism is not diagnosed only based on asymmetrical crawling. However, autistic babies may crawl asymmetrically at times. If you are worried that your infant may have autism, it is strongly advised that you seek indicators other than non-typical motor abilities.
The answer varies for each baby, but the average age at which they begin to crawl is between six and ten months.
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