Crawling is considered the first form of independent movement. It helps develop and enhance our vestibular/balance system, sensory system, cognition, problem solving skills, and coordination. To help your baby succeed at crawling start with exposing them to tummy time while playing and awake at an early age.

Why is it important to crawl before walking?

Research supports the idea that hands and knees crawling is an emerging new inter-limb pattern of coordination and is a preparatory phase for walking. It also says that it helps develop many other components such as body scheme, motor planning, visual perception and eye-hand coordination.

Is it bad for a baby to skip crawling?

If your baby skips crawling, he/she WILL probably be just fine, BUT we are here to make a case for not “skipping” this milestone and circling back to it if your baby did not, or only briefly crawled on hands and knees before walking. Crawling is a vital skill to support upper body strength and coordination.