6 simple ways to encourage crawling

Some experts say that babies these days start crawling later or even skip this crucial milestone altogether. This might be because most are now placed on their back rather than on their tummy to sleep (to reduce the risk of SIDS). Crawling on one’s hands and knees is an important skill with countless benefits, some of which extend as far as school-age! How can that be? Recent studies have shown that the effects of missed crawling phase impairs formation of important cognitive abilities and the final results may vary form inability to hold a pencil properly to signs of general clumsiness. 

 

Here are 6 easy ways to encourage your little one to crawl:

 

  1. Give your baby plenty of tummy time, starting from birth. By playing on their bellies, babies develop the muscle strength in their shoulders, arms, back and trunk (torso) that helps them learn to crawl.
  2. Don‘t carry your baby all the time. I know it sounds wrong, but this is the moment where you teach your little one how to explore the world independently. Just think about it, why would on earth you need to move on your own if the most favorite person caries you everywhere. Sit with your little one on the floor when she really needs you and then invite her to come with you.
  3. Create opportunities for them to move. Don’t just hand them toys right into their hands – place interesting objects just a bit further away and watch how much motivation this adds! And if toys won’t motivate them that much, you can introduce some unexpected items (preferably shinny), for example tin foil balls was huge hit in our house.
  4. Make sure your baby has space to explore that is safe and supervised. Baby proof your home so you would feel calm and sure your little one is safe in her adventure. „Saving“ them all the time won‘t add confidence in learning new skill, on contrary, you will indicate her ‘it’s dangerous, don’t try this anymore’ and this fear may stay with them for a long time.
  5. Limit time in supportive baby devices. Car seats, baby chairs and strollers are part of our life but they are also one of the reasons why kids don’t crawl at all! These items provide so much support, your little one isn’t forced to use their own muscles to support their weight.
  6. Boost your baby‘s confidence adding some anti-slip crawling tights. Gripping patches on knees provides stability and helps to keep balance while learning new skill.

Anti-slip crawling tights is a new concept for you? Or maybe you are already a pro user who spend a lot of money with a product that haven’t met you expectations? Here are some tips that will easily convert into a useful gear for your baby and buck-well-spend to one very wise mom.

We know that with all that tremendous supply for anti-slip gear and it’s quite difficult to choose the right one for your child. That is why I visited quite a few factories while choosing the perfect materials and design solutions for ‘Olie the Curious’ and here is the list of things you have to look when choosing anti-slip tights for your child:

  • Always buy only certified products. If the product was not properly certified, there is a great chance that some harmful ingredients gets in. And you have no idea what kind of poison they put in it. The smell in some factories I visited was so horrendous, that after spending half an hour inside my head was spinning big time. You don’t want these hazardous materials near your baby!
  • Be aware that due to its unique properties, silicone patches have no grip on wet surfaces. Check out for rubber grips or tights that has other technologies specified that they work well on wet surfaces.
  • Make sure the grips are thin, soft and elastic otherwise bumps on knees might be a reason why your baby doesn’t want to crawl at all! That was the reason in our case. I remember it was winter when I bought these cute crawling tights. And my girls were not happy about them! Yet I couldn’t understand why. After taking the tights off there were pressed bumps on the knees. Luckily, I was quick to get how much discomfort my kids had to endure from this small yet important detail.
  • Also, make sure the tights you are buying has adjustable waist. Babies comes in different sizes, and knitted waistband usually get loose after just one wash. Falling tights are great opportunity for your child to fell too.

And remember, your smiling face is the most helpful and motivating thing for your child! So have fun… and happy chasing!

 

Read more how our crawling tights can help your baby to reach this crucial milestone

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6 tips how to get your baby crawl
baby crawling tights

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