By Courtney Singer
Did you know that many sports coaches have their adult athletes crawl as part of training?
Crawling knits together the input that a baby’s brain is constantly receiving. The opposing movements of the knee and shoulder force the brain to use both left and right hemispheres together.
Some babies need help to learn how to crawl. The proper form for crawling looks like a coffee table that moves across the floor with leg and arms for propulsion. Knees and shoulders work in opposition.
Right now, I am teaching baby Marguerite to crawl. I sit on the carpet with my legs straight in front of me and lay Marguerite, face toward the floor, over one of my legs.
Then, I slightly raise my leg tipping her gently forward to force her to use her arms to support her weight. My hand is on her back to stabilize her body and keep her safe. As I raise my leg a little she puts her hands down. Then I lower my leg again.
We do this exercise for a few days until she gains confidence. I pat her back and encourage her and reward her hard work with hugs.
The next step is to lay Marguerite over one of my legs, face toward the floor, and this time raise my leg a little higher forcing her rear end to lift. My hand is on Marguerite’s back to stabilize her and keep her safe. We do this exercise for a few days until she feels confident of her ability to hold her weight with her hands, tummy on my leg, and my hand on her back.
Then the fun starts. With a little shimmy, and my hand on her back for support, I wiggle my leg until Marguerite has slithered over to the other side of my leg. This is usually pretty exciting, especially since I exclaim, “You did it!”.
Marguerite is not quite sure what she did, but enjoys the loving praise. We work on this exercise until Marguerite can crawl over my legs without my help.
Do you remember the last time you crawled on the floor? Give it a try and think about how good it is for your brain.
And if you have babies in your home listen for the rhythmic sound of a happy baby speed crawling over to you for hugs and love.
Courtney Singer runs BLOOMIN’ CRADLE DAYCARE a Small In-home Daycare for Infants here in Skye Canyon. She has limited Enrollment with a Flexible Schedule; Special Dietary needs accommodated; Scent Free Hypo-Allergenic Home; CPR Trained. Call (702) 476-8624 for more information. This is a Landline and doesn’t accept text messages. Phone call inquiries only. Bloomin’ Cradle Daycare has no social media presence for the security of your family.