Is Crawling Important?

Don't Worry if Your Baby Isn't Crawling

My baby is 28-weeks-old (six-months +), and for the last week she has been propping herself up into a pre-crawling position on her hands and knees. She is not quite rocking back and forth yet, and when she gets tired, my daughter decides to army crawl and roll about the wood floors. Needless to say, she is absolutely mobile.

As she is on the verge of crawling, I have been recalling competing information regarding the importance of a baby's first mode of transportation. Some reports claim that crawling is an essential developmental milestone, while others say you shouldn't sweat it if your baby never crawls. Let's get to the bottom of this.

Crawling is an important activity, because it helps babies attain a valuable skill set. However, crawling is not the only way a child will ever develop this skill set. According to WebMD, babies who don't crawl but instead scoot and wiggle still tend to reach other developmental cues on time. They continue by explaining that babies often miss developmental milestones, and it shouldn't be something you need to discuss with your doctor unless your child is consistently missing steps.

In the end, the most important thing to watch for is that your baby is progressing in general. There is no exact timeline for when to expect the next new thing, giving you a whole world of leeway when it comes to each child's development. If your only problem is that your baby gets stuck army crawling until they start pulling themselves up to stand with the coffee table, we assure you there is nothing to worry about.

Miracle products that claim to help your baby's development aren't necessary. Instead, playing, talking and paying attention to your baby helps more than you would imagine.

Let's start this discussion with other moms! When did your baby first start crawling or walking?

Click HERE to read about other milestones in our lives.