Benefits of Crawling
Why should my child crawl?
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Builds strength in their arms and legs
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Develops balance and postural control; increases body awareness
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Helps develop whole-body coordination and postural stabilization
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Provides motivation to explore his/her environment
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Assists with body development and improvement of bone density
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Helps the development of hand-eye coordination
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Assists with the development of binocular vision
What happens if my child doesn't crawl?
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Risk of weak muscles and tight ligaments; joint instability
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Delayed fine motor control; poor handwriting
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Risk of poor trunk stabilization and poor postural control
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Decreased hand-eye coordination and decreased body awareness
What can I do to encourage my child to crawl?
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Early tummy time exposure leads to increased tummy time tolerance
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Place child in tummy time 2-3 times/day for at least 3-5 mins; gradually increase
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Make crawling fun! Get on the floor with your child to encourage fun activities
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When on tummy, place colorful, engaging toys just out of reach of child to encourage movement