Dr. Komarovsky on how to teach a child to crawl

An important developmental milestone for a baby is learning to crawl. It’s an indication that your child is growing more independent, coordinated, and strong. However, parents may find it overwhelming at times when teaching a baby to crawl. That’s when renowned pediatrician Dr. Komarovsky steps in to offer his professional guidance.

Although every child develops at their own pace, parents can help their child start crawling by following these easy steps, according to Dr. Komarovsky. We’ll look at his suggestions for setting up a secure and encouraging environment for your baby to begin crawling in this post.

This post will provide you helpful advice on how to support your child in reaching this exciting developmental stage, regardless of whether you’re a first-time parent or simply seeking direction. You can support your baby’s crawling journey with confidence if you follow Dr. Komarovsky’s advice.

About skills

Parents are proud and happy when their child outpaces the calendar development. Mothers start to worry and hold themselves accountable for everything if their child lags behind their peers, even by a small amount. It’s reasonable that many attempt to assist their infant in learning new skills. They frequently consult doctors with concerns about how to teach the baby to crawl and whether it is even worth trying.

Parents should stop making value judgments about their own children, advises Evgeny Komarovsky. Every child has unique norms and developmental stages that can deviate greatly from the average. When a child is five months old and another is seven months old and neither of them can sit or crawl, parents are particularly worried about their child’s physical development.

The best thing parents can do for their child is to stop listening to girlfriends and neighbors who obstinately cast doubt on their child’s proper development. There is nothing to be concerned about if you provide all the conditions necessary for the child’s normal development and growth, take regular trips to the pediatrician, and your child’s physical development does not cause you any doubts or concerns.

About crawling

Some kids never learn to crawl. Not at all. They start off sitting, get to their feet, and walk for the first time. According to Evgeny Komarovsky, the crawling stage is extremely beneficial and essential for maintaining one’s back health. Crawling should therefore be promoted and assisted in every manner that is feasible. It will be simpler for the parents if the child has begun to crawl on his own. Should he adamantly refuse to move on his stomach or all fours, the parents should consider if everything they have done is correct.

In an attempt to get their child upright as soon as possible, parents frequently disregard crawling as a general concept. They could just crawl with him, but instead they put him on his feet, lead him by the hand, and buy him different gadgets to help him stay upright (walkers, jumpers, etc.). There would be significantly more advantages from this.

It is particularly risky to try to verticalize a baby who is overweight or a plump, chubby child. Crawling should be encouraged in such babies with double the enthusiasm. Furthermore, it would be best to keep all walkers and jumpers hidden from him (as well as his parents).

Teaching a child to crawl, according to Dr. Komarovsky, is all about providing a secure, supportive environment in which the infant can explore at their own pace. Since every child develops at a different rate, he counsels parents to allow their baby plenty of tummy time, use toys to encourage movement, and refrain from pressuring the issue. Support and guidance are the objectives; hurrying is not.

How to teach?

Natural ability to crawl is something that babies should only be assisted in "remembering" for a short while by their parents. Typically, between the ages of 5 and 6 and 8 and 9 months, a child starts to crawl through space. It is worthwhile to see a doctor if an older child is not able to sit or crawl in order to determine whether the cause is a baby’s unique characteristics or a weakness in the muscles of the back and limbs. Crawling stimulation is an essential set of actions.

Preparatory stage

In the preparatory phase, motivation is created through stimulation. The child will not crawl if he has no interest in doing so. That means you have to make him want to crawl. Place something fascinating or a lovely, colorful toy in front of him that the infant will be unable to reach without attempting to push himself forward from a prone position. The task will be easier if the child is already sitting; if not, encourage him to crawl instead of forcing him to sit.

Along with the classes themselves, the primary training phase consists of a health massage aimed at strengthening the back, neck, and abdominal muscles. Parental ideas are the source of information about the ideal position for crawling. Babies independently select a posture that feels good for them. There’s no need to step in and try to correct anything, even if the child appears to be crawling incorrectly and pushing off with only one leg (or fidgeting on his stomach, spreading his arms and legs and waving them).

Slow crawling

Children who are assisted in getting to all fours frequently "freeze" in this position for extended periods of time. They are not in a rush to move forward, but they can swing, as if to see if they can maintain their balance. Komarovsky advises against rushing these "slow" toddlers in any situation. They are going through a critical phase where they are learning about their own body’s vestibular abilities.

Parents with common sense will assist their children in this by playing rhythmic music, reciting poems, or counting rhymes in sync with the movement.

The expert advises parents—a request that is frequently made—not to look up videos online that demonstrate how to teach a child to crawl using the Komarovsky method when they are five months old. There isn’t a video like that because children start crawling at different ages. When the infant is prepared for a new gait, which is typically much later than five months, parents must actively assist him.

Evgeny Komarovsky does, however, still offer a number of methods for teaching a baby to crawl.

• Personal example. From the outside, this looks funny and sometimes even ridiculous, but a better way to teach a child something than a personal example has not yet been invented. If the child is lying on his stomach, crawl next to him on your belly. If he has already gotten up on all fours, stand next to him and show him how to move. Children who are afraid to move forward can be helped by supporting them with a palm under the tummy. If the whole family, including brothers and sisters, gets down on all fours for a couple of days, it will be perfect.
• The mission must be feasible. If you put a toy too far away from the child, trying to interest him in crawling, the baby will quickly understand that it is difficult, complicated or impossible to get to it. Then he will stop trying and come to terms with the inaccessibility of the desired object. As an option, he may start screaming loudly, demanding this toy. But if you put it nearby, and move it a little further every day, then the crawling process will occur naturally, with mutual interest of the parties.
• Teaching movements. New exercises should be added to daily gymnastics or massage procedures that will imitate crawling and train muscle memory. You can put the child on his back and alternately bend and straighten his legs at the knees. This is not only a useful procedure, but also a fun game. You can put a soft cushion under the baby"s tummy, take him by the legs and "roll" him a little with his tummy on the cushion, while the baby should rest his hands on the hard surface of the floor.

An additional useful exercise is to mimic a frog’s movements by placing the infant on his stomach on a hard surface and bending and spreading both legs in different directions, just like a frog would. The infant will eventually learn to push off and make the first inertial movement forward when you place your palm so that the baby’s feet rest on it after a while in this position.

You can strengthen your arms and shoulder girdle by walking on your hands. If the infant falls asleep soundly on his hands while on his stomach, gently lift his legs and push him forward so he can start to "step" with his hands. Avoid doing it too quickly to avoid giving the baby a severe head injury.

Doing these exercises two or three times a day for fifteen to twenty minutes is sufficient. In 4-6 weeks, if parents pay close attention to the schedule and regularity of the exercises, the child will become proficient at crawling.

Where to crawl?

A child does not learn to crawl because of a small playpen or a crib that is too small. Setting up a space for the infant to perform floor exercises will help hasten the process. Avoid doing this on a cold floor; instead, cover the area with a warm, thin blanket and place diapers on top. You cannot prevent falling if you practice crawling on a sofa or bed.

Safety

In order to better understand what a child wants and fears, Dr. Komarovsky counsels mothers to see the world through the eyes of their child. He advises moms to do this by lying on the floor, first on their back and then on their stomach, and carefully surveying their surroundings. What draws the child’s attention and what is sticking out and lying badly will be immediately apparent. When seen from below, wires, sharp edges, and an alluring chest of drawers will all be readily apparent, making it simpler for parents to understand how to keep their child safe.

Some parents think that purchasing a playpen for the infant is sufficient to guarantee safety. A playpen, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, is a great way to give a baby a safe place to be, but only while the mother needs to go (to the kitchen, bathroom, or toilet).

A playpen is not necessary if the mother is free and the child is in the same room. The child will find it much more useful to crawl on the floor while the mother reads or uses the computer.

If you’ve already made up your mind to purchase a playpen, you can go with a multipurpose model that easily converts into a night light, an electronic rocking chair with music, a changing table, or a crib. A lot of playpens come with wheels on their legs, which make it simple to move the playpen around the apartment with the child in it. In order for the infant to assist mom in vacuuming the living room or preparing dinner in the kitchen.

When you need to consult a doctor?

An orthopedist and a neurologist should be consulted if parents have been doing exercises and massages on a regular basis for a few months and there have been no noticeable improvements (in addition, the child is already 9–10 months old, but he does not sit or crawl). In the event that no health issues are found, the parents will need to use specific educational "tricks."

Little tricks

• All children are greedy. If you invite a friend with a child who already crawls or even walks well, and leave the children to play in the same space, the guest who is more mobile will quickly take possession of all the toys of your little lazy person. Usually, the sense of ownership takes over, and the child begins to make attempts to move in order to take his property back. Maybe this will not happen on the first visit of friends (and not on the second), but it will definitely happen.
• All children love to play. If you make small reins from a sheet that are put under the child"s arms for support from above, and equip the surface using Glen"s method (an inclined surface on the main one), then such leisure will be perceived by the child as a game, and crawling will become a natural ending to this game.
• Convenience. In order to crawl with pleasure, the child should not feel uncomfortable. Check how spacious the clothes are on him, whether the seams, fly, zippers and snap fasteners do not interfere with him. In summer, it is better to do such exercises in one diaper. In winter, the child should be dressed lighter than at rest, because active movements will increase sweating.

Crawling is just one milestone in a child’s developmental journey; Dr. Komarovsky emphasizes that every child develops at their own pace. If their child isn’t crawling at the scheduled time, parents shouldn’t worry because some kids skip this phase entirely. Rather, concentrate on giving them a secure and supportive environment in which to explore.

Your child can be motivated to start crawling by engaging in simple activities like tummy time and putting toys just out of reach. Remind yourself to be patient and to acknowledge little victories. When your child is learning about the world around them, your encouragement and support are crucial.

In the end, have faith in your child’s organic growth. Though it’s usually a good idea to speak with a pediatrician if you have any concerns, your child will usually start crawling when they’re ready.

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