
Oh boy. Your baby has started pushing up to her hands and feet. He’s digging his little toes into the carpet and trying to push his way into forward motion. Hooray!
While crawling used to be considered an important step for future literacy, there’s no readily available study that obviously links the two. That said, delayed or a lack of crawling can occur alongside other developmental delays, so check with an occupational therapist if your child is crawling significantly (4+ months) late or skipping it entirely to walk.
Crawling is an exciting stage for baby! But mom might feel quickly frazzled by how much watching they need to be kept out of trouble. Don’t fear! You’ll form habits to help you through this stage. Soon, crawling will be a breeze for both of you.
Some things that might help you and your peace of mind this season: Plastic covers for outlets so baby doesn’t get any funny ideas about what his fingers fit into. A baby gate, or several, so you can make a crawl-safe zone when your attention needs to be split. A habit of keeping things that you don’t want the baby touching on shelves above waist level. Rearranging your cupboards so that plastic containers and pots and pans are low and an exploring baby can check the contents out without endangering your dishes.
Don’t be afraid about letting baby crawl outside, even in the dirt! Babies’ immune systems are getting primed at this stage, and especially if you’re still breastfeeding, the exposure to dirt and bugs can be beneficial their whole life.
And if this stage ever gets too much for you to handle, recite the Mantra of Mothers Everywhere: This is only a stage. I will enjoy what is good about this. Soon the hard things will be over. I will cherish the memories from this time.
Good luck, Mama!