Baby Crawling: How Important It Really Is

There is nobody in the wold as busy as a one-year-old baby, possibly the most productive year of his entire life. So numerous and so different are all his experiences; he goes up and down and touches, smells, feels, and tastes almost everything that comes into his grasp. His brain needs to put some order to the myriad of experiences he is coming in contact with; all of which will be stored along all the life of his being.

Crawling not only means a new way of locomotion: as he moves from one side to the other, a lot of very exciting things are happening inside his little head. More and more studies show that crawling is a paramount connection between the physical and neurological development of the baby which, in the future, will be of major importance in his academic and extra-academic performance.

Crawling allows babies to create connections between both cerebral hemispheres.

When the baby coordinates his movements to move in one direction, he mostly first moves the right arm and the left leg and then the left arm with the right leg in a reciprocating motion; this is called cross-crawl patterning.

Motor nerve impulses to the extremities originate in each side to the brain cortex and cross the brain stem in an area called the corpus callous to supply required motor activity to the opposite extremity. This means that when the baby crawls, both hemispheres must communicate and interchange information very quickly.

What makes this incredible is that these same patterns, or neurological routes, are the same that later in life will be used to perform more difficult tasks, such as walking, running, passing one object from one hand to the other, or even taking notes in class while listening to the teacher.

Crawling is key in developing crucial brain activities and skills that will allow baby to succeed and to relate to his world in a more complete and satisfying manner.

If your child should be crawling and has not begun, or of you notice that he or she has been ‘scooting’ and/or mobilizing with a different pattern it is so vitally important to have them seen and evaluated by a chiropractor. As chiropractors we are ensuring proper spinal alignment and pelvic balance.

Removing interference and allowing their bodies of function properly from the biomechanics standpoint will help ensure proper growth and development of your child. 

To find a chiropractor near you that specializes in pregnancy and pediatrics, or if you have concerns about your child’s development, visit the ICPA.