TRACKING THE IMPACT OF THE CHILD WHO DIDN’T CRAWL MOTHERS SHARE Rochel, 32: Two of my children did not do the traditional crawl. One dragged her feet to get around and the other did not crawl at all for a long time, and after trying for a while, skipped the stage.
Rikki, 37: I personally never crawled, and although I baruch Hashem did not have any real “issues,” I do have a hard time with right and left identification. Even now, as an adult, it just doesn’t come automatically to me. One of my children did not crawl and also had a hard time crossing the midline, which required a lot of therapy to overcome. On the other hand, two of my children who did not crawl at all are the most coordinated kids I know out there. One of them didn’t crawl due to reflux, which made the position uncomfortable, and one of them due to a loose shoulder joint that he was unable to put weight onto. I learned that there is often an underlying cause for not crawling the right way, but it isn’t always a reason that necessitates physical or occupational therapy.
This bothered me because I’d read so much about the developmental benefits of crawling and assumed they’d have issues later on with writing, handwriting, and brain stimulation. In the end, I took the child for craniosacral therapy, which balanced out that lack.
Nechama, 25: My baby is currently crawling around with one foot stuck beneath him, in a halfway sitting position. I’m trying to teach him to do it the correct way, and I think he’s slowly getting it baruch Hashem. It does bother me that he isn’t crawling properly because I understand that it’s important for a baby to crawl properly in order to develop their coordination skills, which are crucial.
Esti, 42: Each and every one of my children skipped the crawling stage, and there was absolutely no lasting effect on their development.
Rivka Leah, 31: One of my boys was very delayed with the crawling and walking stage. His therapist had us make a family game out of crawling, and all the kids were crawling around and mooing for weeks, pretending to be cows. I would also lock him into the position between my legs. Still, he did very minimal crawling for around two weeks. And I got a lot of education about the importance of the crawling stage for babies’ development.
Chana, 38: None of my seven children had a “crawling stage.” They all did some sort of hopping shuffle. When one of my kids was in that stage and a relative scared me about the effect on development, I took the child to our doctor. He said that as long as a child can crawl, even if it isn’t something they do for months or until age two, they’re okay. He explained that it’s about having the coordination necessary to crawl, not about building the muscle while crawling.
WELLSPRING / IYAR 5783
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