Stages and Styles of Crawling

Your baby is a unique little individual and this applies to how soon or how late she starts to crawl. All babies develop differently, there is no right or wrong. As your baby gets more curious about the world and develops the muscles needed for crawling, she will be getting around on all fours before you know it.

In fact, some babies skip crawling altogether and move straight on to standing, and then to walking by pulling themselves up and leaning on heavier objects like chairs and tables.

Signs your baby is ready to crawl and crawling stages

Generally, you can probably expect the following stages of crawling:

1. Your baby shuffles forwards, backwards or both.

2. Your baby starts crawling on her tummy, commando style.

3. Your baby gets up on all fours and even lunges forward.

4. Your baby goes into full crawl mode.

Encourage your baby to crawl by giving her some tummy time, which helps strengthen the muscles she needs for crawling.

Soon your little one might be doing mini push ups, doing a ‘swimming' movement on her tummy, or rocking back and forth. These are the classic signs that your baby is getting ready to crawl.

Crawling styles

Each crawling baby is different, and your baby's crawl style is likely as unique as she is herself. Typical crawling styles include:

• The Classic: Moving one arm and opposite leg together.

• The Scoot: Dragging her bottom across the floor.

• Crab Crawl: Propelling forward with one knee bent and the other extended.

• The Backward Crawl: remember, any motion is good.

• The Commando: lying on her tummy but using her arms to move forwards.

When babies typically start to crawl depends on loads of factors, but if your baby isn't crawling by 12+ months or if you are concerned about her progress be sure to discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Pretty soon your baby will be crawling confidently, checking out everything around the house. It's worth being prepared for this, so babyproof your home with these tips in mind. Another challenge is that as she becomes more determined to discover and play all the time, it will be harder for mum and dad to change that nappy. That's when nappy pants can come in handy. With nappy pants your baby is changed in seconds, so the fun doesn't have to stop and she can be off on her way in no time.