Crawling and Your Child’s Development
There is a proper development of neurological processes that is directly tied to the development and process of a little on their first two years of life. Learning to sit up, crawl, climb and walk. It is important that children follow a specific order to reach the right development.
At times, we have heard parents boast how their children walked early, and skipped crawling and climbing. This is not a sign that the child is more advanced than their peers. This is a sign that the child missed important parts of development.
As we learn to move our bodies in a particular sequence, it assists in developing our neurology. Crawling with the contra-lateral movement.
When we develop and begin to crawl, it directly affects the development of our brain. In the first two years of our life a large percent of our neurology is formed. Cross-crawl patterns promote the growth and connection of the corpus callosum. This is part of your brain the connects the two hemispheres.
This connection helps with coordination, movements, and brain function overall. It is tied to developing the balance system, problem solving, and better learning.
Physically, crawling promotes the development of the spine (YES!), muscle strength and function. Part of the body that develops with crawling is the hip sockets. Their shape gets further developed through crawling and are pulled more inward and forward to better help the baby as it moves towards walking.
Other physical benefits include strengthening hand eye coordination, better ankle flexion, rotational movement in the spine.
What happens when your child jumps ahead to walking and missing crawling and climbing? It does not make them advanced. It takes away from what they need to develop. If your child did miss these mile stones, they are more likely to have a learning disability, ADHD, and other neuro-developmental delays.
We highly recommend encouraging your little to crawl as much as possible before climbing and walking. If you have a little already walking and missed the other steps leading up to it, try practicing crawling a few times a day.
So why bring your child to a chiropractor if they missed these steps?
Pediatric specific chiropractors focus on the neurology and function of the nervous system (AKA the signals of your brain!). We focus on balancing the nervous system, improving sleep, and learning. When littles skip certain mile stones, they also tend to have different muscle development, more stress on their nervous system, and sometimes, even more stress in general. Chiropractic is gentle and effective.
At DHCC, we focus on creating ease and balance in the body through specific and individualized adjustments.
If you are in the Dover, Delaware area, looking to connect with the best chiropractors in Delaware, you are always welcome to reach out to our office for a consultation.