6 things you need to know when babies start crawling

No matter what holidays are on your calendar, you may not be excited about them or look forward to them. Too busy or too tired to do something special on a holiday (most parents are aware of this), you may feel frustrated, but instead try to focus on the great moments and events of your life that are valuable and memorable, as they are your real occasion for celebration and enjoyment that do not depend on the dates on the calendar.

When you have a baby, every day can bring you wonderful moments that are worth appreciating and remembering, but when the baby starts to move and discover the world , the real fun begins. However, this also means additional challenges, more daily work and more things that require your attention. Here are the most important things to know:

1. To secure from an early age

Various studies show that nearly 50% of parents start securing their home for their baby when he starts crawling. Since home security is not a simple or one-off thing, but a process that takes some time and effort to complete, it is best to start early, long before your child has crawled.

Listing all the things that are essential for the protection of the baby will require writing a separate article, but the most important are electrical outlets and cables, detergents, medicines, cosmetics, sharp objects and all sorts of small things that can be swallowed and choked. When babies start crawling, all members of the family are already aware of this "putting everything in their mouth" phenomenon, but now it can be your biggest challenge.

2. Perspective on the floor

If you have stairs, a safety door or fence / grille is needed and the main reason why it is recommended to install child safety guards on the drawers or cabinet doors is to protect your little fingers from injury. Securing the sharp edges of the table is also a good idea, and if you have tablecloths, get rid of them for a while. Many injuries are the result of babies tearing down tablecloths along with objects placed on the table.

Go down to the floor by yourself and try to see the world from your baby's point of view. Examining every inch of the floor and every little space behind or under furniture will help eliminate unpleasant surprises, such as wondering where this ball of hair, a fallen button or a piece of paper might come from on the ground while vacuuming the floor every day.

3. Stop comparing your baby to others

People love to talk about their children and brag about their children's achievements - even if you don't have much time to communicate with other parents, there are social networks, blogs, comments, so you will find a lot of information about babies starting to do something. earlier or better than yours.

Whether it's crawling, walking, talking or building towers - some can master it in record time or in big jumps, while others seem to be making slow progress. The main reason for this is that children tend to develop at their own pace, so don't worry if yours is less enthusiastic about something than the others. Parents often tend to exaggerate when they brag about the progress of their extremely special, smart, and talented children.

4. Late or never - for crawling

Babies usually start crawling between 8 and 9 months, but there will always be someone to brag about that their child is already walking at that age. However, what they call "walking" is actually called a "cruise" and many parents are confused. A cruise means your baby slides his legs to move or takes small steps while holding something. This way of moving is different from balancing the body and walking independently.

So the next time you hear about babies walking at the age of 9, 8 or even 7 months, you will find that they are not some superhero babies - they are probably able to rise to an upright position and move with some support, or they may have missed the "creeping" part altogether.

Babies spend more time on their backs, as this position is recommended to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) and have less belly time or time to play on the floor, which encourages pushing the breasts off the ground after this rolling, crawling and rocking of arms and knees. If your baby moves from a sitting position to an upright position without going through the "creep" stage, you have nothing to worry about, but belly time is important to promote your baby's growth and development.

5. Time for abdominal exercises

While an exercise ball may be a more convenient option for younger ones who are just starting to lie on their stomachs, playing on the floor is a great way to stimulate a variety of skills that develop from experience and practice. Putting a toy to reach for and putting something against the baby's feet while sitting will help him learn to crawl, and you'll also need socks with rubber soles if it's too cold to keep the child barefoot. .

Still, the main part of "floor time" is interactivity, which means playing, talking and letting your baby see your facial expressions, not just leaving him on the floor and checking your Facebook or email . As today's world becomes too busy, most babies have little time to play on the floor, moving from the high chair to the car seat, then to the stroller or jumper, swings or stationary activity centers and back to the high chair.

6. Walkers, bungee and activity centers

Ironically, some baby facilities such as walkers are designed to prevent falls, but have resulted in more serious injuries than falls, while other species are designed to promote development, but their main function is to hold babies in one place. offering the right toys to them, thus depriving them of the need to obtain out-of-reach items that play a key role in the study of the environment, movement and the development of various skills.

While some experts are strongly against such devices, most agree that stationary walkers, bungees and jumpers are good when used in moderation for short (10-15 minutes) periods of time. While this can be useful when you need to cook or handle laundry, it is tempting to leave your child in such utensils for long periods of time, which can interfere with healthy development and lead to poor balance or movement control. on the tip of the foot (walking on toes).

In addition to identifying potential safety hazards, remembering that some babies never crawl, give your baby enough time to play on the floor, another important thing to know is that the development of most skills depends largely on human interaction. While walkers interfere with walking and activity centers can interfere with activity and natural development if overused, the best thing you can do for your baby is get down on the floor and play with him.