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Sometime between six and ten months, most babies begin crawling. Crawling can be defined as using the hands and feet to move. Some babies creep, some scoot, but most are mobile in some way using their hands and feet by ten months. However, an unintended consequence of the Back to Sleep campaign is that many babies who are on their backs for much of the day find little reward in becoming mobile since they can already look around. These babies are crawling later and later, and some skip it all together. Many are asking if it is important that their babies crawl. The data is not conclusive, but anecdotal evidence suggests that crawling (or becoming mobile in some way that requires moving both hands and feet) is necessary for healthy physical and mental development.
Occupational therapists have noticed a distinct relationship between whether or not a child crawled and his ability to read and write. Children who were allowed little or no tummy time as infants are showing poor reading, writing, and fine motor skills as five and six-year-olds. A study in 1998 from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland found that babies who spent a significant amount of time in baby walkers were more likely than other babies to experience what is called "an exploration deficit." These children scored lower than others on tests of physical and mental development. Researchers believe that this is because babies who are not allowed tummy time do not have time to explore, which is vital for mental development. These are the same children who crawl late if at all.
Crawling and exploring allows the brain to develop in a myriad of ways. Crawling uses both sides of the brain in a way that we don't completely understand but is apparently vital in mental development. It is true, however, that there are many children who never crawl but are still walking by the time of their first birthdays or not much after. The Back to Sleep campaign has not yet been around for enough years to determine whether or not the overall effects of back sleeping in physical and cognitive development will be problematic. However, to prevent problems that may occur, it is highly recommended that parents put their babies on their bellies as much as possible during the day. Babies should be allowed as much tummy time as they can be given during their waking hours. To keep in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations, parents should still put their babies to sleep on their backs. Back to Sleep and tummy time can work together to ensure that infants are surviving their first few months and developing normally both physically and mentally.
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