CRAWLING A DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONE
As a childcare provider you know the importance of appropriate physical development. Often because you spend more waking hours with your participating children than almost any other adult, parents depend on you to keep them informed of any new developmental milestones their children have mastered while in your care. Parents are often concerned that their child is not doing what other children are doing at a certain age.
As you have observed from your experience there are some children who go straight from sitting, to pulling up, to standing and then to walking. Often a baby’s temperament is playing a role, since placid infants are often content to stay in one place.
Here are some ways to encourage infants to crawl:
• Make sure you schedule into your day plenty of ‘tummy time’ starting at age three months. You will have to arrange your schedule to be able to give the infant supervised time in a safe area where they will not be accidentally hurt by older children.
• Try placing infants on the floor on their stomachs for five to ten minutes while you watch. Never leave the infant unattended.
• You can place the infant on your chest while you lie on the floor
• Get down on the floor and place toys just out of the infants reach. This will provide incentive to try to push, pull or drag themselves forward.
According to the International Association for Child Safety – most accidents happen to young children when they are within six feet of adults. Here are some safety tips to make sure your environment is safe for infants:
• Make sure that the other children in your care have not left any small toys like Legos within the infant’s reach.
• Make sure gates are at the top and bottom stairs
• Make sure there are no electrical cords the infant could pull on. For example: lamp cords
• Keep household plants out of reach. Some can poisonous.
Making sure you have designated space to promote developmental progress in every age of children you care for is vital.
If you have a child at about a year old who isn’t mobile at all, you should discuss with the parents your concern and refer them to their pediatrician. Using a developmental assessment tool is helpful in giving parents a periodic progress report.