Crawl & Cross-Body Play ideas could look like...

• Cross curls: gently guide your baby’s hand to their opposite knee. Make it fun by tying a balloon on one ankle and encourage them to use the opposite hand to reach it.
• Make a tunnel, from sofa cushions, or your legs, to make it playful and supportive!
• Encouraging your baby to grab and play with their feet will help strengthen their tummy.
• Practice pivoting - this is a pre-crawling milestone where a baby moves in a circular motion on their belly, rotating around their own axis to reach for toys or explore their surroundings and helps to build your babies balance and coordination. Pivoting in babies is often seen around 5-6 months of age, strengthening their core, shoulders, and arms, and helping to build the foundational crossing of the body needed for later crawling. To encourage pivoting, you can place interesting toys in a circular arrangement around your baby during tummy time.
• If your baby’s back looks rounded while sitting, pause and return to floor play and rolling.

Why Crawling Comes First…

Crawling is so important because it:

• Connects both sides of the brain.
• Strengthens the core, shoulders, and eyes.
• Supports learning, balance, and coordination.

Barefoot = Brain Power!

Barefoot play is important for babies' healthy physical and neurological development, promoting stronger feet and arches, better balance and coordination, and increased body awareness. From early on encourage babies to grab their feet so they can freely explore their feet and experience the thousands of receptors that help the brain map the body.