For those who are anxious and frustrated seeing other one year old "regular babies" crawling or even walking all over the place, believe me it will happen with your little one, they just have their own schedule, and yes I know, I know everybody tells you the same thing... So I want to share some tips that work for me and maybe help you to put your Angel right on track!
- Be patient... (yeaph, this has to be the most important one!) remember that you may not see any improvement at first, but that doesn't mean that he or she is not getting something. Sometimes I feel that they like to "save" all what they learn on the daily basis without showing us anything and driving us crazy, and one day they just decide to put everything together and "show time"!!! " :) my baby at first started army crawling for several months, and finally since last week she is crawling in "the appropriate way" about 80% of the time, so we still have a lot of work to do, but I feel we finally crossed the bridge.
- Motivation is another important one, my daughter loves paper and food! so I used them in my favor! when she was lazy, I show her something that she likes, puffs are a good one! that way she works on her chewing at the same time as her mobility, and she rolls in order to have the prize! just make sure you don't put the prize too much out of her reach because she may lose interest.
- Sitting, this is another good skill for strengthening her abdominal muscles, and very hard to obtain due to their low muscular tone, and believe me if someone else repeats to me that my baby has low muscular tone due to her down syndrome it will make me turn into "Hulk" or something like that! (but between you and me, it is important to be concsientious about it). If she is still not sitting by herself, work on that skill before working on the crawling, my daughter started sitting just before her first B-Day, (it worked out great for the pictures!) Anyway, lets assume that she is sitting, the idea is always work in the strength of her abdominal muscles, try using a yoga or any oversize ball, sit her on the top and start bouncing her and moving her back and forth and side to side just enough to feel how she tightens her abdominal muscles, you can use your lap as well. Also use a little stool, pillow, baby chair or again your leg, and help her to sit without support on her back (just leave your hands close in case she loses her balance), and again use activity tables, sofa or anything that works like a table for putting toys or food that keeps your baby's interest in maintaining the position, when she has some practice in this you can even start giving her toys or food encouraging to cross her arms in order to get it.
- Kneeling; it is a good idea working in their kneeling, you can use the same trick. Food, toys or whatever she likes, this will help her to strength her abdominals muscles, necessary for crawling and stand up. Use a stool, sofa, activity table or your own leg (put the prize in the top); at first help her to get the position, first resting her butt in her feet and putting her hands in the stool for support (make sure she don't adopt the "W" position), the most that she play in this position the most strong she will get, when she feels ready, she will pull herself and rise her butt up, that means that she is getting closer! keep encouraging kneeling.
- crawling position, she may adopt the knees and hands position by herself, other ways help her do it for a few seconds, when she get it, a rocking movement will be a good start for getting the arms strong (never force more time of what she really wants, we don't want she get hurt or scare, we want to send the message that this is a fun position and she can do more things being in fourth) if this is not working to good try to use your own leg, that way your leg can support her tummy and make her job easy. Remember always use incentives.
- "The trapito", Mexican grandmas version for piece of fabric or blanket (yes, I am from Mexico, but im sure you already find out that with "my english"), anyway, put "the trapito" under her tummy when she is doing the crawling position by herself, and help her advance just a little bit, always making sure her hands and knees are in the floor, if she gets scare or put herself flat, start with the rocking movement is maybe a good idea until she gets used to "the trapito". This trick is very used in Mexico, specially in grandmas time, all my cousins even me use the trapito in some point. But not all the kids like it. (it doesn't hurt to try).
- Another good idea is climbing, encourage her to climb on everything! even yourself, so each time she raises her arms for you to hold her, doesn't matter how much do you want to pick up your little angel, let her work a little bit first, climbing on you (this specially works if you are sitting in the floor) and make sure you hold her before she lose interest. For climbing purposes other things that work great besides you is pillows, again activity tables (I love them), even the first steps of the stairs (if you have the courage, I still don't) the sofa (again, make sure to put the right motivation in the top), but my favorite: the handrail from the crib, it help Camila a lot!
- I save the best for the end, the best help of anything, her older sister Laila (three years old, almost fourth), she puts her self crawling all over the place putting a good example for Camila, encouraging her to follow her, giving her toys and motivating her all the time, so brothers and sisters are wonderful helpers.
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