Crawling
When a baby is playing on his tummy, he sometimes wants to reach toys that are too far. Two strategies are available to him: crying until his parents grab it for him or crawling to get it himself. He will wait two or three times for too many seconds before his parents understand what he wants and give it to him, after that, he will try the second solution.
On all fours
Although some babies never crawl on all fours, it is when they reach the age of 6 to 10 months that most babies rely on their knees to go faster. At first, they move carefully, losing balance, but they soon become all fours racers. Most of them will need to develop an interest for moving around carrying their toys before they decide to climb on furniture and stand up.
Seated scooting
Some children will never move on all fours and prefer to scoot on their bottom. It is a method that makes everyone laugh as they use their feet and bottom to move at an increasing speed. It might not be as well known as crawling but this method allows your baby to carry his milk around without losing a single drop! Well-done baby!
Feet and hands
Your baby will try many other things. He will try to move sideways, roll, walk on his hands and feet and other methods that will end in such failure that they will often be confused with accidents. Although all these methods do not lead to the first famous first steps, they are an important part of your child’s gross motor skills development.
Walking sideways
This step is the last one before your child really walks. By climbing up on the furniture, he practices putting one foot before the other or next to each other. First tiptoeing, then on the whole foot, he tries to find his balance and will eventually find the courage to let go of his precious support. Meanwhile, his parents will spend weeks, even months, watching him stumble and fall. Until that period, the poor parents had never noticed how many corners were on their living room’s tables!
