Is crawling really that important?

You may have heard that the CDC changed the milestones and actually removed crawling?!? So it must not really matter right? And as an IBCLC why do I care about crawling anyways? It’s not feeding related, right?

Yes the CDC removed crawling from the milestone list, but YES it does really matter. Crawling isn’t just about getting around, it’s SO much more than that. Crawling is a whole body and brain activity, with opposite sides working together. This action shows us SO much, it’s a big clue to how baby is growing and feeling.

When I see a baby that isn’t crawling in a normal quadruped motion, this could be due to physical tension or some other factor that is blocking baby from moving evenly and across both sides at the same time. As baby grows, each thing they do or don’t do gives us clues about how they feel. For example when I see a baby that is toe walking, this tells me about tension and pulling throughout their body, commonly from an unresolved tongue tie. When I see a baby that stacks blocks and instead of tipping their head back to look up, hinges at the waist to look up, this tells me that the baby’s upper cervical spine (the neck area) is tight and not allowing full range of motion.

Crawling is just 1 milestone, but an important physical one. What is great about watching for this development is if there is anything off, if you baby army crawls or drags one leg, it’s early and a great time to start with expert bodywork, and an expert IBCLC. Much better than waiting until baby is walking or talking and things are getting harder. Thoughts about crawling? Tell me below.