Fun for Little Crawlers

Crawling Games to Play with Baby

By Kim Seidel

When you're already down on the floor with your baby, it's a good time to share in finger plays and songs, such as the "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Babies love music and they love to imitate others, Swift says. Soon he'll be trying to sing along and act out the spider going up and down the water spout. Be creative when doing finger plays. You can rock your baby in your lap on the floor as you "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" gently down the stream together. Your baby may surprise you with some extra giggles and smiles as you play and sing.

Another idea is to use acrylic toy key chains to capture a crawling Baby's attention. "You can insert pictures of loved ones in the acrylic frames for babies to look at," Swift says. "Keep a variety of these key chains in a basket for babies to crawl to."

With your baby crawling around, it becomes even more vital for you to make sure your home is baby-proofed.

"The safety issue is very important with a crawler," Swift says. The best way to handle this is to sit on the floor and look around at what Baby can see from her eye level. Look for not only the obvious safety hazards, such as lamp cords, table cloths and electrical outlets, but also things that may look attractive to your baby. If they see a colorful coffee mug, for example, they may reach for it.

Safety gates need to be used to block stairs in your home. On the other hand, if you have time to supervise and play with your baby, they love stairs. It's fun for them to go up and down, up and down them. "It's great exercise for babies, and they love learning to use their bodies," Swift says. "Then, remember to lock up the safety gate when they're finished climbing."

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• Learning to Crawl: Exploring the World on All Fours
• Walking the Walk: When Babies Start Discovering the World on Two Legs
• Safe Steps for Toddlers: Going Beyond Basic "Baby Proofing"
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