My son was a late crawler, which was something that I was under incredible stress about. I obsessed that it could potentially be linked to a cognitive issue, even though I was repeatedly told the contrary. It only took one physical therapy session for him to start to crawl!
I can’t stress enough how important – and anxiety reducing – it is to get help. I found out that my son was born with low muscle tone and high flexibility, which made crawling more difficult for him. He also learned that if he screams, he gets what he wants (as in, I bring it to him), so he developed low motivation to move (basically he learned how to manipulate me…). Finding items that motivate him to move has been key – like the The IKEA Play Tunnel and Tent.
It’s one of the best things I’ve gotten hands down and each of the pieces retails for only $19.99. Not only does it help with practice/motivation for crawling, but it’s perfect for playing hide and seek. While it may seem like a throwaway “game,” hide and seek is so important for babies/toddlers who struggle with separation anxiety (basically all babies/toddlers…), as it helps teach them about object permanence (a concept whereby the child learns that just because they no longer see something, doesn’t mean it’s gone). Plus, pretty much every child laughs – and what’s more adorable than that – when you do hide and seek or peek-a-boo.
This set is great for that, plus even children of walking age I’ve seen love it. While crawling is thought to be a baby thing, it actually helps develop strength and balance even for toddlers who are walking. Besides encouraging the development of motor, strength and coordination skills, this set is also easy to store and setup pretty much anywhere.
