10/17/2025
The CDC no longer lists crawling as a required milestone because its milestone checklists focus on broad age ranges for developmental surveillance.
But here’s the thing: crawling actively develops the brain and body. It strengthens:
✨ Visual scanning and attention
✨ Hand-eye coordination
✨ Cross-brain communication (each side of the brain working independently)
✨ Bilateral coordination (using both sides of the body together)
Crawling is a powerhouse for development—beyond visual scanning, hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, and brain dissociation, it also supports:
1. Core and upper body strength 💪
Crawling strengthens the shoulders, arms, back, and core, building postural stability for sitting, standing, and walking.
2. Coordination of limbs (cross-lateral patterns) 🔄
Moving opposite arm and leg simultaneously helps the brain coordinate left-right integration, which is foundational for later skills like writing and sports.
3. Balance and spatial awareness ⚖️
Crawling teaches babies how to shift weight and balance, navigating uneven surfaces or obstacles.
4. Sensory processing 🧠
Tactile input through hands and knees, pressure changes, and proprioceptive feedback help the brain process body position and movement.
5. Depth perception and visual-motor integration 👀🤚
Crawling encourages babies to judge distance, height, and space, which supports reaching, grasping, and eye-hand coordination.
6. Cognitive development 🧠
Problem-solving, planning movements, and anticipating where to go next all stimulate executive functioning and spatial reasoning.
7. Communication readiness 🗣️
Crawling promotes bilateral brain activation, which supports later language processing and speech development.
So while the CDC doesn’t require crawling as a milestone, it’s still one of the most brain- and body-building activities you can offer your baby!
