*first time mum alert* 10 mo desperate to crawl - is there anything i can do to help him??!

[cheritongirl]

OK i know i will sound like a silly first time mum desperate for my LO to pass his milestones etc.. but the poor little soul has spent the last 2 weeks balancing on all fours, trying to crawl and then collapsing and is intensely frustrated. I sit there trying to help him along to no avail - should i just leave him to it and he'll get there in the end??
I am sure once he is crawling i will be nostalgic for these easy days whe i know where he is all the time, but i do feel a bit sorry for him.
So any advice or should i stop being silly?!

he's just building up to it, better to let him get on with it himself imo.

don't know if it really does help, but providing a role model for him to copy could be beneficial! get on all fours so he can see what to do!
but just bear with him, they do get totally frustrated, but its great when they manage it. i guess learning to deal with frustration is just as important a milestone.

Take him swimming so he can practice his crawling action in the water and think he is getting somewhere. Otherwise, I second MaeBee's suggestion of demonstrating!

My son was moved to crawl forward by grandma's very sparkly shoes. He wanted to reach them so badly...and then,...he was off!!

Ds2 was motivated by foood

My son is 11 and a half months and not yet crawling - he's been frustrated for about 3 months and still hasn't worked in out, poor thing. I've tried everything - every day I put him on all fours and place something desirable out of his reach but he just plops down onto his tummy and cries out of frustration. I've also spent ages crawling around like a prat trying to show him but he just gives me funny looks

I haven't tried the swimming though...

The 2 weeks of balancing on all 4's and falling over is the best thing. His body is building up to it, it's working on a whole heap of stuff and when it all comes together...well it all comes together and he will crawl iyswim.

Leave him to it, he'll get to it in his own time...probably won't be long though, sounds v determined

dd2 is much the same - some los skip crawlng and go straight to coasting around the furniture (like dd1)

TBH my first child spent about three months practising crawling before she finally sussed it.

She cracked it the week we went away on holiday to a house with carpets on the floors. Much easier than our parquet, where she kept skidding backwards when she pushed forwards.

We were at my parents' house at the time, so they saw the milestone. She then very diplomatically started walking at the other grandparents' house!

He's gaining his balance and strength - but it is awful to watch them get frustrated! Be warned - my DD then spent a few days going backwards before she went forwards - and that really did frustrate her!

My son never crawled, he went straight to walking stupidly early. Crawling isn't necessarily something they have to do, although it is supposed to be better for their coordination and development if they do. I don't think there's anything you can do to help him (we tried a fair few things... ahem). He'll get there in the end, or start moving in some other way. The moving you cannot prevent unless they are not neuro-typical. They will find a way to do it somehow. Patience! and good luck.

Both of mine learnt to go backwards before they cracked going forwards. It was so tragic to watch them, the poor little mites! They just couldn't work out why they were getting further and further away from whatever it was.

oh ladies thank you,you have made me chuckle! Well i have tried lots of demonstrating and even the swimming idea (he can do it in the water iykwim!) so think we will just have to wait. Glad some others have been here too though...