Crawling Boot Camp

As I mentioned in my last post, James doesn't know how to crawl. He doesn't even seem to be making progress towards that goal...or pulling up for that matter. I have visions of a 5 year old who wakes up in the morning and says "mommy come stand me up I'm ready to walk around for the day!" Ok-so maybe it really isn't that bad but I do feel like James isn't really working on some leg and arm muscles that he should be for gross motor skills. As I have mentioned here, James seems to like to lounge and let life come to him. I don't really think it is a big issue but I figure doing different activities and exercises to help those muscles can't hurt so we started a crawling boot camp for the weekend. He has been wearing disposable diapers because I thought maybe the bulky cloth diapers were holding him back.

We have been practicing pulling up in his bed because that is the only place he seems to be able to figure it out (that is if I sit him up facing the crib rail-no danger of him crawling out yet!)

We have been practicing pushing things around the house.

We have practiced reaching up the stairs and eventually pulling up on the stairs.

James has been walking on his knees...

He has been trying to go from his knees to standing and from standing down to his knees...

We even got the remote out to entice him to crawl.

As we are doing this I keep saying " I don't want him to be crawling up the stairs, or pulling up in his bed, or playing with the remote, and I'm not really sure I want him to crawl!" But, I do think I am seeing progress in how he is using his muscles and in the mobility he has and that is probably good because I guess he has to grow up sometime...even though I would like to keep him my baby forever!

All this hard work has tired him out and been rough on his knees!