Crawling

Crawling is the first form of independent movement. Usually, it starts with sitting independently and reaching for something to play with. Crawling serves to further develop baby’s vestibular system, cognition, problem-solving skills, and coordination. It also strengthens shoulder and thigh stability, which impacts feeding, play, and later, skills like walking, dressing, and writing. 
 
But all this new exploration means that baby is further away from you, aka their secure base. And so begins the delicate dance of freedom of independence and the security of connection: separation anxiety. Before babies develop object permanence, they don’t realize that things continue to exist even when they are not seen, heard, or touched—"If my mom isn’t in front of me, she’s totally gone!” But as babies get better at moving objects around they start to develop object permanence. This gives them the ability to form and retain a mental representation of an object, person, or place and is a huge leap in the development of memory and visual-spatial awareness. Separation anxiety, while unpleasant, signals baby’s deeper awareness that you are somewhere.