Winter Babies Learn to Crawl Faster than Those Born in Summer: Study

Babies that are born in winter learn to crawl earlier than those born in summer, finds a study.

Crossing milestones like learning to sit up straight, crawling, standing and talking at the right age are healthy signs of development in children. A new Israeli research found season during which children are born plays a key role in their motor development. The experts examined 47 healthy babies of whom 16 were born in summer and the rest  31 during winter and used Alberta Infant Motor Scale to record development patterns before turning one year. Parents of the infants were also asked to keep a tab of their child's developments like sitting, crawling and standing.

It was observed that children born in winter began crawling 30 weeks after birth when the average crawling age is 35 weeks. In addition the AIMS scores of winter babies was higher for movements, position of hands, legs and stomach while crawling compared to children who were born in summer seasons.

"The difference in crawling onset of four weeks constitutes 14 per cent of a seven-month-old's life - and is significant. The geographic location and the local climate where the study is conducted is important to understand the findings," the authors write in the study, reports the Daily Mail.

Results of studies conducted in Denver, Colorado and Osaka in Japan revealed similarities with the present study showing that seasons and climatic conditions have an impact on children's body development and growth.

"The season influences the babies' experiences in a number of ways, including layers of clothing that are worn; the opportunities babies are given to spend on the floor on their stomachs, and the hours of activity and daylight. Awareness of the seasonal effect is important so that parents will give their babies proper movement and development opportunities in the winter as well," the authors added.