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Can slippery floors hinder my baby´s motor skills development?

Of course slippery floors make it challenging for your baby to be able to get around by themselves, but it is the modern way of living and we doubt that this is going to change.

You might be asking yourselves why it is a problem? One of the reasons why wooden floors are not great for babies learning to crawl is that when they try to get into the crawling position (on all fours) they need to be able to lift themselves into the position with fully stretched arms and then raise their back in order to come onto all fours. This movement is a challenge especially if you have a relatively young baby (4-8 months old) who is in the starting phases of learning to crawl. Instead of being able to project themselves forward they will start to slide backwards and be unable to get up onto all fours.

So the general answer is Yes, it does hinder your baby´s development but there are ways around it and we do not mean having carpet laid wall to wall in your house. We would strongly recommend investing in rubber matting/play matt which your child can use to roll around and lie on in their early months and, as they begin to move more the matting is the perfect place for them to start their first steps towards crawling and later on walking.

We recommend the following products;

Sebra:
The play floors from Sebra is non-slip and provides a cushioned base that gives your child a soft and comfortable surface to sit on and protects your child from the cold wooden floor or hard tile

bObles:
The rubber matt from bObles, it is non-slip and made of semi-soft rubber.

Go Baby Go:
Go Baby Go also offers another solution: Tights with rubber on the knees which makes it easier for your child to grip the floor.

There are many other good products on the market, but we have tested these and are very happy with them.

Your baby needs to have strong muscles around the hip and shoulder region to enable them to get up onto all fours and subsequently begin to crawl. If your baby is not at this stage in their development, the three exercises “Baby on a Fitball”, “On all fours” and “The Wheelbarrow” from our Baby Exercises app can help train these muscles and are a first step in progressing onto the crawling stage.

The Wheelbarrow – One of many exercises in the Baby Exercises & Activities App