"Parents can greatly maximize a baby's physical development by providing increased opportunity to move," says Janet Doman, director of the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential. "One father recently wrote to us to say that his baby had crawled the equivalent of five football fields by the time he was 3 months old. His pediatrician was astonished at how mature the baby was in all areas. In contrast to this, most babies have very little time to move. They spend their whole day in devices that restrict or totally prevent movement."

Doman offers the following tips:

• Baby needs the maximum amount of time free on a warm, clean, safe floor where she can use her arms and legs to crawl. Once she can do so she needs to be able to crawl on her belly as much as possible. She will then learn how to creep much more rapidly.
• Avoid bundling Baby up in layers of blankets and clothing that prevent him from moving.
• If the environment is cold you should make her environment warmer so she does not have to wear more than a T-shirt and a diaper. Put Baby on the floor on her belly and give her room to roam. Lie on the floor with her.
• Give him simple, easy goals on the floor. When he can move a few inches to reach you, then make the goal a foot, then a few feet.