Hi, this is Mara’s dad. The following are the instructions for the crawling track that we made for our infant daughter. Her progress was immediate and striking. Mara started at three months. If we had to do it again she would have started the day she came home from the hospital. It is that valuable.
The high quality foam and the width of the track are important details. The foam is a safety and traction issue. The width impacts the child’s traction and how effective the track will be to help the baby crawl.
Looking back, we would probably have used a leather-like surface with some texture. Something that is easy to clean, but provides traction for planting arms and legs and propelling the baby forward. We used a cloth surface that was non-abrasive but had enough texture to provide traction. It was a good surface, but an easy to clean surface would have been better.
IMPORTANT: I understand that there is a tendency to look at the instructions and think about cutting corners. Please do not. There is a reason this is so solidly built. It needs to be strong and the different parts are built for a reason.
This crawling track is designed to be used with one end elevated. The elevation will vary based on the child’s age and skill level, but the starting side is higher than the finishing side. Think about one end of this crawling track sitting about 4-6 inches high (on a single stair or a solid cushion) on the top side where the baby starts crawling. It is not a major elevation, but the slight downward slope helps the baby to crawl.
Because of this, the base of crawling track must be built of solid material (wood) because it must be durable and able to support the weight of the baby and the weight of the track. The high quality foam protects the baby from hitting its head on this otherwise very hard, sturdy surface.
In addition, the walls on the sides must be made of wood covered in high quality foam. The baby will use the corner where the floor meets the walls as a leverage point to push her body forward. The walls must be covered in high quality foam because she will be hitting her head against the walls frequently. And the walls need to be sufficiently high that the baby will not be able to roll over and fall out of the crawling track.
A few notes:
- The track is designed based upon a basic description provided in Glenn Donan’s book “How Smart is Your Baby?” More information on how to use the track is provided there.
- The spray adhesive has a very strong odor. Allow some time for the fumes to evaporate before leaving the infant on the track for crawl training.
- Disclaimer: I am not a professional and this is simply a description of what I made because we had so many requests from other parents.
- The instructions for the Infant Crawling Track are provided as is without any guarantees or warranty. I make no warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, of title, or of non-infringement of third party rights. Use of the product by a user is at the user’s risk.
Shopping List
(1) 19” x 48” plywood board, between 22/32” to 3⁄4” thick*
(2) 1”x6”x4’boards**
(1) can of Gorilla Spray Adhesive
(10) 1.5” #8 Wood Screws
(1) 54” x 50” Fabric Panel (medium thick / some texture – need traction to crawl)
(1) 1” x 24” x 72” Upholstery Foam Sheet High Density (Density 1.5, Compress 44 LB)***
* I bought one 2’ x 4’ Handy Panel board from Home Depot and had it cut in store to 19” wide
** I bought one 1” x 6” x 8’ board from Home Depot and had it cut in half in store for two 4’ pieces
*** I bought mine on Amazon from IZO All Supply (amazon.com/gp/product/B07B8VL5QQ)
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