At what developmental milestone does an infant first demonstrate the ability to crawl?

An infant typically begins to crawl around the age of 9 months. This milestone signifies an important phase in physical development, where the child starts to explore their environment more actively and gain greater independence. Crawling is a crucial skill that not only enhances physical strength and coordination, but it also promotes cognitive development as infants learn about spatial relationships and cause-and-effect interactions through their movements.

At around 3 months, infants are generally still developing head and neck control and may begin to show early attempts at pushing themselves around but are not yet crawling. By 6 months, many infants can sit with support and may rock back and forth on their hands and knees, but actual crawling usually does not occur until closer to 9 months. By 1 year, most infants are confidently mobilizing either through crawling or even walking, having developed their gross motor skills further. Thus, 9 months is the milestone marker for the initiation of crawling in infants.