Is it important for babies to crawl before learning to walk?

YES! I teach dancers of all ages. Those that did not crawl before walking have difficulty later in life with hand-eye coordination, sports, reading. It is a logical, progressive step for development. 1st: we learn to roll over; 2nd: we learn to get to hands and knees and rock back and forth 3rd: we locomote on all fours 4th: we learn to balance our head over our torso sitting and standing 5th: we locomote on 2 feet...natural progression; logical development. Don't let anyone convince you that it is not a necessary step in the development of baby!