Baby development: Month Eight

This month sees your baby developing her motor skills as she begins to pull up on furniture, ‘coast’ and even crawl. As soon as she starts crawling or moving about she may lose some of that adorable baby chubbiness and start to resemble a toddler.

Eight months marks a stage of transition in your baby as she knows what she wants and uses her adventurous skills to get them. However, the new world she is exploring can also be a scary unfamiliar place and sometimes the only cure for a busy eight month old is a cuddle from mom and dad.

Vision

At eight months, your baby’s eyesight is now developed enough to be almost adult-like and she can see tiny detail and can recognize people who are some distance away.

Sitting

By eight months your baby should be able to sit unsupported but this all depends on her circumstances. If your baby has spent lots of time being propped up in her car seat, highchair or stroller, her back and neck muscles will be used to sitting upright. If your baby spends lots of time on her back or in her sling she will probably sit slightly later because she is not used to having to support herself on her own.

Sitting is a skill that depends on your baby, especially her size. If she’s a large baby she may take a while to master balancing. Some babies sit at four months and some at nine, so the sitting window is fairly large. With this in mind, if your baby is somewhere in between four and nine months and is showing no signs of sitting, don’t worry – it’ll happen. Just give her plenty of opportunities to strengthen her neck and back muscles and encourage balancing by propping her up with you close by and giving her interesting visual stimulation at eye level while she’s sitting. If you’re worried your baby isn’t able to sit yet and is approaching nine months, consult your pediatrician.

Mobility

By eight months your baby should be able to pull up on furniture, and perhaps try a bit of cruising – walking while holding onto furniture. From here she will learn how to sit from standing, and how to bend down to reach for something she has dropped. Next she will probably try bending at the knees and will squat to peer at toys. Anywhere between 10 and 12 months she may be able to stand solo for a few seconds.

Crawling may also be on the horizon. Before your baby crawls she must master sitting, so once she has that skill under her belt she may try to crawl or scoot at around eight months. Babies are crawling much later nowadays because they spend less time on their fronts because of the associated SIDS risk, and some never crawl at all. It’s a great way for your baby to get around though, so if you want to encourage crawling see our how to encourage your baby to crawl feature.

Tumble time

A newfound mobility and sense of adventure means your baby will encounter a few tumbles and falls along the way. While your first reaction may be panic, most of the time your baby isn’t really hurt and is crying because of the reaction it got from you! As long as you’re sure she hasn’t hurt herself, try to resist overreacting when she gets a boo-boo – instead stay calm and distract her with a game or a toy.

Now is a good time to think about baby-proofing your house and garden if you haven’t already. Check the furniture your baby is using to cruise or pull up on has no sharp edges and can’t topple over. Low tables and TV/DVD cabinets can have sharp edges so invest in corner cushions to protect her from hurting her head. Most nursery and department stores stock home safety kits which include these as well as a range of locks for cabinet doors and appliances.

Hands up

This month your baby will enjoy using her hands and may be able to wave hello and goodbye (or at any passerby) and point at objects, birds and trees. You can encourage her by waving hello to her, and pointing out objects and asking her, “where is the bird?” or “where is the mouse in the book?”

Finger foods

Depending on how good your baby is at eating, it might be time to try your baby on some finger foods. Don’t worry if she hasn’t cut any teeth yet – as long as the food you prepare is soft enough her hard little gums should be able to handle it. Steamed vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, make good finger foods because your baby can grip the stem. Pasta can also work as finger foods and is also a good source of carbohydrate. Try cooking tiny pasta shapes or chopping up shells or spaghetti. Small pieces of banana are also great (plus, bananas are portable too). Read our article foods by age for more advice on what to feed your baby.

Using grown-up objects

Babies love imitating what they see, so try brushing your hair, drinking from a cup and talking on a playphone in front of your baby. Your baby may try to mimic you if you then hand her the object. You can also see if she’ll imitate your actions – play a game of clapping, pointing and touching your head to your shoulder to see if your baby copies you.

Why not chat to other parents about this, or other topics, by leaving a message on our chat forum. Alternately, if you want to meet other parents in your area with similar age babies, visit our people section of the site to find out what is happening in your area, or join or start one of our groups.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.

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Last Modified: 03/07/2007

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