BABY MILESTONES - EIGHT TO TWELVE MONTHS

Your baby is now becoming quite dexterous and manipulates objects with great curiosity. He is very mobile and wants to explore, which means that you will have to reassess the safety of his environment. What your baby can do • Your baby can now sit by himself on the floor for prolonged periods and can reach well to one side without toppling. • He will be able to sit unsupported and get into a sitting position from his tummy. • At around eight to nine months he gets onto his hands and knees in preparation for crawling. • Most babies learn to crawl sometime between six and ten months. Whilst early crawling may look cumbersome it will not be long until your baby can crawl at speed. • Able to sit up from lying. • Starts to pull himself up to a standing position on furniture and learns to bump down onto his bottom. • Once he is confident at standing at the furniture he’ll start cruising around the furniture; the first steps towards walking. • This can also be the beginning of the clingy stage, your baby may cry when separated from Mum and will hide his face when approached by a stranger. • At around ten months your baby will “talk” in conversational tones using nonsense words. • By around twelve months your baby will stand alone momentarily without holding on and will walk forwards with one hand held. He may take a few steps by himself. How to help you baby learns: Crawling • You can encourage your baby to crawl by placing a toy he wants just out of reach. Sitting up • To sit up from lying on his back your baby will roll forward towards his side and push up with his hands. Pull him up to sit in this manner by holding the upper hand. Pull slowly so he can push up with the lower arm. Try letting go two-thirds of the way up and let him complete the rise alone. Talking • Repetition is the key; babies learn and perfect new skills by repetition (lots of it) • Start naming everyday things in your baby’s world and repeat yourself often. Cruising • Once your baby is walking confidently around furniture, he will progress to stretching across gaps in the room. Rearrange furniture to give your baby opportunities to reach from one support to another.