Learning at full speed
This eight month old baby is learning about the world through all the senses, and has to be protected from the urge to experience everything! Hot, sharp, small enough to choke baby? This baby has no way to judge what is safe and what is not, so it is vital that you keep the area around the baby free from danger. This is simpler if baby is still not moving, but once the crawling and walking start, this will become even more critical. If you leave the baby with a carer, make sure that this carer is fully trained and aware of how vulnerable a baby is to the environment, and also understands how closely a baby must be supervised.

Big minds turn to small things!
An activity that starts to be very popular among eight month old babies, is picking up small objects. The fine motor skills are developing fast, and for the first time baby begins to have the control to pick up small things. This is a big developmental step forward, but means that these small objects can be swallowed or even pushed up the nose. So keep an eye on baby, encourage this behaviour and monitor very closely what happens to the tiny object! Babies who are learning a new skill are really driven and focused on the activity for a while, and that can be great fun to interact with.

Leg up
Baby is practicing movement. You can leave baby on the tummy, and before you know it, baby is sitting up. It does make the tummy time that is needed for a strong back and to encourage crawling, a bit tricky. If you baby is reluctant to spend time on the tummy, you can encourage this by playing some games that involve tummy time. Baby is probably really enjoying standing up with help – standing on your lap and bouncing is sure to become a favorite pastime. Cruising is when baby walks around by holding onto the furniture. It’s a good step in the right direction towards walking, but again, supervision is vital.

I can feed myself!
Getting the hang of finger foods is something babies love. To be that independent! To be able to mush the food around to my heart’s content! To suck a biscuit until it gives in and collapses in my mouth! These are fun activities for your baby, and take a small amount of stress off you with regard to food. You will still have to provide the bulk of the nutrition by wielding your spoon, but the distraction of the finger food can be very helpful in getting those spoons in.

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