This baby is on a mission to gain control of his environment. Wanting to touch and explore everything in baby’s path. Trying to get mobile as soon as possible. It’s exhausting just watching, never mind trying to keep up with baby and ensure that he is always safe. Now that baby may be mobile, even just a little, the need for safety and caution cannot be overemphasised. Babies also learn how to go up things such as steps much more easily than down – so make sure that you keep an eye on baby and are available for helping with retrieval! Many babies this age are enthusiastic about cruising – the name given to the way babies walk around using the furniture as support. Since baby has no way of gauging which pieces of furniture will provide a stable support and which will not, this is another reason why baby needs to be carefully monitored. If you have furniture that is unstable, you may have to consider putting it in storage for the time being. Making the environment as safe as possible is a wise precaution. It may mean that your house will be less beautiful for a while, but the peace of mind it brings is worth the sacrifice.

Weaning woes
If you are still breastfeeding, then you should congratulate yourself. However, be aware that you may come in for some pressure to stop feeding, especially from people in your parent’s generation, who may feel that there is something slightly distasteful about you breastfeeding your baby for this long. Try to develop a thick skin in this regard, and continue with your good work. Become aware of the attitude that your baby has towards feeding, as many babies at this age suddenly decide that they have had enough of breastfeeding, but it often takes mom a while to get the message. If baby wants to wean, then let him lead the way, as this is the most stress free solution to weaning that you could hope for. Also make sure that you are not exhausting yourself with feeding. Baby really needs to be getting a substantial amount of nutrition from solids at this age, and the breastfeeding should be a top up, rather than the other way around. The nutritional needs of a baby this big and this busy are considerable, and breastfeeding should be a bonus rather than the main supply.

Your very own chatterbox
Baby will be making lots of sounds now, and getting good at mimicking the sounds he hears. What is a fun new development is when baby starts to babble as though he is actually talking, except it’s complete gibberish. It’s a delightful stage for the adults around, because the noises sound so much like language, but mean nothing! A fun activity is to repeat those nonsense sounds back to back and watch him laugh in delight! Repeating sounds and actions to each other is a wonderful and fun learning activity and baby is getting better at it and enjoying it more every day, so play to your heart’s content.

The social scene
It’s a bonus for baby if you are able to socialize with other babies the same age. Your baby will probably be entranced and fascinated to watch other babies play, and at this age babies will also copy each other – called parallel play. There is an additional reason for this type of activity – for you to indulge in some adult conversation. This is your chance to see that babies really do develop at very different rates. What you will probably notice is that some babies are ahead of your baby and some are behind. It really isn’t a race, and the temptation to be competitive, which these socials can be, should be resisted. Try to enjoy the company, and the reassurance that your baby and your own thoughts and fears are all perfectly normal. The reassurance that babies do develop differently should help you to enjoy the journey instead of yearning for the winning post. All babies are winners in their own unique way.

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