4 Essential Things You Need to Know about an 8-12 Month Baby
Time is flying, isn’t it? You feel like it was yesterday when you came home with your precious and now she is almost a year old! Unbelievable, right? But you still have tons of questions – “How should my baby develop?”, “What’s my role now?” and ‘What’s the best way to care for an 8-12-month-old child?’. I’ll gladly lend you a hand. Here are four essential tips for dealing with an 8-12-month baby.
1. Baby 8- 12 month old milestones
Credit: Sakena
It’s amazing what your baby has achieved during the first eight months of his life, but the most joyful events are just right in front of you. Let’s see how your baby should develop and what milestone you should be looking forward to. And don’t forget the camera!
Baby 8- 12 month old milestones
| 8-9 | 10-11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|
Physical appearance and growth | Boys - 65.6 -76.2 cm/7.0 – 10.9 kg Girls – 64.3 -74.7 cm / 6.3-10.4 kg | Boys – 69.0 -79.8 cm/ 7.5-11.5 kg Girls -66.8 – 77.5/ 6.8 -11.00 kg | Boys – 71.3- 80.2 cm / 7.8-11.8 kg Girls 69.2 -78.9 cm/ 7.1 -11.3 |
Physical skill and cognitive thinking | Crawling Can pick small objects Sense of self Greater awareness of her surroundings Changes positions with ease Memory improves Separation anxiety might appear | Sense of taste is developing Growing independence Stands, stoop and squat Some babies might start to walk with your help Some might hand-feed themselves at meals | Walking Picks up and manipulates toys Loves more energetic games |
Social skill and language development | Understands some basic simple words follow simple commands Might say “ma-ma” “da-da” | Starts to use words meaningfully Follows instructions Baby points at things when asked | Language understanding grows Uses gestures |
What to do? | Baby proof the house Don’t let her watch TV Read, sing, talk Give her space to explore | Respond to your baby’s babbling Read together with your baby If your baby is walking, put socks on or comfortable baby shoes | Teach her to say thank you and please Respond to her babbling Start labeling objects and pointing them to her |
2. Food for 8-12 month old baby
Now, when your baby is older, it’s time to get creative and add more variety to her meals. You can even make a veggie or fruit medley! Let’s take a look at the table and see what food is suitable for your little one.
Food for 8-12 month old baby
| 8-10 | 10-12 |
|---|---|---|
Milk | Breast milk or formula every 4-5 hours, three solid meals a day | Breast milk or formula every 4-5 hours, three solid meals a day |
Fruit and vegetables | Blueberry, melon, cherries, citrus, grapes, kiwi | Beans, corn, tomatoes, spinach citrus, strawberries |
Cereal and grains | Buckwheat, Flux, Kamut Millet, Pasta | All grains and pasta |
Others | Add herbs and spices, and beef, chicken, tofu, cottage cheese, yogurt, egg yolks | Fish, whole eggs |
Here are some tips for you to make feeding time pleasant for you and your baby:
- Don’t offer food that could be a choking hazard like whole grapes, raw vegetables, hard fruit, white bread
- Food should be well-cooked, and it should mash easily
- If your baby doesn’t like the new food, mix it with something she likes and try again
- Play airplane
- Let your baby finger feed herself and allow her to hold the spoon while you’re feeding her
- Choose canned food without added salt and sugar
- Introduce snacks
- Experiment – here, you can find a wide variety of recipes suitable for 8-12-month-old
3. The first tooth
It’s a good idea to start wiping the gums after each feeding with a warm, wet washcloth, even before the first tooth comes out. This will also help you determine when the tooth is starting to push through. Moreover, if this is part of your daily routine, it will be easier to move to toothbrushes later on.
Usually, your baby’s teeth will come out in a specific order, and during the first year of his life, you can expect the lower central incisors (4-7 months) and the upper central incisors (8-12 months). When the first tooth shows itself, look for a baby toothbrush and brush gently the teeth twice a day – in the morning and the even – with a small amount of fluoride toothpaste
But don’t worry if you still don’t see a tooth. Some babies will get their teeth after their first birthday, while some will start teething as early as three months. There are even babies born with teeth. But you should consult your doctor if you don’t see a tooth by the time your baby is 18-months old. It’s also recommended that you take your child to the dentist after the teeth start to appear or after her first birthday.
what are the signs of teething?
I can almost hear you asking, “But what are the signs of teething?”. Well, unfortunately, every baby has a different teething experience. But there some common signs, like drooling, biting, crying, irritability, waking up in the night, ear pulling, face rubbing, refusal to eat. But vomiting, fever, and diarrhea are not normal teething symptoms and require a visit to your doctor. Beware also that if your baby is teething she will try to gum whatever is in sight!
what can we do to relieve the pain and soothe the baby?
So, Here are some suggestions for you:
- Try cold compresses or refrigerated teethers (Yes, this actually exists!)
- Experiment with different kinds of teethers until you find the right one
- Use topical medication to rub on the sore gums, but there is always the possibility that your baby might swallow some of it
- Use painkillers as a last resort and consult with your doctor. For 6-month-old babies, ibuprofen is also an option, but it can irritate the stomach.
- Don’t give aspirin and homeopathic teething tablets and gels (as of September 2016 the FDA warns that such pills could be dangerous for your baby)
4. Play time helps development
Right now your child is probably one curious ball of energy that likes to crawl or maybe walk around and explore everything. During these months you can play hide-and-seek the toy, teach her action songs like "This Little Piggy" and encourage crawling during tummy time. There also a variety of toys that you can choose like:
- Push toys. They are excellent for exercising her new walking abilities, and it’s something that she’ll be using for months.
- Shape sorters. They help to develop problem-solving skills and, moreover, it’s fun to see your child trying to fit a round block into a square opening.
- Balls to bounce around
- Toy telephone. Don’t be surprised. Babies love to imitate you!
- Books that flap open
- Blocks. Excellent for stacking and knocking over.
- Pail and shovel. This is a very good choice if you are going to the park or the sandbox, especially if your child loves filling and dumping stuff.
If you don’t want to spend all your time indoors, and you shouldn’t, you might:
- Take part in a stroller exercise class. It’s a win-win scenario – you get some exercise, and your baby gets to enjoy the ride.
- Set up a backyard obstacle course
- Go to the beach, the park or the playground
- Take advantage of bucket swings
Congratulations! Your baby is one-year-old. Enjoy this time because before you know it, it will be time for kindergarten and preschool. I hope you’ve learned new and exciting things or maybe that you’ll share your own experience. Don’t forget to give us a like and share the article, if we have been useful to you.