Ready to read about an 8-month-old baby’s development? A lot is happening! You’ll find activity and toy tips too.
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Your 8-month-old baby can be really fun to be with, practicing his or her new skills with great joy. Or if he/she is still struggling to understand how to stand up or move around, your baby might be quite frustrated and irritated.
Now, or soon enough, you cannot be sure to find your child where you put him or her down!
It is definitely time to start thinking about baby-proofing your home. This is the starting point of some 18 months or so when you will have to guard your baby very carefully. Time to start exercising!
The day our daughter was 8 months old, she got her first tooth and managed to sit up by herself from being placed on the floor on her tummy.
Important milestones!
I can assure you that she preferred sitting up. Teething was never one of her favorite activities…
The 8-Month-Old Baby
8 Month-Old Baby Development Milestones
Physical development
Weight and height
Keep in mind that every baby is different. The height and weight of babies that are the same age may vary widely.
On average, an 8-month-old baby boy will weigh approximately 18 pounds and 15 ounces, while the average weight for an 8-month-old baby girl is 17 pounds and 18 ounces.
When it comes to height/length, an 8-month-old boy will be, on average, 27.95 inches long, while a baby girl of the same age will be 27.17 inches.
Eyesight
An 8-month-old baby has a vision that is almost as good as that of an adult. Even though your baby still sees better when the object is close, the eyesight is developed enough for the baby to spot things across the room.
A baby this age also has a better sense of depth and distance. However, even if depth vision is well developed, depth understanding is not. Your baby may see that the end of the couch is near, but that won’t prevent him from crawling right out into the air.
A baby is starting to combine motor skills with their senses. Your child sees an object and is able to move in the right direction toward it and pick it up.
Motor skills
Sitting
Most babies sit well without support at this age. They also start to practice leaning forward and reaching for a toy. Try to put your child’s favorite toy in front of his/her feet and observe your baby lean and reach for it.
Move around
Some babies have already realized that they can move around while sitting by using their hands and feet. Some babies creep, crawl or shuffle.
However, if your child is not there yet, don’t worry. Some children need a bit more time to start moving around. Some skip the crawling phase altogether and go straight to walking. Check this poll for when other babies started to crawl and with what style.
Stand up
Many 8-month-old babies learn how to pull themselves up to a standing position and remain there for a while by holding onto something. Watch your baby carefully; he is not likely to have developed any balance standing up yet!
New grasping skills
Your baby may be practicing the pincer grasp, using the thumb and one or two fingers to pick up small objects.
You might also notice that your child wants to try self-feeding. In the beginning, it will be pretty messy because your child’s grasping and coordination abilities still aren’t fine-tuned. But have patience and let your baby practice. Practice makes perfect, and with time these skills will become more polished.
Some babies take the pincer grasp to the next level and start snapping their fingers!
Speech development
Imitation
At 8 months old, you may notice your baby is observing your lips closely and trying to imitate the movement. Open your lips slowly and whisper ˝ma-ma˝, then watch your baby trying to copy it.
Babbling
Your baby is probably babbling more and more every day. You will hear your child trying to communicate using syllables like ‘ba,’ ‘ma,’ ‘pa,’ and their combinations ‘baba,’ ‘papa,’ etc.
Responding
Little by little, you can communicate more with your baby. A baby this age will ‘respond’ when you talk to him/her.
Try saying something to your baby, and watch him listen and make sounds back.
Understanding simple words
Your 8-month-old can understand some simple, everyday words. It is time to start being careful with your words around your baby.
Cognitive development
Cause and effect
Prepare to constantly pick up objects that your baby throws on the floor while sitting in the stroller or the high chair. Your 8-month-old baby’s understanding of the cause and effect is advancing. A baby now understands that when he/she throws something on the floor, the person that is near will pick it up.
And because it is so fun, your child will do it again and again. It won’t be as fun for you and your back!
Object permanence
An 8-month-old baby now more or less fully realizes that an object exists even if he/she doesn’t see it at the moment. That realization might lead to separation anxiety and finding a comfort object.
Separation anxiety
If not before, you are likely to notice now that your 8-month-old is developing some degree of separation anxiety. Your baby now realizes you exist even if you are not near and miss you. Often, the mom is the big favorite, and sometimes no one else will do, especially when the baby is tired or sad.
Comfort object
Because your baby is so attached to you and misses you when you are not near, she may find an object that will comfort her when you are not around. It can be a stuffed animal or, as in our case, mommy’s pajamas.
Games To Play
At this age, babies are good at interacting with more than one person at the same time. It is possible to play peek-a-boo or throw a ball together.
Investigating things is also a favorite. Give your baby new objects to analyze, for example, toys or kitchen tools. He is likely to bang them together, bite them, throw them, and stick his little fingers wherever possible.
Your 8-month-old is also able to imitate you. Make simple faces, put your hands in the air, or shake your head. Your baby can follow you, which is a great way of interacting. And fun for any spectators. This can also be a great game to play together with older siblings.
Let your baby practice his/her pincer grasp by giving them boiled rice, pieces of banana, peas, or corn to pick up. Find more safe finger foods here.
Toy Tips
Musical toys, like, for example, this one, that make sounds when banged are fun, like a small drum, cymbals, or castanets. Just make sure that they are not too loud.
Balls, cars, or any other toys that can roll or be moved are fun once your baby has learned how to crawl.
A somewhat terrible toy (for adults) that our baby really liked at this age was Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Sis.
If you press different parts of its face and body, the toy starts singing or rhyming in a (too) cheerful voice. It also changes what happens over time.
At 2 years old, our baby (now a gorgeous toddler) still used the toy as a dance partner. Value for money, even if the voice drives me crazy sometimes.
8 Month Old Baby Video
In this video, you can see an 8-month-old baby in action. Sitting up steadily, looking for things, banging them, and much more – all the normal 8-month-old baby development stuff. :-)
Where would you like to go next?
More About the 8-Month-Old Baby
- Fussy 8-Month-Old Baby Cries When Put Down – What Do I Do Wrong?
- 8-Month-Old Baby Throwing Tantrums If Not Held – What Do I Do?
- 8 Month Old Baby Still Not Sleeping Through The Night
- All posts tagged for 8-month-old babies
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Paula Dennholt founded Easy Baby Life in 2006 and has been a passionate parenting and pregnancy writer since then. Her parenting approach and writing are based on studies in cognitive-behavioral models and therapy for children and her experience as a mother and stepmother. Life as a parent has convinced her of how crucial it is to put relationships before rules. She strongly believes in positive parenting and a science-based approach.
Paula cooperates with a team of pediatricians who assist in reviewing and writing articles.
