Welcome To Month Eight With Your Baby!
Month 8 With Your Baby!
You have always thought that curious babies are so very cute. Well, you may be slightly revising that idea now that your busy little babe is at the stage where she wants to explore everything and get everywhere! It is still adorable, especially feeling your heart explode with pride when she learns a new skill, but you do have to get an extra set of eyes to keep track of where she is and what she is doing!
Month 8 Of What To Expect From Your Baby
Baby is likely strong enough to stand on her feet without support now and also to pull herself to this position using furniture or anything else for support. While she may not be able to move along using this system, she can reach up and grab stuff that was out of bounds for her until now, so some re-arranging of household items may be necessary! Your baby may still be crawling along and this ‘standing’ is not a milestone that needs to worry you if it is not achieved yet. Many babies skip this step and start walking.
At this stage your baby can spot a specific toy, move towards it and get it by way of shuffling, crawling, slithering, rocking or rolling. If you think that she lacking in her ability to move around to get within reach of objects in her surroundings, do check in with your doctor. Your baby can also manipulate objects using her hands and fingers in a better way meaning that she will try to stack oversized blocks or cups.
She is now able to pick up small things using her thumb and finger and usually what she picks up goes into her mouth so be really careful about what things you have lying around within your baby’s reach. Babies also like to throw or drop things just because they have learned how to do that now.
Your baby may find comfort in a favorite toy or blanket that she wants at bed time or in situations where she will be left in the care of others.
Try this: At this age, ’comforters’ are plush small square of fabric attached to a toy head that are quite effective for little ones to take to bed and snuggle with. It’s usually a good idea to buy more than one, so one can stay with bub while the other is washed ( or lost!)
It’s around this age that her ‘first words’ might make a appearance in the form of ‘ma-ma’ or ‘da-da’ and she may be succeeding somewhat at trying to vocalise these familiar words, or just making her usual cackles and gurgles at this stage.
Month 8 Of What To Expect From Yourself
Your whole world may seem like it revolves around baby and that’s great – It’s the best job (and most hardest) in the world. But don’t forget to take some time to fill up your cup too. A happy mum is more patient and therefore equals a happier baby. While you may be a mom now, you are still you as well.
Apart from making sure that your baby can’t reach dangerous stuff, you can encourage her to stand and walk by standing up, holding out her favorite toy and calling out to her to come and get it. Remember that your baby is certainly not sure on her feet yet so she may flop back to the floor while she is experimenting with standing up or moving along using furniture for support. Be ready to catch her!
Baby’s hand to mouth coordination improves when she gets more practice so keep encouraging her to eat food herself even if she makes a mess. You can try it with less-messy foods like soft boiled/steamed carrots or cheese slices that are easy to hold.
Help her understand how things work by bringing out that activity center or getting her boxes with holes cut out on the top to drop things inside. Things that make noise are great entertainment for her at this stage and that includes everyday household items like pots and pans. Toys and learning experiences can quite literally be made from anything and don’t need to be expensive!
