Baby Development Guide for Baby's Eighth Month (weeks 31-35)

Your eighth month has now arrived and your baby is chugging along with a steady stream of intellectual breakthroughs and experiments. There are quite a few things to look forward to in this month and there are many things you can do to help him or her develop even further.

Physically your baby will probably be experimenting with more coarse foods. He is still unable to chew, but will enjoy foods with a bit more texture than before.

As tempting as it may be to try to give your child different types of food, be very careful with what you choose to put in front of him. Babies can't chew, so large pieces of vegetables, nuts, grapes, etc are all a bad idea. Things with the sticky consistency of peanut butter are also out.

Your eight month old baby will probably also get less sleep although her sleep patterns will be more predictable. She has an increase in energy and an increase in her ability to interact with and learn from a whole new world (the new use of her thumb for pinching objects has also opened new doors) and sleeping gets in the way of all that!

This age might also bring out a more intense separation anxiety from your little one. She might have a hard time separating from you for extended periods of time or even just for a few moments. First, don't rush to introduce new people to your little one- give her time to acknowledge them and feel comfortable with them before letting them hold her. Second, try to leave after she has eaten food and taken a nap. (Tired, hungry or sick children are more likely to be anxious.) Third, don't make a big deal about it when you leave but don't sneak out either. And finally, when you are home with your baby, practice short separations to help her adjust and get used to the idea.

Your son or daughter will probably also love mirrors about now. Learning that the reflection is theirs is an exciting thing. As his or her first teacher you have the ability to mold your little one into a learning, responsible person.

Intellectually your child will remember more at eight months of age. For example, she might remember that at a certain time of day daddy gets home from work or after he wakes up he gets to eat a yummy meal.

You might find her collecting various objects as she learns the differences between them (all while using her newly discovered thumbs). She might also start enjoying banging her head on things. Know that this is a harmless learning activity. Just make sure you supervise and wrap her crib with soft barriers.

Intellectual breakthroughs such as these will happen quite often around this time even if they aren't as noticeable as in the past. When she experiments with different sound combinations, respond by saying something like "oh really? Wow" to let her know you are interacting with her speech.

Following are some tips to help him develop even more. As always, talk, read and sing to her; be affectionate and loving. You could even give her a running commentary of your day.

Play on her level with her too. Meet her at whichever mental and intellectual level she is at. It will also help if you help her practice her standing and even assist in having her practice falling from a standing position. If she's like all other babies she will probably fall often, so knowing exactly how to fall is a needed skill at this stage.

Enjoy this time with your baby as he or she is learning tons of new things and gaining a whole new perspective on life. You will get little glimpses into their personality and opportunities at every corner to impact who they eventually will become when they are older.

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