Every Milestone Your Baby Will Hit at 8 Months (2024)

When it comes to your baby's first year, month eight is pretty great. Most likely, your baby will feel comfortable and confident showing off several skills, including sitting up, rolling over, and maybe even crawling and babbling something close to words.

Your 8-month-old is starting to make their own way in their small world, and their personalities are starting to bloom. Learn more about baby development at 8 months, from feeding to sleep and more, along with how you can help your budding explorer develop their new skills, safely.

8 Month Baby Milestones: An Overview

As your baby approaches their 8 month birthday, they are likely becoming increasingly more mobile and more vocal. They also continue to explore the world around them by bringing things to their mouths and are likely delighting in their newfound abilities. They also may be more persistent about getting into things they shouldn't.

"Babies change and evolve with the world around them, so parents may experience new boundary-pushing at this age," says Lyndsey Garbi, MD, who is board-certified in pediatrics and neonatology and the chief pediatrician atBlueberry Pediatrics.

For instance, your baby may try to grab and pull at things that are off-limits. Or they may try to get into cupboards or cabinets that have been baby-proofed. They may even try to play with things that are not meant to be toys. For this reason, you need to be alert and engaged when your baby is awake and playing.

And even though your baby has not developed the pincer grasp—where they can pick things up with their thumb and finger—they are likely more efficient at using their hands. This means the risk of choking or eating something harmful or poisonous has increased.

Overall, your baby is getting bigger and stronger. Not only can they arch their neck to look around, but they can flip from front to back or back to front at a moment's notice. On the one hand, this is an exciting development. On the other hand, it makes dressing and changing diapers a little more challenging.

While their bodies are growing, their brains are going through a rapid period of development, too. Around this age, babies start to absorb trial-and-error-based lessons about life beyond their immediate caregiver, including what behavior elicits positive and negative human reactions and what activities may be dangerous.

8-Month-Old Baby Physical Milestones

In their eighth month, your baby is a physical dynamo. Your little one can probably scoot around on their tummy and work their way into a sitting position and stay there for a long time. They might be crawling in some fashion, going both forward and backward. They might even be pulling up on the sofa.

Your baby will be building on the skills that began to emerge at 6 and7 monthswhile progressing toward the skills your pediatrician will look for at the 9-month visit. For instance, your baby can not only bear more weight on their legs when you help them into astanding positionbut they likely bounce up and down too.

"Eight-month-old babies also can get into the sitting position without assistance," says Florencia Segura, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician atEinstein Pediatricsin the Washington, D.C. area. "And, they can assume the hand and knee position."

8-Month-Old Baby Cognitive Milestones

Don't let those easy-to-applaud gross motor skills overshadow their equally impressive brain development; your 8-month-old baby is one smart cookie. Eight months brings more vocalizing, mostly in the form of two-syllable utterances that your baby uses to indicate things in their life. (Think "choo-choo," "da-da," and "ma-ma.") You might even hear an official first word, such as "bye-bye" or "ball." Figuring out what interests them, then talking about it, is a great way to build a baby's vocabulary.

Even before they can utter understandable words, babies at this age are finding novel ways to communicate their needs. A study of 8-month-olds found that they are more apt to stretch their arms in the direction of out-of-reach items when around caregivers or other adults than when alone. Translation: 'Help me get this (toy, treat) that I want!"

You may even notice that if you point to a specific toy across the room that they will turn their head to look at it. All of these things help build on their rapidly developing language skills.

"At 8 months, babies babble with inflection and will start using consonant sounds more consistently," Dr. Segura says.

8-Month-Old Baby Feeding Milestones

Now that your baby is becoming a pro at eatingsolid foods, you can start to vary their diet a little bit. Try introducing some courser textures and new flavors to expand your baby's palate while being mindful ofchoking hazardsas well as your baby's chewing and swallowing skills.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), your baby needs between 750 and 900 calories each day, of which about 400 to 500 of those calories should come from breastmilk or formula.

"Parents should focus on introducing [nutritious] foods and emphasize fruits and vegetables," Dr. Garbi suggests. "Healthy choices start now, so get them used to a variety of flavors and tastes and keep trying to introduce new foods and flavors. Even if they don't like it after one taste, don't give it up altogether. You can introduce it again later."

As for what to feed your baby, you can select just about anything you want—just be mindful of any potential allergic reactions when offering a food that your baby has not had before. Additionally, remember that babies should not be given honey or cow's milk before their first birthday, says Dr. Segura.

8-Month-Old Baby Sleeping Milestones

When it comes to sleep, one of the nice things about this age is that your baby's sleep schedule is likely much more predictable with natural breaks in the day. "Typically, babies will be taking two naps a day and sleeping about 10 to 12 hours at night without needing a night feeding," says Dr. Segura.

Overall, this sleep amounts to about 14 hours of shut-eye for your little one.However, determining what time your baby should go to bed at night largely depends on your family and your baby.

"Babies are all so different," says Dr. Garbi. "Because each family unit is different, I encourage families to find the balance that is right for them in order to create healthy sleep habits. And, if they haven't done so already, they should establish a sleep routine."

According to the AAP, having the same bedtime, wake time, nap time, mealtime, and playtime helps your baby feel secure. It also will make bedtime run smoother because your baby will know what to expect.

Health and Safety at 8 Months

There's no doubt about it: You are entering a period when your baby is at risk for accidents. Your baby is on the move and wants to explore their world, which means you have to be extra vigilant about their whereabouts and surroundings. If you have not started childproofing your home, now is the time.

Your Baby's Growing Independence

In some ways, your 8-month-old is a study in contradictions—both fiercely independent and completely reliant on you. And strangely, the more mobile they become, the clingier they might be. In fact, separation anxiety, which begins around 6 months, is stronger than ever at 8 months for some children. Don't be surprised if your normally easy-going baby wails when you hand them off to the babysitter or tuck them in for the night.

They will grow out of their separation anxiety eventually, but until then, let them initiate short periods of separation from you during the day. If your baby crawls into another room, for instance, don't chase after them immediately. When they know they are in charge of moving either toward or away from you, parting will feel less like sorrow—and they will learn that they can be content for a few moments without you near.

Mealtime Battles

Your 8-month-old's burgeoning sense of independence may rear its ugly head at mealtime. When they first started solids, your baby opened wide during your "here comes the airplane" routine; now they might try to yank the spoon from your hand or shut their lips tight when you try to feed them.

Mealtimes can feel like a battleground, but you can go ahead and let them win this power struggle by letting them self-feed. Offer your baby a soft-tip baby spoon for purees, or fill their plate with tiny cut-up bites of meat, pasta, cheese, soft fruits (such as bananas), and cooked veggies. You can even introduce a two-handled sippy cup so they can master their own drink service too.

Childproofing Your Home

At this age, you will need to be very diligent about keeping your baby safe. This means not only childproofing your home but also checking the environment where they will be playing.

"Babies this age are more mobile now, so it's time to take childproofing very seriously," says Dr. Garbi. "Think about where the poisons and small objects are located like under sinks and in bathrooms. You should also always buckle them into their high chair."

Keep in mind that your baby loves being able to move around and explore. Meaning, they also are at an increased risk for falls at this age. Think about how to keep them safe from falls while you are changing their diaper. For instance, you may not want to use the changing table or even a bed to change them but instead, opt for the floor to change diapers.

You also should make sure they are buckled into high chairs and play equipment like stationary exercise toys and ensure that they still fit into their car seat. Check the height and weight requirements and consider moving up to a larger car seat if they have outgrown theirs. They should still be rear-facing, but some parents opt for car seats that can eventually be used in a forward-facing position as well.

Other Things to Consider at 8 Months

Your face could have no more avid fan than your baby. They've studied it since birth, modeling their expressions on yours, and now, eight months later, they know it pretty well. Even as your baby starts to do their own thing—crawling faster than you can keep up with, cruising right out of your reach—they check in with you every few minutes to figure out what you think of their new moves.

While 8-month-olds are more independent than they ever have been, emotionally, they're still figuring out what to think and how to express themselves. That's why they look to you for a cheat sheet, observing your face and body language for cues as to how they're doing. So when you're panicked about a fall, your baby will be too. When you're thrilled at their crawling, they will be pleased with themselves and eager to try again.

All this means is that you should be aware that your baby watches you, reacts to your emotional state, and looks to you for both comfort and encouragement. Cheering your 8-month-old on while they perfect new skills and cheerfully brushing off minor setbacks will make them more confident in their abilities and eager to impress you again.