11 Month Old Baby Development

Learn everything you need to know about your 11 month old baby. Track important developments and milestones such as talking, walking, growth, memory & more.

By Parents Editors

Published on June 14, 2017

Beautiful toddler sitting on the floor playing with vintage phone at kindergarten — Photo: Getty

Your Growing Baby

First Steps & Beyond

By 11 months, your baby is in the midst of making some monumental developmental leaps, from sitting to standing, crawling to cruising, cruising to walking. She's getting around more and becoming quicker about it too. But while her large motor skills tend to take center stage at the end of the first year, watch the improvement to her fine motor skills—those delicate, refined motions that, for instance, allow her to pick up tiny objects in a pincer grasp between thumb and forefinger. They're one reason she's getting better at feeding herself now—she can easily grab tiny bits of food and stuff them in her mouth. Your little one might even be able to bring a spoon to her mouth, but don't expect much of the food to make it in. Most babies don't learn to eat well from a spoon for many more months.

Time for Play

Another thing that's on the rise: baby's imagination and creative play. While she's likely not old enough to play house or dive into the dress-up box, she loves imitating grown-up actions, so around 11 months you might see her gabbing into the cell phone she's swiped off the counter, or attempting to comb her hair with a doll brush. She loves to make music and will turn virtually anything potentially noisy into an instrument. She might also be learning to color by scribbling a crayon across paper. To encourage her artistic first steps, give her washable crayons or markers—thicker ones are easier for chubby hands to grasp. And tape the paper to the table or floor so it'll stay in place while your baby makes art.

Health and Safety Info

Babyproofing for Your On-the-Go Baby

If your baby is starting to cruise and walk, she might seem like an accident (or many) waiting to happen. She crawls up a few steps, then loses her balance and bonks her head. She trips and knocks her chin against the table. Or she just stumbles over her own two feet. Some days it seems like all you're doing is mopping up tears—and wondering if you should break out the bandages.

To master a major physical skill such as walking takes practice—and it'll take a lot of mistakes too. There are, of course, a few things you can do to make it easier for your baby to get around sans spills. For instance:

tuck lamp cords out of the way;
make sure rugs are tight to the floor;
keep your baby in bare feet, in rubber-sole shoes, or in socks with treads so she'll be less likely to slip; install baby gates at the top and bottom of stairs, leaving a few accessible stairs at the bottom so your baby has a relatively safe place to practice getting up and down;
make sure you have sturdy, nonwobbly furniture in your living area so baby won't pull something heavy onto herself when she grabs hold.

No matter how much you baby-proof your space, some collateral damage in the form of bangs and bruises is simply part of the process. So keep your first aid kit handy and learn to smile at your baby's tears. And no matter how often she gets hurt, resist the temptation to plop her back in a playpen. Practice makes perfect, after all.

Must-Knows

Understanding Your Baby's Emotions

When she was born almost a year ago, your baby had just two basic emotional settings: crying or content. While you might not have always known how to help your little wailer calm down, you at least knew what to expect. By comparison, 11 months might feel like having a teenager in the house. Suddenly, your baby has a whole range of emotions—overjoyed, curious, giggly, disgusted, mischievous, miserable, and most annoying of all, rebellious. And with growing language skills and a full panoply of facial expressions, she's gotten much better at letting you know how she feels 24/7.

For you, dealing with the roller coaster of your baby's emotions can be a little tough to take. You were having a hard time just handling your own! But the best mood with which to meet the most vexing motherhood moments is usually a simple sense of calm. Baby flips out when you try to give her a bath? Stay calm. Baby thinks it's funny to hurl lumps of oatmeal onto the floor? Just chill out. That's easier said than done when it seems like your baby is purposely trying your patience, which is why it helps to take a few deep breaths before you respond, reminding yourself that she's actually 11 months old, not 16 with an attitude. Still feel angry? Lock yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes for a mom time-out, call a friend to vent, or turn on some music that's an instant mood-booster for you. Feeling frustrated with your soon-to-be toddler is totally normal, but it's important to find ways to keep calm and carry on.