Babies Baby Development Baby Growth & Development Baby Growth and Development: 8-12 Month Milestones What should a baby be doing between 8 months and 12 months? With these guidelines, parents can help their little ones reach important developmental milestones. By Catie Bielecki Updated on October 3, 2019 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 23 Sit Without Assistance 5712495/Pixabay As an 8 month milestone, Baby may get into a sitting position without assistance. He still might topple over from time to time, but he will usually catch himself with his arms. Try rolling a ball to your baby while he's sitting; every time he leans over to reach a toy, he strengthens his core muscles. When Do Babies Sit Up? 02 of 23 Use Pincer Grasp Shutterstock The pincer grasp—which lets you pick up objects between her thumb and forefinger—usually shows up as a 8-12 month milestone. You'll find Baby practicing the pincer movement on any small object, so be extra cautious of coins and other objects that are a choking hazard. 03 of 23 Pay More Attention to Speech Sam Diephuis/Getty Images As your baby prepares to start talking, he'll cue into your conversations. The more animated your speech is, the more interested he will be. Let him watch your mouth and facial expressions as you talk. How to Help Your Baby Learn to Talk 04 of 23 Explore Objects Marina Raith/Getty Images At 8 months, your baby might spend only two or three minutes with a single toy, but by 12 months, he might sit for up to 15 minutes with an especially interesting object. Give her a box or bag filled with different baby-safe household objects to shake, bang, throw, and drop. 05 of 23 Develop Stranger Danger Stephanie Rausser As baby grows, he may develop an attachment to his parents. Stay close to your little one when he's around a new person, because holding him helps him feel extra-safe. Ask strangers to approach Baby slowly at first. 06 of 23 Respond to Verbal Requests Thayer Allison Gowdy Around this time, your baby will respond to simple verbal requests. Here's how to help: When you are changing your baby or getting him dressed for bed, touch and name the part of his body. Ask him to point to his tummy or touch his head. Understanding Your Baby's Language Development 07 of 23 Bang Things Together Photograph by Carl Tremblay When your baby first plays with blocks, she will love throwing or banging them together. By 12 months, she might begin building simple towers and will especially love knocking them down. 08 of 23 Find Hidden Objects Stephanie Rausser Baby will master the concept of object permanence—or the idea that objects still exist even when you can't see them—as an 8 or 9 month milestone. Consider hiding behind a piece of furniture, leaving a foot or hand out as a clue. She'll love finding you! Baby Milestones Chart: A Week-by-Week Guide to Development 09 of 23 Assume Hand-and-Knee Position Africa Studio/Shutterstock Since your baby's arm muscles are more developed than his legs, he might rock back and forth or even push backward. Place bright toys and fun objects in front of him to encourage him to move forward. 10 of 23 Improve Memory gpointstudio/Shutterstock Play simple memory games with baby flash cards. Lay out three or four cards with pictures with clearly different names (showing both a ball and bottle might be confusing). See if she looks at or points to the apple card when you say apple, etc. Try the same game with photos of family members and friends. Baby Growth and Development: 1-3 Month Milestones 11 of 23 Imitate People Shutterstock Since babies learn by imitation, he will copy your words and actions. Test this out by offering your baby objects such as a toothbrush, cup, hairbrush, or toy telephone. When he treats the object appropriately, such as putting the toy phone to his ear, react positively and enthusiastically. 12 of 23 Creep on Hands and Knees Many babies "creep"—or push around on their belly —during this timeframe. (But sometimes babies skip the creeping stage and immediately start pulling up and cruising.) Create a miniature obstacle course using pillows, cushions, chairs, and boxes for Baby to move between and over. Growth and Development Milestones: 4-7 Months 13 of 23 Put Objects in Containers Alexandra Grablewski Baby's curiosity and problem solving work together. When she figures something out, she might repeat it many times in a row before she gets bored. 14 of 23 Show Preference for Toys Spencer Selover/Pexels Baby's favorite toys are called "transitional objects" because they help children emotionally transition from dependence to independence. Using them is not a sign of weakness or insecurity. 12 Milestones You Shouldn't Overlook 15 of 23 Pull Self Up to Stand Igor Sokolov (breeze)/Shutterstock As an 8-10 month milestone, your baby might pull himself to a standing position with the help of furniture or crib walls. At first, Baby might not realize how to sit back down. Teach him how to bend his knees to lower himself without falling. Your baby might also stand momentarily without support. The Sweetest Baby Milestones (and When to Expect Them) 16 of 23 Let Things Go Elena Stepanova/Shutterstock Your little one will love throwing objects from his crib or high chair just to watch you pick them up. When you tire of this game, place him on the floor so he can retrieve the toys himself. 17 of 23 Use Simple Gestures Shutterstock Babies may start using simple gestures as a 9 month milestone. In fact, Baby understands more words than you might suspect. Mention a favorite toy, pet, or a family member's name. If she immediately looks for it, you'll know she understands. Decode Your Baby's Body Language 18 of 23 Finger-Feed Himself MaaHoo Studio/Stocksy United Introduce your child to a variety of foods, since he will their differences in feel and taste. Some favorite food choices for this age include dry cereal, scrambled eggs, diced soft fruit and vegetables, cubes of cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, diced meat, teething biscuits, crackers, pasta, and mashed potatoes. 19 of 23 Walk While Assisted Marlon Lopez/Shutterstock Around 11 months, your baby might walk while holding onto furniture. Let your little one cruise around the living room, holding on to the sides of chairs and couches for support. Stick to heavier pieces that won't flip over, and make sure there are no sharp edges. Helping Baby Reach Physical Milestones 20 of 23 Point with Index Finger Shutterstock You might also notice that Baby points to objects that he wants or enjoys. When you are reading to your little one, ask her to find and point to the tree, cat, ball, and so on in the pictures. 21 of 23 Say Simple Words Evgeny Atamanenko/Shutterstock Some babies will have a two- or three-word vocabulary by their first birthday, while others are still speaking gibberish. The more you respond like he's speaking, the more you will encourage his communication. Children's Weirdest First Words 22 of 23 Help Get Dressed Romrodphoto/Getty Baby might extend an arm or leg to help when being dressed. Make dressing easier by having everything you need ready before you start. Remember to never leave Baby unattended on a changing table while you step away to fetch her socks or sweater. 23 of 23 Take First Steps Valeriya Anufriyeva/Shutterstock Most babies take their first steps between 9-12 months—though some children wait much later, which is also perfectly normal. Most babies advance from a couple shaky steps to fairly confident walking in just a matter of days. 30 Little Ways to Bond With Baby Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit