His personality is becoming clearer by the day, and the progress he is making is nothing short of amazing. Each day is a chance to make new discoveries.
8th month
Your child is entering his 8th month. His increasing agility and curiosity are opening up new avenues for him. What a joy it is to see him progressing so fast. But it's also a time when you need to be more vigilant than ever.
More strength and better skills
Your child is even stronger, and can hold himself upright on his legs when supported.
He can sit up by himself (but watch that he doesn’t topple over).
Your child can now hold objects between his thumb and forefinger, and move them from one hand to the other.
He also looks around for objects he has lost.
Keep an eye out for danger
Remember to protect the sharp corners of coffee tables.
Protect electrical sockets using socket covers.
Put all your cleaning products and medicines well out of reach.
Don’t leave dried fruits, small sweets or other dangerous objects within his reach.
He is beginning to assert his identity
He is becoming more aware of his own identity, and is eager to let you know. Even if it means screaming until you take notice of him!
Mirror, mirror on the wall... he loves looking in the mirror, admiring his own movements and funny faces.
In time, he will explore different ranges of behaviours and expressions; from cuddly to temperamental,
from smiley to grumpy. He will also show more interest in other children.
Your child’s dietary capabilities
Your child is now able to wait a short while before satisfying his hunger. You can space out his meals a little.
Your child is getting better at coordinating his swallowing and breathing.
He is curious about everything. He loves making new discoveries, and his newfound abilities will help him do just that. Make the most of this phase to develop his diet.
Physical Accomplishments
Mobility brings out your child’s unique personality
Suddenly, you may notice your child ignoring a toy that was once a favourite. Or perhaps a new toy doesn’t get a second glance. What's going on? It’s probably a matter of timing. Your little one usually focuses on only one thing at a time, so when their attention is caught up in physical achievements like crawling, sitting up or cruising, interest in toys will vary. Every child has a unique rhythm of activity. Close observation will help you find the “hot” activity of the moment for your little one. Indulge it. For example, if your child's newfound passion is crawling, provide a safe environment with lots of room to crawl and explore. Roll a toy across the floor for your child to chase after. Let your child try new experiences, then watch as a unique individual emerges.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Cognitive Skills/Everyday Learning
“Now you see it, now you don’t” stimulates thinking
When you play peek-a-boo or choose toys with hidden surprises, you're helping your little one understand the permanence of unseen objects while you stimulate memory. Another game—“What’s Different?”—can encourage your child's budding ability to recognize when something is missing or added. Show your child one stuffed animal, then hide it behind your back. Now come out with two or three. Put the animals behind you again and bring out only one. Even your child will notice the difference if one toy isn't there, almost as if they were counting. By arousing your child's natural thinking skills, you'll be equipping your little one to make sense of the world and work through little challenges.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Social/Emotional Development
Interacting with toys fosters self-expression
When your child makes things happen with a toy—presses an animal, rings a bell, opens a door, drops something down a chute—her mind gains something new to think about. At first, your child may be unsure about working the levers and dials on an activity toy. Later, she’ll push them to the limits. She might repeat the same motion several times or add a playful variation. As your child starts to take more control of the action, new discoveries will help her learn to anticipate surprises and express ideas.
Toys with music add another dimension to play. Your little one loves to babble along with a tuneful toy—a great form of self-expression. Soon, the way your child plays becomes as unique and personal as speech. By providing toys and playthings that encourage your child to make things happen, you can create many opportunities to nurture self-expression and build self-confidence.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
9th month
Your child is just entering his 9th month. His personality is more defined, and his own particular interests are beginning to stand out. What you need to do is set the right balance between his desires and limits.
More skilful, and more wilful, too
You're amazed by your child's determination to learn and his perseverance, and if he wants something,
he's sure to let you know!
He can hold small objects between his thumb and forefinger. Be careful that he doesn't put them into his mouth.
Show him how to put two cubes on top of one another. He’ll soon be able to do this himself.
What he loves
At bath time, your child just loves to hit the surface of the water and splash everything around. Be ready with a towel.
He’ll make a lot of noise and start to hit toys together, so get those earplugs on standby.
Sing again and again the nursery rhymes he loves to hear.
Centre of the universe
Your child is a charmer. The close family around him is not the only potential audience he has. You're going to have to share his affection with everyone else.
He'll play to the gallery, and likes nothing more than a round of delighted applause.
He’ll show his dissatisfaction at anyone who crosses his path. But you don’t have to give in to him. In fact, quite the opposite. He has to start learning the rules of the game.
10th month
Your child is just entering his 10th month. He has now spent as long a time outside your tummy as he did inside. And his progress remains startling, both in physical and mental activities.
Agile and adventurous
He is not scared of the staircase. He’ll keep you busy by crawling up on all fours and on his bottom when coming down. Be sure to always keep an eye on him.
He is beginning to stand straight on his legs. If you support him, he may well start to take a few steps, but don't push things too fast, there's plenty of time.
At this age, your child can grab hold of pretty much everything, so do be careful to ensure that anything dangerous is well out of reach.
Focused and attentive
As he finds it easier to put objects together and concentrate on more than one thing at once, your child can play by himself for quite awhile. But don’t forget to keep a watchful eye on him, especially if he is not safe in his playpen. And don’t deprive yourself of the pleasure of playing with him; he loves sharing these moments of joy and togetherness with you.
Now that your child is starting to associate more than one syllable together, you can try to get him to repeat a word or two. Which one of you is going to be the proudest when he says his first "Mummy" or "Daddy"?
Sometimes a daydreamer, sometimes a sulker, always a delight
Because your child is curious and attentive to everything that’s going on around him, it can sometimes be a surprise to see him looking so dreamy. Make the most of these moments of calm before he starts demanding for your attention again!
Your child’s mood can vary greatly from one moment to the next. He is developing his character and will shift quickly between demands for a cuddle and signs of irritation at you. You’ll need to find a balance; don’t always say “yes” because he needs to find out what the limits are.
Your child's dietary capabilities
He is getting better at chewing; he can swallow those small soft pieces even more easily now.
His sense of taste is developing and becoming more refined. He is more sensitive to different flavours and likes more and more elaborate dishes.
He is starting to take hold of objects between his thumb and forefinger. As a result, he will often take small pieces of food and eat them with his fingers.
Physical Accomplishments
"There’s no stopping me now!"
Get ready. Your child is on the verge of incredible physical achievements, and you won’t want to miss a minute of the excitement!
As your child starts to pull up, stand and cruise, you’ll want to make sure your home is ready for new levels of exploration to take place with an extra measure of safety. It’s a good time to put away loose tablecloths or decorative objects your child could accidentally pull down. Provide sturdy toys that help him stand, with exciting rewards to motivate those new skills. A sturdy, push-along walker can be just the thing to steady first steps. Remember, small successes and increasing coordination will strengthen your child's sense of identity and confidence, nudging him toward that most exciting milestone: independent walking!
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Cognitive Skills/Everyday Learning
"Now you see it, now you don’t" stimulates thinking
When you play peek-a-boo or choose toys with hidden surprises, you're helping your child understand the permanence of unseen objects while you stimulate memory. Another game—“What’s Different?”—can encourage your child’s budding ability to recognize when something is missing or added. Show your little one stuffed animal, then hide it behind your back. Now come out with two or three. Put the animals behind you again and bring out only one. Even young children will notice the difference if one toy isn't there, almost as if they were counting. By arousing your child's natural thinking skills, you'll be equipping your child to make sense of the world and work through little challenges.
Click here to view Fisher Price’s products
This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Social/Emotional Development
"Coaching inspires child's sense of individuality"
With your child's improving physical abilities, you both might have fun with a first “sport” like rolling a large ball to each other, seated on the floor with legs apart. For more of a challenge, try child-friendly sports sets based on the real action of baseball, basketball, bowling, and other games. Children may not understand they're playing a sport, of course, but they thoroughly enjoy the interaction with you — and respond eagerly to being cheered on to score a goal!
One-on-one play with you or others will help your child feel he has achieved something special. And that will go a long way toward supporting confidence and independence, as well as laying the groundwork for the rewards of being part of a team.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
11th month
Your child is starting his 11th month. It’s a transitional time for him, physically, emotionally and intellectually. For you, it’s time to set down the foundations of his education, including learning, games and motivation.
Playing and learning
Your child is trying out a new technique to get around — sitting on his bottom and pushing himself along with his hands.
He can lift the lid off a box. If it is a box containing a toy or something completely harmless, encourage him. But be careful because he’ll try to open any old box.
He can hold a pen and scribble with it.
He can point at the object he wants to play with.
In the bathtub or when you’re dressing him, teach him to recognise certain parts of his body. He’ll be proud to point to his nose, feet and mouth.
Obeying and daring
He is able to obey simple instructions such as "come" or “catch”.
When you’re sitting together with a book, let your child participate by turning the pages; there’s no better way to instil a love of books. This is an important stage on the road to his future pleasure in reading.
Your child may want to try out his first few steps on his own, especially if he knows of other children around his own age who have already taken the great leap. If he does, congratulate him, but if he doesn’t, just let him go at his own pace.
The joys and surprises of education
It is not always easy to forbid your child from doing something, especially if he cries as soon as you say "no".
But this is something you have to do. You need to set limits to structure your child’s identity.
Always bear in mind that your child wants nothing more than to please you and make you proud of him. If you encourage and congratulate him when he does something good, he is more likely to accept it better when you lay down the law.
Your child’s dietary capabilities
He is starting to drink out of a glass. Give him a plastic drinking cup that is specially designed for children. New teeth begin to appear, again with wide variations between different children.
His physical progress means that he can eat with you at the table. He can sit up straight in his high chair and be part of your family meals.
Eating at the table is an important step on the road to growing up. Your child will be as proud as a peacock.
Physical Accomplishments
“Look at me!”
Your child is rightfully proud of the physical milestones he’s achieved! And he’s likely to be pleased by the growing independence that accompanies increasing mobility and coordination. As physical skills continue to improve, your child will want to move around more and will enjoy having better control of the action. Sit nearby as he plays, and take turns trying different features or activating sounds and lights on a toy, so he can experiment with action-reaction. Better coordination and balance could mean it’s a good time for a ride-on toy. Climbing on and off, pushing forward and back—such actions strengthen leg muscles right along with motor skills. And of course, the thrill of getting from one place to another fosters a spirit of independence.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Language Development
With the increasing independence of the one-year milestone comes increased expressiveness.
Your little one may enjoy expressing herself in the way she controls a toy, making unique things happen such as starting a song or making lights twinkle. You’ll also notice improving communication skills, as your child understands much of what you say now and might repeat many words and phrases. Language skills develop in a number of ways – by hearing you talk, read and sing, but also through playing with toys that offer rich auditory experiences and a variety of music, sounds and speech to explore.
As children grow, they learn that sounds join together to form words, words become sentences, and sentences combine to turn into stories. So talk to your child often, identifying things you see and actions you both make. Read together and point to the pictures. Enjoy the give-and-take of “conversation.” Share the joys of language every day!
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
Cognitive Skills/Everyday Learning
With a good sense of humor now, your one-year old is likely to delight you with frequent laughter.
Children of this age also like to find hidden objects, now that they’re able to make the brain connection that something was here … and now it isn’t! They’ll even move one object to reach another that was hidden from view. An understanding of predictability—combined with an element of surprise—will keep them engaged with a toy.
When you play together, give your child a clue that something exciting is about to occur. Build the excitement—and cognitive skills—by asking, “What do you think is going to happen?”
Since they also enjoy routine and can follow simple directions, this is a good time to recruit a helper! Give them a chance to imitate simple household routines. Imitation is the first step toward imaginative play—a whole new way of learning and discovering.
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This article is attributed to Fisher-Price’s Dr. Kathleen Alfano, Director of Child Research at Fisher-Price
12th month
Your child is just entering his 12th month. Soon, it’s time to celebrate his first birthday. This is the month when he really starts learning to walk, with a little help from the grown-ups.
It is also a period during which his most recent physical, emotional and intellectual achievements are established and perfected.
Your child’s physical development
He is moving around with greater determination on all fours. The more you encourage him, the more he loves to move.
With your help, he can stand and take a few steps. Or he might be able to do so by standing against a wall or a piece of furniture.
He concentrates hard to pick up really small objects between his thumb and forefinger, such as a grain of rice that has fallen off his plate, or a tiny stone that he finds on the ground. Be careful that he doesn’t put them into his mouth.
His daily activities
He loves putting the parts of an object together to make one large object.
He has great fun putting things on his head or throwing his toys as far as he can. Beware of things getting broken. Place anything fragile out of his reach.
Generally speaking, your child needs two little naps during the day; a short one in the morning and a slightly longer one in the afternoon. Don’t kick up a fuss if he refuses to sleep because some children need less sleep than others. Let him babble away in his bed as he’s still getting the rest he needs.
More and more sociable
He loves participating, showing his presence and being useful.
He is perfectly capable of finding and bringing to you that set of keys you have been looking everywhere for, especially if he is the one to place them somewhere else.
He is now aware of objects that he cannot see, and his visual memory is very good. He knows the difference between what is "there" and what is "no longer there".
He is becoming familiar with abstract ideas such as up/down, solid/liquid, container/contents.
Your child’s dietary capabilities
As he approaches his first birthday, your child is becoming more sociable and discovering the joys of eating together as a family. His nutritional needs, however, are not yet comparable to those around him.
