Baby's 8th month: The first words

It might feel like your baby's birth was just yesterday. But now your offspring is already an 8-month-old baby and well on the way to becoming a toddler. But how does your baby's development change from the seventh to the eighth month? You have surely noticed that you can already goof around wonderfully and your child already understands little games. Furthermore, the stranger danger phase has probably begun, and as soon as you parents even think about leaving the room, big tears start to roll. You will likely encounter another milestone at the coffee table or sofa, as your 8-month-old child will now start pulling themselves up on everything and venture their first cautious steps. In baby's 8th month, you might even get to hear the first words; will it be Dada? You can find out what else to expect and which new skills your baby will learn in this month of life in the following article.

What's new in baby's 8th month

At 8 months, your everyday life will already be fully coordinated with life with a baby, and you are probably already a well-rehearsed team. This new month of life is characterized by milestones, and all the changes can also bring a lot of challenges. Your eight-month-old baby wants to become more independent, develop, and learn, even when their own abilities are still limited. Accompany them and let them try things out. But which skills are we actually talking about here? What exactly is an if-then chain and how does a scissor grasp work? We have researched this in more detail for you.

Sensory development – baby at 8 months

Your baby's senses continue to improve steadily at the age of eight months. They are now learning to recognize differences and can remember more impressions such as smell, appearance, and how objects or people feel. While strange smells and consistencies in food are exciting and can be a thrilling experience, it is quite different with people. Here, most 8-month-old babies do not like change, and a new hairstyle or even new glasses can trigger a real crisis for your offspring. Also, the perception of pain is not yet fully developed in your baby at 8 months. If they fall and hurt themselves, the crying will occur with a time delay. This is not because they want to wait for your reaction, but because of the wiring of the spinal nerves that ensure the body reacts to pain.

Motor development of babies at 8 months

While some children are only just learning to roll from their back to their stomach, some are real early starters and are already walking casually along the coffee table. Which type your baby belongs to and whether they are still lying down, already crawling, or even already going on a journey of discovery on two legs depends entirely on the development of their muscles. Some babies focus on speaking, sounds, and fine motor skills, while others cannot start pulling themselves up fast enough. Neither is a cause for concern, as every child develops at their own pace. Some simply skip scooting or crawling and before you know it, a happy toddler is stumbling through your living room.

When the legs get tired while standing, one of the early childhood reflexes that has not yet fully regressed makes itself known: the Moro reflex. It ensures that your baby lands on their bottom when their strength fades. In terms of fine motor skills, your baby makes a huge developmental leap in the eighth month, as they now learn the scissor grasp. With this new skill, your baby can now grasp smaller objects between their thumb and index finger, something that brings significant advantages, especially with complementary feeding.

Your baby's language development in the eighth month

With the first syllables, not only does the babbling that most parents love so much increase, but the first Dada or Mama also occurs, which is meant quite deliberately. Furthermore, in the eighth month, your baby will start to use laughter as a means of communication and will want to appease you if you ever look at them sternly. In general, they will now learn to better interpret facial expressions and react to them. Do you name all the objects you encounter in everyday life with your baby? That is great, because this way their passive vocabulary continues to expand steadily and all new objects are automatically stored. That is why you may have already noticed that your baby also remembers things they cannot see and demands them – sometimes loudly in baby language. This object permanence also works with people, and so your baby now knows that you exist even if they cannot see you.

Everything a baby should be able to do in the 8th month of life:

Don't compare your baby with others, because every child develops at their own pace. Development happens and when your baby is ready, they will gradually learn the skills that are currently useful for them. Not all babies can crawl at eight months; some are just starting to roll over. And while some babble for all they're worth, others are more quiet and introverted. Just like adults, every child naturally has their own personality, and that simply cannot be compared with others. To give you a rough overview of what an average 8-month-old baby should be able to do, we have a small overview for you here:

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• Skepticism increases; your 8-month-old baby will now slowly start to experience stranger anxiety and will more often reject even people like grandma and grandpa. This is a phase that will pass, but one you should definitely respect without pushing your baby. This stranger anxiety phase is essential for their emotional development.
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• It took 8 months of life, and already your baby knows, for example, that a rattle rattles when you shake it and that parents bend down when you drop something – a great game. This understanding of cause-and-effect chains comes from constant repetition. If you don't bend down for once, your baby will immediately express their disappointment.
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• Help yourself is a motto your baby will discover for themselves in the 8th month. Using toys as tools, using blankets to pull objects toward them – all of this is now part of your everyday life. Sometimes they need help to help themselves; feel free to lend a hand and thus promote their independence.
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8-month-old baby: Sleep, nutrition, and encouragement

The new month of life brings quite a few changes. Your baby is becoming increasingly mobile and independent. They explore the world and get an overview of their environment. Stranger anxiety ensures that you have less personal space, and generally, your baby can now simply follow you when you leave the room. The days sometimes feel really long, and you probably often wonder how much longer it is until the next nap. But how much does an 8-month-old baby actually sleep? What is on your baby's menu in the 8th month, and what can you do to encourage your offspring?

How your baby sleeps in the 8th month of life

When your baby is 8 months old, they probably don't feel much like closing their eyes several times a day anymore. The many small daytime naps gradually disappear, leaving one midday nap that should stay with you a bit longer. In return, babies at 8 months often sleep a bit longer at night. More and more often, they now manage to fall back asleep on their own. This means that although they still wake up several times, they find their way back to the land of dreams after a bit of babbling.

Baby's 8th month: What's on the menu

Breast milk or formula has nourished your baby for 8 months and will remain high on the menu for another 4 months. Your baby is open to new and unfamiliar tastes, and textures are exciting. Everything you eat, your baby can eat too. Just make sure you cook salt-free and not too heavily seasoned. To avoid tooth decay, you should feed as little to no sugar as possible and start dental care from the first tooth. This can be done with a small toothbrush, but also with your fingers. Bananas are probably particularly popular – the sweet fruits are easy to hold and eat, and your baby will love them.

How you can encourage your baby at 8 months

Age-appropriate toys are a great way to support your child's development. Whether the toy is made of plastic or wood says nothing about your qualities as a parent, but merely describes your baby's taste. Objects in motion probably bring your offspring the most joy now, and when they can pull themselves up on something, they will squeal with delight. Activity cubes and busy boards train fine motor skills and are fun.

Your life has probably changed noticeably with a baby, and watching your baby grow fills you with pride. It feels like the little ones experience adventures and learn new things every day. Milestone after milestone is reached, and the time until the 9th month also flies by. Whether playing hide and seek, the first attempts to hit the plate with a spoon, or the first "Mama" – it certainly won't get boring with a baby in the house. We hope our article has given you a good overview of what to expect during the eighth month.