Eight month old baby development
8-month-old babies sleep, eat, and develop skills at different rates, as they continue to adjust to changes that are appropriate for their age. It might seem that the difference with a baby of 7 and a half months is little, but at this stage everything happens quickly.
Every baby has its own pace of learning and development, so we should not be alarmed when, when compared to another a few weeks apart, it seems that it has stagnated. However, we will mention some changes typical of month 8 in the following lines, which could serve as a reference to learn more about what an 8-month-old baby can eat, how much he should sleep and the most relevant in relation to his motor and intellectual skills.
What about your food?
Food for 8-month-old babies is mainly based on breast milk or formula, vegetables, low-gluten cereals (preferably rice), and protein intake should be supplemented with lamb, rabbit, chicken or turkey meat. Special emphasis must be placed on the complete cooking of these meats, to avoid any inconvenience.
Because the baby’s gums are stronger and some teeth may appear in them, he may be able to eat small bits of food . In this sense, you can add some apple slices, peas, potato and carrot cubes, etc. to the diet of the 8-month-old baby.
If you want to encourage his motor and sensory skills, you can allow him to pick up the food himself and offer a combination of foods with a high color contrast. For example, a basic Russian salad, without added dressings or sauces.
The spoon may still be your most useful tool for feeding at times, but the self-feeding process is also a point to reinforce from now on.
Regarding his weight, the 8-month-old baby can be between 6 and 10 kilograms and measure from 63 to 75 centimeters. It should be noted that at this stage the evolution of the baby’s weight slows down, compared to that of the previous months. Her body will focus on balancing the weight and giving greater strength to the muscles of the lower body so that they have mobility.
Your intellectual development
Don’t be overwhelmed if, when trying to feed himself, the little one finds that it’s fun to throw everything on the floor. And that it’s even more fascinating to see that you duck every time he throws something. This happens because his brain is very busy understanding the concepts of cause and effect . It’s the same concept that will later help him understand that even though he can’t see them, things are there. That’s why he finds the game of hide and seek so hilarious.
On the other hand, if you wonder what the so-called 8-month crisis refers to, you should know that it is closely linked to assimilating what it means to be separated from those you love and need. Because of this, he develops a greater fear of interacting with strangers and this reluctance can last for a couple of months.
Motor development
Gross motor skills are now developing at a rapid rate in the baby. All the gymnastics of legs and arms that the baby practiced for several months, kicking in the air when he was lying on his back, now bears fruit. He is capable of propelling himself and moving forward, even crawling. Some babies discover very strange ways of moving, for example, on their buttocks, and until they find another more effective way, they will continue to do so. In the same way, the baby’s visual perspective changes and he is able to stay seated for longer, even without the pregnancy pillow (by clicking on this link you can find some purchase options) or the stuffed animal that you sometimes place on him to stabilize his position.
If the legs become strong enough, they can already support the full weight of your body. They will also allow you, in a few more days, to get on your feet. It is still too early to ask the infant to take steps without falling, so it is more convenient to offer support so that he can maintain his balance and take small steps while he holds on.
sleep cycles
Another issue that causes more doubts to parents is sleep routines. Due to the fact that in his growth process the 8-month-old baby has managed to understand that his parents are not always with him, he may wake up in the middle of the night and cry uncontrollably. At this point, some experts are of the opinion that, if a nocturnal crisis occurs that affects sleep, one should not resort to feeding, carrying or taking the baby for walks around the house, in order to comfort him, whenever he wakes up in the morning. night, as it will create a need to repeat this every night. It is best to help her go back to sleep with methods such as talking quietly to her, rubbing her back, or giving her a gentle massage.
Now, it is convenient that if healthy habits have not been established in the child for bedtime, they begin to structure at this time. Ideally, try to get the baby to lie down while he is drowsy, but not totally asleep, and it is better to comfort him without taking him out of the crib, talking softly to him and inviting him to go back to bed when he gets up or refuses to sleep at the time. established.
At this same point, it should be taken into account that at 8 months babies do not sleep the same number of hours as before. While for some it is normal to sleep 12 hours, others need up to 16 hours of sleep.
Now that you know more about what an 8-month-old baby does, we can only recommend that you observe and help your little one in the new advances that he achieves, focusing your efforts on perfecting them, rather than trying to get him to overcome and reach them. others more. In this way, your baby will feel more secure and, when he is ready, he will continue with new surprises.
