Baby's Development (7-12 months)
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Prepared to track down the journey of your little adventurer? If still, stifling with the urge to say ‘’yes’’! Then ain’t be! For, as your baby becomes more mobile, his emerging abilities will keep you guessing for more.
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Physical And Motor Development
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- By the time your baby is around seven to nine months old, she can manage to sit securely without an additional support.
- In a sitting position, a nine month old infant can regain her balance if she leans forward. But finds it difficult if she leans sideways, a skill that is still not achieved for another month.
- Some babies can pull themselves to a standing position by holding on to an edge of a low table, but they cannot be able to sit down again. A baby usually learns to cruise or move about in their crib or room by holding onto the objects in their vicinity e.g. crib rails or small chairs.
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- While sleeping, you may even notice that she rolls over on both the sides very easily.
- Very soon, you are able to picture your baby standing alone at least momentarily by about 12 months. It is at this age that your baby takes in her first few steps towards exploring the new territory.
- With the growing years, hand eye coordination also improves and your baby progresses to holding and grasping objects more firmly. By holding on to soft finger foods between their thumb and forefinger, they relish the time being fed by themselves. They gain pride in banging blocks together, simply delight in hitting a spoon at the base of a utensil or even nesting small objects one inside the other and taking them out again.
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Social, Language and Cognitive Development.
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- Babies often become wary of strangers and might resist being cuddled by them. This discomfort becomes quite apparent, when they start crying on a mere gesture of an unfamiliar person leaning forward to pick them up.
- As your baby’s memory sharpens, she is able to look around the corner for hidden objects and will be able to trace them easily. When you call out to say a name of an animal and hold the picture of the same in front of them, they might indicate by pointing out at the image. They will happily pat, when shown their image in the mirror.
- Don’t be alarmed at the sight of your baby crying incessantly, the moment you leave the room. They do understand that you as an individual person exist even though you aren’t at the sight. But it increases their anxiety as to whether you would return back. Divert the attention of the baby with a colorful musical toy or keep her to be attended by a caregiver before you leave. However if you still sense that your baby is uncomfortable, then refrain from sneaking away.
- Babies will be at their best when it comes to imitating your acts. You would soon find him brushing his hair or simply joining both the hands, when seeing you pray or talking on the phone by just placing it on their ear.
- Gibberish babbling reigns supreme. Your baby will understand and respond to verbal requests from familiar people in his own unique way. She may simply shake her head to convey her ‘no’ or communicate in varied consonant vowel combinations like ‘ah-oh-oo’.You often find your baby speaking words like mama and dada in a vivid tone and waving you ‘bye-bye’, another gesture which she becomes familiar with by 12 months age.
- Development of Senses:- A ten month old infant will be able to respond to sound coming in any direction by turning his head towards it. Your baby will also develop an acute sense of taste and would express his displeasure by simply spitting it out, if it doesn’t appeals to her taste buds.
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Aid Your Baby’s Development:-
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- Your baby’s growing inquisitiveness to exploring newer things day by day often lands him reaching for the corners of the table. Make sure that you shift small tables with sharp edges to another room. Keep away small objects that can be easily gulped, out of her reach. Even those light weight objects which the baby would cling to while trying to stand should be placed elsewhere as your baby can topple on them.
- Reading is one activity that will promote your baby’s cognitive and language development. Read out aloud a picture book to your baby. Club the process with an interesting mix of gestures, facial expressions & sounds. This will help your baby absorb new words and improvise on weaving short sentences as she grows up.
- Re-reading the same story again or re-doing the playful act of arranging the colorful plastic rings should be encouraged. It not only instils confidence in your baby that she is now good at it but her retention span also gains a strong hold over it.
- Get creative by adding newer play activities to your repertoire. Encourage your baby to crawl over the mounds of arranged pillows, which can be nice change over a peek-a-boo game. Arrange the bathtub of your baby with some small plastic mugs, wherein she would be able to carry out a holding-pouring act.
- Babies have yet not developed the sense of right and wrong. You should applaud, when she points out to the right picture but steer him away from dangerous situations.
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It’s normal to observe some babies achieving the developmental milestones at a much faster pace when compared to others. However it can be alarming, if your baby lags way behind taking up to its normal course and distinctively exhibits the following signs. This should then be discussed with your baby’s doctor.
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- Head flops back when the body is pulled to a sitting position.
- Not able to roll over on both the sides.
- Does not bear weight on the legs by 7 months.
- No babbling and interest in peek-a-boo games by 8 months.
- Unable to stand or sit even with help by 12 months.
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