The Developing Stages of a Child

of growth and development.

By the end of the month your baby will sit without help, and probably

even sit down on his or her own. Soon your baby will maintain his or her

balance better and begin combining sitting with some other activity --

for instance playing.

Your child probably already crawls on his or her belly or grabbles.

At first he or she can move back to front. Some children form their own

ways to move before, after, or instead of creeping; others never crawl,

and walk from the very beginning.

If a baby learned to walk himself/herself, he or she becomes curious.

The baby wants to explore what is beyond the room, but is afraid to leave

you. However, one day he or she overcomes his hesitations and goes to

another room just to come back and make sure that you are still there.

Your baby repeats the hand movements that he or she sees. During the

next two months he or she will most likely give preference to the right

or left hand. For the present, he or she still grasps everything within

reach and shifts objects from one hand to another. He or she also shakes,

presses, rolls, and makes a noise with objects, and throws everything.

Vocalization still dominates. Your baby can express his or her pleasure

by means of different sounds. The baby often tries to imitate sounds of

adults, and judging by the tone of your voice he or she can guess what

the word “no” means. Besides, the baby has already learned

that objects exist even though he or she doesn’t see them. The baby

searches for a fallen object and recognizes toys. Soon the baby will realize

that if he or she can’t reach a toy, it can be reached by pulling

the blanket that the toy lies on.

Sleep and nutrition of your baby won’t change much this month.

He or she will like to eat with the fingers because he or she learned

to use them, not only the whole palm.

Continue to offer the baby new food. If he or she loses interest in

a novelty and begins fidgeting, it means that he or she is fed up with

it.

Your baby will probably get their first tooth this month. As a rule,

this is the front lower one. Rich salivation and sucking of the lower

lip are common signals that he or she is cutting teeth. Teeth can cause

a high temperature and diarrhea, but you shouldn’t blame it only

on this process because it can be a true disease as well.

You are still the main person for your baby. So far when he or she said

“mum” or “dad”, he or she did it unconsciously.

But in several weeks your baby will realize that “mum” is

only one person.

Baby’s physical development this month

The baby can grabble.

He or she rocks to and fro, going down on all fours.

He or she can move on his or her back, raising and lowering the bottom.

One or two teeth can come through.

He or she holds objects in both hands and likes to kick.

He or she likes to examine his or her body with the help of the hands

and mouth.

He or she takes objects by the fingers.

Baby’s social development this month

He or she teases and understands when somebody fools with him or her.

The baby caresses his or her reflection in the mirror.

He or she begins to understand what “no” means by the tone

of your voice.

Baby’s intellectual development this month

He or she attracts attention better and shows his or her interest in

details.

The baby understands that an object doesn’t disappear if he or

she doesn’t see it.

He or she imitates different sounds.

He or she begins to master the sequence of his or her actions.

The baby can take a picture with the image of a child for himself/herself

and pronounce appropriate sounds.

He or she knows that there is “mum”, and that she is the

only one.

The baby recognizes his or her name.

Your baby is 8 months old

Your seven-month old baby becomes more and more curious. He or she wants

to learn everything and to explore this world on his or her own, but he

or she doesn’t understand that his or her actions can cause harm.

That’s why he or she carelessly travels about the house and pries

into everything that he or she can reach. Your baby has probably already

brought to perfection his or her movement technique and feels at ease.

As his or her muscles became stronger because of creeping, he or she will

make efforts to stand up. You can’t teach your baby how to do it,

but it’s possible to show him or her how to bend forward so that

he or she sits down onto his or her bottom. As soon as he or she learns

to stand up, he or she will try to see what he or she can do standing

on both legs. The baby will soon find out which objects and furniture

are strong enough to stand him or her. There’s no doubt that the

kitchen has always been a favorite children’s place for games. Check

what shelves your baby can reach and keep only unbroken and safe things

there. Think about how to lock shelves and drawers that he or she shouldn’t

find. Children like to throw garbage out of the trash can and carry it

around the house -- it’s better to keep the trash can far from your

baby. You must let him or her know beforehand that you are going open

or close the door -- children like to hide behind it because the sight

of the opening door attracts them. Your baby manages well with his or

her fingers and can take small objects with the help of a thumb and a

forefinger. He or she can also point at what he or she wants, and watch

where you go to. Your baby’s sight and observation are so well-developed

that he or she can identify a new thing in the room. It’s hard to

predict how your baby will eat this month. His or her behavior towards

food and preferences can change every week. When a child is cutting teeth,

he or she loses interest in food. Just follow his or her desires (within

the normal range) and don’t feed him or her by force.

Sleep is hard to predict as well. In the eighth month an active child

can sleep less than earlier, but if he or she is tired, he or she sleeps

more. If your baby became overexcited, he or she will most likely sleep

poorly at night. To avoid a sleepless night, calm your baby down by caressing,

lulling, or by a relaxing massage. Language development begins long before

your baby’s first word. Continue talking to your baby even though

your conversation is more like a monologue. You’ll notice that he

or she repeats the movements of your lips. In practice, the sounds that

seem nonsense for you are your baby’s attempt to repeat what he

or she hears from you.

Baby’s physical development this month

He or she trains the fingers.

He or she points at an object and, at the same time, follow where others

point.

He or she creeps with a toy in his or her hand.

He or she stands up near support – he or she can stand without

clinging if leaning against something.

He or she puts one foot before the other.

He or she claps his or her hands and waves.

He or she tastes everything.

Baby’s social development this month

He or she pushes aside an uninteresting object.

He or she is attached to parents and dislikes strangers.

He or she caresses and kisses his or her reflection in the mirror.