Learning, Play, and Your 8- to 12-Month-Old

You've watched your child change over the preceding months from tiny newborn to a curious infant, reaching out and exploring his or her surroundings. That curiosity and readiness to learn will continue as your baby becomes more mobile during these next few months.

With this new ability to get around, your infant will make great strides in learning. Play will take on a new dimension as language emerges. During these next few months, your baby's babbling will start to morph into words like "mama," "dada," and "baba." These words will emerge randomly at first, but your infant will soon learn to associate them with mom, dad, and bottle.

Your baby will begin to use gestures like pointing and waving for expression. This is also the stage where your infant will understand more of what you are saying, including the word "no!"

As your child gets more mobile and interested in exploring, it's important to provide supervision and to make sure to childproof the house to prevent accidents.

What Is My Child Learning?

Your child will be very busy learning how to move around. Infants learn to crawl during this stage, though some will develop more novel ways of getting around, such as creeping on their bellies, scooting on their bottoms, or rolling to where they want to go. It doesn't matter so much how your baby gets around, as long as he or she is able to move arms and legs equally and coordinate both sides of the body.

Babies also become more adept at changing positions, moving readily from lying to sitting, then pulling themselves to stand. Holding on to furniture and other large objects nearby, your infant will take tentative first steps and start cruising along the furniture. Some babies may even learn to walk independently during this stage.

As hand-eye coordination improves, your baby will explore objects in greater detail, also learning their functions: you use a brush on your hair, you talk on the telephone.

Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety are emotions that also typically emerge during this period. Your infant may get upset when a stranger approaches or you try to leave, whether you're going into the next room for a few seconds or leaving your child with a sitter for the evening. Your child may cry, cling to you, and resist attention from others. This is a normal reaction and appropriate for this stage of development. Typically, this response intensifies over the next several months, then gradually improves as your child acquires the language and social skills to cope with a strange situation and feels secure that the separation is not permanent.

How Can I Encourage My Child to Learn?

Your baby's ability to get around and never-ending curiosity are the catalysts for learning during this period, so it's important to provide opportunities — and a safe place — for exploration. Your baby may enjoy playing with egg cartons, blocks, balls, stacking toys, and push-pull toys. When your baby is in the bath, provide squeeze toys and cups and containers to splash around with.

Infants are learning to understand language so continue to talk to your baby. Introduce simple words by naming familiar objects and let your baby try to imitate you. Reinforce the words by repeating them. Encourage your infant's expressions by waiting for a response when you are having a "conversation."

Continue reading to your child from books that have large, colorful illustrations. Point to pictures in the book and say their names to create associations between the things your child sees and the words that describe them.

Here are some other ideas for encouraging your 8- to 12-month-old to learn and play:

• Encourage crawling during tummy time by helping your baby get into the crawling position on hands and knees. Place a favorite toy out of reach and encourage your baby to move toward it.
• Continue to play games like peekaboo, but vary it a bit by hiding your face with a blanket and letting the baby pull it off, hiding around the corner, and showing your baby how to cover his or her own face with the hands.
• Continue to play hide and seek and test your child's understanding of object permanence. Let your baby watch you hide a toy — first partially hidden, then covered completely — and let him or her find it.
• Teach your baby action songs, like "Pat-A-Cake," "This Little Piggy," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Pop Goes the Weasel." Babies love to hear and learn these songs and anticipate the accompanying movements.

There is a wide range of what is normal for babies, and some babies develop slower and faster than others. Talk with your child's doctor if you have a concern.

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD