8-Month-Old Baby

Stimulate your 8-month-old by describing how things work, how they are used and how they are different.

For example, “When I turn on the faucet, water comes out,” “The car will help us get places faster than walking with you in the stroller,” “The doggy says ‘woof’ and the kitty says ‘meow.’” 

Spend time talking, singing songs and reading books to boost his language skills. And play games that help explain concepts like cause and effect (fill a cup of water in the bath and let baby turn it over) and object permanence (play peekaboo).

The scene: your dinner table. Your 8-month-old is in his high chair with an enticing array of foods before him. Your baby has his bib and his spoon. So is he eating? No!

Instead, your baby is merrily tossing his spoon overboard — over and over and over again — and giggling with glee every time you pick it up and return it to him.

Is your baby simply enjoying watching you stoop down to the floor? Is he trying to drive you crazy on purpose? Nope. Your baby's brain is just busy working on two big concepts: cause and effect ("When I throw this, Mom picks it up! Cool!") and object permanence ("I can't see this while it's under my chair, but wow! There it is again!").

As annoying — and hard on your back — as it may be, this drop-it-again-and-again routine is a sign of the crucial cognitive development of memory and abstract-thinking skills.

Finger foods are especially welcome now, since babies this age like to feed themselves — or try to. It's not pretty, and it's not neat, but it's gotta happen.

Just make sure you're always supervising when you graduate to finger foods.

And remember, even babies who have teeth aren't ready for steak yet: Those first teeth aren't for chewing, just for biting. Make sure everything you give your baby can be easily gummed, for safety's sake.

Exercise boosts energy along with immunity, so try to fit it in between all that caring for baby you've been doing. Shoot for at least 20 minutes of sustained activity three times a week, although 30 minutes, four or more times per week, is better in the long run for stronger bones.

How? Now that your baby is older than 6 months, strap him in a jogging stroller and go for a run. Or use a front pack or backpack if he can sit unsupported and take a brisk walk (no jogging with your baby in a pack).

If you're inside, try an exercise video or mini-trampoline. Or just put on some music and boogie — your baby will find watching you endlessly entertaining!

Turn your baby into a fruit fiend by giving him squished blueberries or small pieces of soft fruits like bananas or very ripe, peeled and skinned pear.

To make it easier to pick up slippery banana pieces, try dusting them in crushed Cheerios first.

Ripe mangoes, peaches, apricots, kiwis, honeydew and cantaloupe are also likely to appeal to your baby's sweet tooth (or gums), but make sure to take off any skin first.

Not all fruit is baby-friendly, though. Avoid pieces of apple, even without the skin, for now. Ditto any other harder-textured or unripe fruit that could get stuck in the windpipe.

There's a reason why blocks have been around forever — they can do so many things. Before your little one learns to stack them, they'll be good for grabbing, holding and mouthing, so get simple cubes that are made of cloth but can still be easily stacked.

The best ones have colorful pictures and make a soft, jingly sound when squeezed or shaken. Early on, before he's sitting up, you can show him the pictures on the blocks, talk about them and let him listen to the blocks as you squeeze or shake them.

Later, boost his gross-motor skills by stacking the blocks and letting him knock them down with his arms or legs. Or show him how to toss the blocks at a safe target — the sofa, say, or the rug.

Your baby's large-motor skills will be tested as he learns to sit up comfortably and steadily and works on pushing himself up into a seated position from his tummy.

Some babies begin to creep or crawl this month, or even discover that they can move around quite well by scooting on their bottoms.

If your baby was an early crawler, he may now move on to standing (pulling himself up the sofa — or your legs — to get upright).

Encourage this new view of the world, and maybe even those first wobbly steps, by arranging the furniture (like chairs and low-lying tables) in a row so he can inch his way across with steady support — a motor skill called cruising.