8 Months Old

How can it be that your little one is 8 months old?!  Time sure flies when you’re having a blast (or maybe not if you’re little one still isn’t sleeping…).  Either way, here’s what you need to know about your big little 8 month old.

Average Height & Weight:

• Avg girl: 17.5 lbs, 27.1 inches
• Avg boy: 19.0 lbs, 27.8 inches

 

Development/Milestones:

• Sits by themselves
• Begins to scoot or crawl (not all babies crawl yet)
• Pulls to stand and stands up holding on.
• Makes sounds like “bababa,” “dada,” “mama,” but may not know what they mean yet
• Inspects objects/toys, may drop or throw them

 

Feeding:

• Pureed or strained fruits, soft, cooked vegetables, tender meat shreds/slices, small amounts of unsweetened yogurt (no cow’s milk until age 1)
• Nurse/bottle 3-5x a day (24-32 ounces a day)
• Begin to introduce Sippy cups of water or breastmilk/formula
  • Don’t send baby to nap or bed with a bottle
• Vitamin D & iron supplementation recommended

 

Sleep:

• 14-15 hours a day
  • 10-11 hours at night
  • 2 naps, totaling 3.5 hours

 

Activity Ideas:

• Introduce baby to basic sign language (babysignlanguage.com)
• Fill a small plastic bottle with rice or beans and let baby shake it

 

Must Have Products:

• Body bib

• Sippy cups

 

Example Schedule

• 6:30 AM – Wake, Nurse/Bottle (5-8 oz.)
• 7:30 AM – Breakfast (e.g. waffle/pancake pieces + soft berries)
• Playtime
• 9:00 AM – Nurse/bottle (5-8 oz.)
• 9:15 AM Nap ~1.5 hours
• 12 PM – Lunch (Avocado slices, soft vegetables, peeled apples slices), Sippy cup offered
• Activity
• 2 PM – Nap ~1.5 hour
• 3 PM – Nurse/bottle (5-8 oz.) Snack if desired
• 6 PM – Dinner + water in Sippy cup (mashed cooked veggies, tofu piece, sweet potato chunks)
• 7 PM – Nurse/Bottle (6-8 oz.) Bath & Bedtime routine

 

**Babies meet milestones at their own rate, and no babies’ schedules are the same. Consult with your pediatrician for questions.