During month eight of your baby’s life, she will start to crawl, if she has not already started. She could also start pulling up this month. As your baby becomes more mobile, you’ll want to make sure that the house is baby-proofed.
Your Child’s Development
In the eight month of life, your baby will probably be crawling and will be pretty good at getting around. This means that you must be more diligent now about making sure that her surroundings are safe and childproofing your home. Make sure that all objects that could be a choking hazard are removed and use safety caps on all electrical sockets. Hide electrical cords behind furniture or use a cord hiding product that you can find in many home stores. Remove hanging cords from all window blinds and secure any furniture that can tip over. Tablecloths should not be used at this time, as your baby will undoubtedly want to pull them down. You should also remove house plants that could be poisonous and make sure that any harmful products are locked up. It’s a good idea to actually get down on your hands and knees and crawl around each room in your house that your baby has access to. This will give you the same perspective that your baby has and will allow you to see potential dangers that you may not otherwise notice such as a loose screw protruding from the bottom of a table.
At eight months, your baby should start to pull herself up to a standing position and be able to stand for several minutes. Because she has been crawling, her leg and back muscles are getting stronger. It won’t be long now until she is running through the house. This also brings about the need for some new safety items. It’s inevitable that your baby will fall and get some bumps and bruises, but you can make it safer for her by installing corner bumpers or pads on sharp furniture. And of course you’ll want to use baby gates to contain your baby and keep her away from the stairs and windows that could present a hazard.
One of your baby’s favourite things to do at this age is to watch reaction to her actions. She will drop a toy and wait for you to pick it up, only to drop it again. For a parent, this game can get old quickly, but for a baby, it is fascinating to her because she is making something happen and she wants to see it over and over.
You should also notice that your baby is starting to understand that objects have specific purposes. She might put the phone to her ear, pretend to drink from a cup, or try to comb her own hair. She is also getting really good at recognising objects. When you look at a familiar book and say the name of an object in a picture, you may notice that she will look towards the object. Or, if you ask her where is her blanket she will look around to locate it. One of the best toys to encourage these most recent developments is an activity centre that has lots of busy items. Most have cause and effect activities and items that let a baby imitate and pretend.