Baby at 8 months: crisis, food, language and activities

The 8 month stage in a child is accompanied by many changes. Baby’s eighth month is often a bit difficult indeed, where several emotions are mixed in the child. Rest assured, this is normal, even necessary for its proper development. On the evolution side, he continues to learn new things and develops his abilities over the days under the eyes of his parents. Doctor Noémie Nathan, pediatrician in Montreuil, gives us the keys to go through this phase smoothly.

At 8 months, baby is going through a difficult phase. It is indeed generally at this age that the baby feels his early separation anxieties and often manifest them by great outpourings of tears. Even if it can be difficult for the child to live with (and just as much for parents tormented by leaving baby in this state), it is a common and even essential stage in its construction. From a health point of view, your baby is healthy ! It grows and evolves at its own pace and its progress amazes you. But it stores so many new things that it could well express an overflow and new anxieties.

What activities for an 8 month old baby?

Baby always appreciates being stimulated, he likes to discover new activities but for a short time, because in general he does not stay focused for long. At this age, baby likes to manipulate objects in his hands, he also likes to make noise, and has fun testing the nuances of sounds by banging his toys against each other. In this idea, you can offer him some musical activities (maracas, rattle, drum, etc.), have him listen to nursery rhymesmusic boxes or offer him a rain stick. Also give preference to toys with different textures that baby will hasten to touch and chew, which allows him to discover new sensations.

What food for an 8 month old baby?

Baby’s meals are well organized now that he is already in his 8th month. He keeps two bottles or feedings a day, in addition to which you introduce him to new tastes regularly. He also does two spoon meals, but you notice that baby is already experiencing the urge to eat alone with your hands. In effect, he grabs small pieces of vegetables between his thumb and forefinger, and brings them to his mouth. This can sometimes be annoying because it gets everywhere and gets dirty. But this step is very important, because it will gain in autonomy.

Baby meals at 8 months:

His meals now consist of:

• the morning : a 240 ml bottle, possibly including second age flour
• noon : 180 grams of vegetables with a little butter and 20 grams of meat or fish. For dessert: dairy or fruit
• at snack : a dairy product or mixed fresh fruit (alternating with lunch), a little fruit juice and a small cake or a bread crouton
• The evening : a 240 ml bottle with a little flour, or 150 ml of milk and 90 ml of soup

The 8-month crisis or separation anxiety

Devoid of any awareness that you are going to come back, you now understand why he expresses his dismay so intensely!

Around the age of eight months, babies experience their first separation anxieties. Indeed, he now knows that he is a being different from you his parent and is individualized. For him, your departure is also a source of anxiety because he does not yet have the ability to project himself into the future. Devoid of any awareness that you are going to come back, you now understand why he expresses his dismay so intensely! Because when you leave to go to work or do some shopping, he experiences it as a kind of abandonment. This stage is normal and all the specialists agree that it is essential in the construction of the child. Separation anxiety mostly manifests as crying or crying as soon as you leave the room, put it down, or go away for a while.. Leaving him in the morning with the nurse or at the crèche then becomes a real heartbreak. But rest assured, early childhood professionals have a perfect command of the subject, and know how to gently divert baby’s attention. It is because at this age, baby knows his world and his environment perfectly: he is a very routine little being who needs landmarks to be fully reassured. He hates what’s new, hides when a stranger talks to him… and this crisis of eight months is more or less long depending on the children, especially if they have been used to being frequently looked after or not. One thing to know, apart from taking your troubles patiently: it is essential to reassure your child. Talk to him, tell him you’ll be back and that you want him to have fun until then.

What is the language of an 8 month old baby?

Baby continues to learn language at his own pace. He still chatters just as much, if not more. Some scientists also believe that at this age he is able to recognize and understand specific sounds and certain words that are familiar to him. His vocabulary is also changing. He begins to pronounce simple words with syllables, like “mama”, “tata”, “papa”, these are in a way these first words. He also interacts a lot with a smile or sound when you address him.

What is the height and weight of an 8 month old baby?

Your baby gains about 25 cm between 0 and 1 year, the fastest growth he will know in his entire life! It is therefore not abnormal that this growth can slow down a little at certain times. Your child simply needs to stay on their growth chart, without getting too detached from it. In terms of weight, the child takes more or less 500 grams each monthaccording to gender. A baby at 8 months can measure on average 69 centimeters and weigh between 6.2 and 10 kilos if he is a girl or a boy.

At 8 months baby can’t sit up, is this normal?

At 8 months, your baby must sit up for a few seconds with support. However, Doctor Nathan wishes to clarify: “Sitting for a few seconds with support does not mean getting into a sitting position on your own! So do not be alarmed if your baby is not yet able to do this. The next engine check-up takes place at 9 months, so you can obviously discuss your concerns with the pediatrician. Let your child progress at his own pace, he has until the age of 11 months to acquire this position.”

Baby not crawling at 8 months, what’s the problem?

Some babies start crawling on their stomach or bottom around 7 months, but it all depends on their pace. If he is not crawling at 8 months, it does not mean that he has a delay or a motor problem.. Baby just wants to take his time and that’s completely normal. To reassure you, you can approach a pediatrician and ask him questions. You can also gently stimulate your child by helping him crawl. One of the best ways is to put him on his stomach and place one of his toys in front of him. In this position, his muscles will be used, and he may want to move to retrieve or touch his toy.

Baby is 8 months old and has no teeth, is this worrying?

The growth of the first teeth is specific to each child

In general, the first teeth erupt around the age of 4 months or even 6 months, but if this is not the case it is absolutely not serious! They rarely appear before 3 months. Remember that all children are different and evolve at their own pace, even when it comes to their teeth. And even if he has no teeth, baby can eat pieces of food perfectly!

Baby wakes up a lot at 8 months

Separation anxiety can have a real impact on a child’s sleep who slept very well until then. However, other factors may be involved: bronchiolitis, an acute episode of gastroenteritis but also insufficient food during the day. It’s nothing to be alarmed about, but it should nevertheless be taken in hand so that your little one calms down and the whole family can get back to sleep.

At 8 months, your baby is not sleeping through the night?

Your baby wakes up at night, calls you and can’t go back to sleep on his own. These episodes are often very difficult for parents who feel like they can’t sleep anymore and can’t find a solution. However, Doctor Nathan wants to be reassuring: “There is no ideal method! It is especially necessary to reassure the child and verbalize. Even if he can’t answer yet, he understands everything. Tell him that you are sleeping, but that you are right next to him, that he is not alone. Do not take him out of bed, do not turn on the light unnecessarily. He must understand that it is the night“. The pediatrician also adds that both parents must work together: “Parents must agree among themselves on what to do and move forward with consistency. If, for example, you have decided that it is the dad who will reassure the child when he wakes up, especially if the mother is breastfeeding and might be tempted to put the baby to the breast to reassure him, you have to stick to it!“. In addition, second part of the night awakenings are particularly exhausting for parents who are usually in deep sleep. Let your baby cry for a few minutes without rushing to his bedside right away. It is quite possible that the child will go back to sleep on his own. However, be attentive to his crying, if you notice anything unusual, do not hesitate to go see him. If separation anxiety is often involved in these nocturnal awakenings, food can also play a role. Your baby moves and burns tremendous energy, so it needs fuel! It is quite possible that he wakes up at night because he is hungry. It will then not be necessary to hesitate to increase the food during the day. In this case, ask your pediatrician for advice.

Baby health at 8 months

To 8 month old baby does not have a mandatory visit to the pediatrician. If there is no particular problem, there is no reason to worry about these appointments a little more spaced out. During his 9th month, medical examinations are again scheduled, let’s let baby breathe a little.

Gastroenteritis at 8 months: what to do?

We observe a peak of gastroenteritis in children between 6 months and 12 months, especially if the baby is cared for in the community since he is regularly in contact with other children. Symptoms to watch out for are: diarrhea (more than 3 very soft to liquid stools per day), stomach aches, sudden onset of nausea or vomiting, fever, and severe fatigue. At 8 months, gastroenteritis is less dangerous than before 6 months, but it must however be taken seriously to prevent baby from becoming dehydrated. For this, it is recommended to compensate for water loss using an oral rehydration solution (ORS) which can be obtained without a prescription from the pharmacist, and is reimbursed on medical prescription.