Important Baby Milestones Every Parent Should Know - Part 3

Important Baby Milestones Every Parent Should Know – Part 3

Baby milestones from 8 – 12 months old

In the last of this series, we will look at the developmental milestones that a baby achieves as she continues to grow day by day.

Gross motor:

By 8 months old, the baby would usually be able to sit independently and start to pull to stand. Many babies start inching backwards before learning how to crawl forwards but the baby should be able to crawl forwards well also by 8 months of age. She should be able to cruise while holding on to furniture by 9 months old. She should be able to stand independently briefly by 10 months of age and start to take a few steps by 12 months of age. Some babies are able to walk independently by this time although many do learn to walk only up to a couple of months later.

Fine motor-adaptive:

By 9 months old, the baby would be able to pick small objects up with a thumb-finger pincer grasp as well as bang 2 objects together. By 11 – 12 months of age, she would be able to put things into containers and drink from a sippy cup.

Language:

The baby should be able to say ‘Dada’ and ‘Mama’ by around 10 months of age. By 12 months old, she would be able to jabber many word-like sounds and some babies can start to say 1 – 2 single words (apart from ‘Dada’ and ‘Mama’) by this age. She should also be able to understand simple instructions like ‘no’ and indicate their wants by simple gestures.

Personal-social:

The baby would usually start to develop stranger anxiety by 9 months of age. She would usually be able to wave bye-bye and clap by around 10 months old. By 11 – 12 months of age, she would be able to imitate others’ activities and play pat-a-cake.

Important Baby Milestones Every Parent Should Know – Part 1

Important Baby Milestones Every Parent Should Know – Part 2