What should eight month old be doing

If you're nursing, you can continue to nurse on demand if you and your baby want to. Your baby may want to nurse for comfort even when they're not necessarily hungry, and that's okay. At 8 months old, your baby will still need anywhere between 12 and 16 hours of sleep including naps every 24 hours.

That might look like 11 hours at night and 3. But there's a big range of normal at this age. An overtired baby may actually resist sleep, so do your best to stick to your baby's sleep schedule or usual routines. Some babies may have an 8-month sleep regression due to separation anxiety, teething, or developmental changes. They may be so busy working on new skills at bedtime that they don't want to go to sleep, or may wake up in the middle of the night to practice them!

Sticking to the good sleep habits you've been working on with your baby can help you both get through a regression. By 8 months old, most babies have settled into a more predictable sleep schedule and are sleeping through the night.

However, some babies still wake up at night and want a feeding. If you enjoy nursing or giving a bottle to your baby at night, there's no reason to stop. But if you're exhausted, it's a good time to investigate baby sleep training and night weaning. Your baby doesn't have a well-baby checkup this month — the next one will be the 9-month checkup. However, you can always call your provider if you have any concerns about your baby's health. If your baby missed or fell behind on any vaccines , or didn't receive the flu vaccine at their last checkup and it's flu season , you can schedule a vaccine-only visit so your baby can get their shots.

Your baby may start teething this month, if they haven't already. The first tooth usually pops up around 8 months it's the central incisor, for those of you who are curious about which teeth will erupt first. Some parents swear that teething causes a fever , vomiting , or diarrhea , though there's no clear scientific evidence that it does.

If your 8-month-old has more than a very slight increase in temperature higher than You can also ask about giving your baby ibuprofen or acetaminophen if they seem very uncomfortable during teething.

Don't use topical gels or medications containing benzocaine, homeopathic teething tablets and gels, or aspirin — these are all unsafe for babies and toddlers. Want to learn more about what's happening with your baby this month? Get more details on your 8-month-old's weekly development:. BabyCenter's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world.

When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organizations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals.

We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. Physical Appearance and Growth: 8 to 12 Months. Hirshkowitz M et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Data Table of Infant Weight-for-age Charts.

Recommended Vaccinations for Infants and Children birth through 6 years. Infant sleep. Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. Mayo Clinic. Infant development: Milestones from 7 to 9 months.

Stanford Children's Health. Feeding Guide for the First Year. Join now to personalize. Photo credit: iStock. Your baby's development Your baby's health Your 8-month-old baby: Week by week. Your baby's development At 8 months old, your baby may be already crawling or learning how to crawl, moving from seated to all fours and back again, and pulling themselves up to a standing position. Your baby will likely start crawling soon after they're able to sit well without support. For many babies this happens around 8 months, but don't worry if your baby hasn't started crawling yet.

Some babies don't crawl until they're closer to 1, and some skip straight to walking. Your baby may be practicing pulling themselves up on furniture and standing while holding on. Some babies will start bouncing up and down in their cribs, using a crib rail for support.

Never shake a baby. It can cause bleeding inside the brain and likely permanent brain damage. See your child and family health nurse or GP if you have any concerns or notice that your nine-month-old is having any of the following issues.

You should also see a health professional if you notice that your baby has lost skills that he had before. You should also see your child and family health nurse or GP if you or your partner experiences the signs of postnatal depression in women or postnatal depression in men. Symptoms of postnatal depression include feeling sad and crying for no obvious reason, feeling irritable, having difficulty coping and feeling very anxious.

Most babies wave around 7 or 8 months old, though some will do it a little earlier and some a little later. Learn the signs of a hungry baby, as well as how they differ from a baby who wants to self-soothe by sucking. Learn sleep disorder signs and when…. If your baby is smacking their lips, it's probably a sign that they're hungry, teething, or tired. If you want your baby to improve their self-soothing techniques, you may wonder how to get them to take a pacifier.

Here are our top tips. Gripe water is a remedy available in liquid form. It contains a mixture of herbs and is often used to soothe colicky babies. Baby teeth, or primary teeth, usually start coming in between 6 and 12 months.

This timeline can vary widely, though. Experts say the science still isn't clear about the health effects on infants of cannabis in breast milk, so they recommend new mothers avoid the drug. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Emotional development. Share on Pinterest. How long does separation anxiety last in babies?

Cognitive development.