Month 8
Key points
- Your eight-month-old may be crawling, pulling up to stand and responding to their name.
- This is a good time to begin safely introducing common allergenic foods.
- Your baby’s babbling may start to sound like speech, with clearer intonation and structure.
The past eight months have brought so much growth and change. Your little one may be crawling or trying to pull themselves to a standing position, and their personality is starting to blossom: they may have started to express their likes and dislikes, and as well as enjoy social play. Scroll down to read more about what to expect in physical and social milestones.
Feeding also continues to change as your little one’s taste buds mature and their appetite grows. While breast milk or formula remains essential, your baby is ready to try a wider variety of solid foods, including common allergens. It is important to offer allergenic foods early (from between six and 12 months) and regularly. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) states that introducing a food and then not giving it regularly (once or twice a week) may result in a food allergy developing.
Nutrition at Eight Months
At this stage, your baby’s milk still provides the bulk of their nutrition but solids are becoming important, especially as you begin to introduce a wider variety of foods. Your baby might be eating two to three small meals a day, along with snacks. They may want to use their fingers to feed themselves and even play with their food.
As your baby grows more confident with solid foods, offering different textures such as mashed or grated foods, soft lumps or soft finger food allows them to explore with their hands and their mouth, which is part of healthy development.
Introducing Allergenic Foods
In the past, parents were told to avoid introducing allergenic foods, but current advice suggests offering them when your baby is six to 12 months of age, as this is associated with a reduced risk of developing allergies.
These include:
- Egg (well-cooked – such as scrambled or mashed hard-boiled)
- Peanut (smooth peanut butter mixed with breast milk, formula or water – never whole peanuts)
- Cow’s milk (in cooking or cereal, but not as a drink until 12 months)
- Tree nut butters or pastes (not whole)
- Soy
- Wheat
- Fish
- Sesame (tahini is a good option)
3 Tips For Safely Introducing Allergens
When introducing allergens to your baby’s diet, following these three tips will help guide you. If you have allergies – or your family has a history of allergies – talk to your healthcare provider for tailored advice and support.
- Only introduce one new allergenic food at a time, leaving two or three days before offering another.
- Offer it in the morning or early in the day as this allows a potential reaction to occur in the daytime. If you are concerned about offering an allergy-causing food, you can place a small amount on the inside of your baby’s lip to start.
- Speak to your GP or child health nurse if your baby has eczema or a known allergy before starting.
What Does A Food Allergy Look Like?
Minor redness around the mouth may be due to irritation and is not necessarily due to a reaction to a food. Signs of a mild to moderate reaction are: hives or welts on skin, vomiting, and swelling of lips, face, and around the eyes.
A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) may include the following. Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia recommends calling 000 if your baby experiences ONE of these symptoms after trying an allergenic food:
- Difficulty or noisy breathing
- Swelling of the tongue
- Swelling in the throat (more drooling than normal, difficulty swallowing)
- Change in voice or cry
- Wheeze or persistent cough
- Pale and floppy
Meal Ideas With Allergen Foods
Your eight-month-old can now enjoy more texture, flavour and variety, which provides opportunities to introduce allergenic foods as part of their varied diet. Foods containing iron remain important as a baby’s natural iron stores are depleted after six months of age. Here are some simple options to try:
- Breakfast: Porridge oats made with cow’s milk*, with mashed banana and peanut butter*
- Lunch: Mashed salmon* with sweet potato and a side of soft-cooked broccoli
- Snack: Tahini (sesame seeds*) or hummus (chickpeas*) with toast fingers
- Dinner: Well-cooked egg* with tofu (soy beans*) and avocado mash
*Denotes common allergen
Check out Alula’s recipes for babies aged six to nine months for more fun, nutritious meal ideas.
Weight and Height of Eight-Month-Old Baby
By eight months, the average weight of baby girls is around 7.9 kilos, and height is approximately 68.7 cm. Boys typically weigh around 8.6 kilos and measure about 70.6 cm. Remember: healthy babies come in all sizes and grow at different rates. Genetics, birth weight and growth patterns all play a role.
Baby’s Visual Milestones at Eight Months
Your baby now sees more clearly, with good depth perception (how near or far an object is) and a growing ability to track movement and detail. You might notice that they:
- Reach for objects at a distance
- Recognise familiar people from across the room
- Focus on small items and try to pick them up
- Respond to visual games like peek-a-boo or hiding toys
- Enjoy looking at picture books and playing in the mirror
Motor Development at Month Eight
Your eight-month-old is likely on the move! Many babies crawl, scoot, or pull to stand by now – and may be working on cruising along furniture. Your baby might be able to:
- Sit confidently without support
- Crawl or scoot using hands and knees
- Pull up to stand while holding onto furniture
- Transfer objects from hand to hand
- Use a thumb and finger pincer grasp to pick up small objects including finger foods
Tummy time may now lead to crawling (which improves hand–eye coordination) or shuffling off in search of adventure – keep an eye out for unexpected mobility! If you have any concerns about your baby’s developmental milestones, talk to your GP or healthcare nurse.
Social Development of Your Eight-Month-Old
Your baby’s social world is growing rapidly. They likely recognise familiar people and enjoy social games, laughter and interaction. They may also show more emotion and express preferences for certain people, toys, foods or activities.
At this age, your baby may:
- Respond to their name
- Understand simple words like ‘No’ or ‘Bye bye’
- Show affection with cuddles or reaching out to familiar people
- Experience separation anxiety
- Babble in a way that sounds more like speech
- Shake, bang or drop toys to see what happens
Reading to your baby is a lovely way to spend quality time together and support your baby’s social and language development. Books with colourful pictures and fun rhyming are a great place to start.
Don’t Forget!
It’s important to remember that every baby develops at their own rate. Regular checkups with your health nurse or GP will be able to ensure your baby is on track – but always get in touch with them sooner if you have any concerns. For extra resources, you can also head to Karitane or Tresillian online.
What’s Next?
At nine months old, babies are exploring the world with greater confidence. From social interactions and fine motor skills to new foods, your baby is learning fast – here’s what to expect in month nine.
We are here to support you on your journey
Making decisions around infant feeding can be challenging and we hope we can help you through this journey.
We want to make sure you are informed and supported.
Before and during breastfeeding, it is important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet and it is recommended to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of age, as it provides ideal nutrition and promotes a healthy start in life.
We understand breastfeeding is not always possible, and when necessary, infant formula is the most suitable alternative to breastfeeding. Introducing partial bottle-feeding may interfere with breastfeeding your infant and it can be hard to reverse. Other considerations include the social and financial implications of feeding infant formula. We want to make sure your baby is as safe as possible, so please refer to the preparation and storage instructions for safe use of infant formula and be aware that any unnecessary or improper use of infant formula may cause health hazards for your baby.
Your choice, our support, always. With love.
If you require further information, consult your healthcare professional or learn more about the benefits of breast milk.
