8 Months Baby: Starting to Stand

8 month old babies generally have started to stand up with the help of holding objects around them, such as chairs or tables. At this age, babies will also feel curious about everything around them. The ideal baby weight for baby boys and baby girls is quite different. Generally, the ideal weight for an 8-month-old baby boy is 7–10.5 kg, with a length of 66.5–74 cm. Meanwhile, an 8-month-old baby girl has an ideal body weight of about 6.3–10 kg, with a body length of around 64–73 cm.

8 Months Baby's Motor Ability

After mastering crawling movements at the age of 7 months, by the age of 8 months the baby will usually begin to lift his body using his hands and knees. At this time the baby also usually begins to move the body forward and backward.

Then at the age of 8 months too, babies can sit up without assistance and have learned to sit by bending their knees after standing. All of these movements serve to strengthen the muscles as a foundation for walking. Generally, 8-month-old babies can also stand up, although they still have to be helped by holding on. In addition, an 8-month-old baby already has several other abilities, including:

• Move toys in various ways, such as slamming, shaking, squeezing, hitting, and dropping them. He did this to satisfy his curiosity
• Start to enjoy playing with toys that resemble real objects, such as plastic cups, toy phones, or plastic fruit-shaped ones
• Begins to be able to eat finger foods or small food that can be held, such as carrots, apples, or broccoli that have been cut lengthwise and cooked until soft
• Starting to like to insert his finger into holes or gaps, such as keyholes, bottle holes, or gaps in his toys

8 Months Baby Talking Ability

An 8-month-old baby can already respond to the words he often hears. At this age, he may already be able to pronounce a word correctly intended to refer to someone or something he wants, such as 'mom' or 'dad'. To stimulate language development, you can invite your little one to communicate. This can be done by telling her about many things, such as your current routine or reading her a fairy tale. In addition, you can also continue to train your little one to talk and recognize objects or body parts by pointing and mentioning their names, such as 'chair', 'plate', 'nose', 'eye', or 'hand'.

8 Months Baby's Social Ability

The social skills of an 8 month old baby will continue to develop. At this age, he can already imitate the behavior of those around him, for example pretending to talk on the phone, drinking from a cup, or combing his hair. In terms of discipline, an 8-month-old baby still cannot understand and follow the rules. However, you can praise your little one when he does something good, as well as forbid or reprimand him if he does something that is not good.

The vision of an 8-month-old baby is almost equivalent to the ability of an adult's vision so that it can recognize people's faces from a distance. In terms of interactions with their surroundings, it is likely that an 8-month-old baby will still be afraid of the unfamiliar or new, such as the sound of a whistle, a ringing phone, or the sound of a new toy. If your little one looks scared when they hear new sounds, give them a hug to feel comfortable. Also make it clear to him that everything is fine and that it is not dangerous.

Some Things to Pay Attention to in 8 Months Old Babies

The period around the crawling and standing period is the time when the child often falls. Therefore, you need to arrange the location of any furniture or objects in the house so that they are not dangerous. Keep medicines, cleaning fluids, scissors, knives, and power plugs away out of his reach. In addition, to be safer, place a barrier to block the stairs of the house, so that your little one does not fall when trying to climb or descend the stairs without the mother's knowledge.

Also, keep in mind that baby walkers are not recommended to be used, because they actually make the baby no longer want to learn to crawl, crawl, and stand. In fact, all of this can strengthen his muscles to walk. The baby walker can also be used as a foothold to reach objects that are not safe to touch, such as a stove or a glass of hot water. The use of this tool is also at risk of making the baby injured.

When to Consult a Doctor?

If at 8 months your baby can't crawl, try to stimulate his development by moving his hands and feet together in a series of directed movements. If this method has been done, but the mother is still worried about the development of the little one, it never hurts to check her condition to the doctor, especially if:

• Your little one shows no signs of crawling.
• The little one does not try to look for objects that are hidden in front of him.
• The little one didn't say a word
• Your child does not use body language, such as shaking his head to say "no".
• Your little one doesn't respond when his name is called.
• One part of the little one's body seems to be dragged or unbalanced when crawling.

In addition, Mother is also advised to check the Little One to the doctor if he cannot walk when he is 1 year old.