University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Bulletin #4225 

Months 8 and 9

How Baby Is Changing

Have you noticed that your baby understands more of what you say to her? When you say, “look at the kitty,” baby listens, then looks around until she finds it. She is beginning to grasp whole ideas, and is linking her eyesight and hearing together.

Your baby may notice when something new is put in her room. She remembers what the whole room looks like, so she sees the new item right away. Try it!

Does your baby move toward the door before daddy walks through it? Does she drop a toy and cover her ears, waiting for the noise it will make? She is developing mentally.

Baby may sit up by herself for longer periods now. And she can reach for things without falling over, because she doesn’t need to prop herself up with her hands. Her neck and back are getting stronger, so she sits up straighter, too.

Is your child crawling? If not, she probably will soon. A few babies never crawl. Instead they move around by scooting on their bottoms or rolling, and then they walk when they’re ready. Is your baby like that?

Child Guidance: Using Words

Your baby can’t talk yet, but he’s starting to learn that words have meanings. You can use this to help him behave.

If you see baby crawling toward your slippers (and you know they’ll go in his mouth), say “tastes bad” and move him to a different spot.

If he tries to touch the oven, say “hot” and move him away.

Don’t just say “no” to things baby does. Give him one or two word explanations to help him learn why he can’t behave in certain ways. Research shows that this really helps.

As he gets older, you can make the explanations a little longer, three or four words instead of one or two.

Baby’s memory is not as good as yours. Remember how many tries it took him to learn pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo? Don’t expect him to learn to stay away from dirty slippers or hot stoves because you tell him once, or even 20 times.

Sleep Problems

Many 8-month-olds have trouble settling down to sleep. They’re so excited about sitting, creeping, crawling and exploring that they don’t want to go to bed!

Parents need time to themselves. Don’t feel guilty about wanting to enjoy some peace and quiet or time with your partner. Baby’s bedtime is your decision.

Here are a few tips to make bedtime easier:

1. Always put baby to bed at around the same time.

2. Put him to bed in the same room he’ll wake up in.

3. Spend some time each evening cuddling, reading, singing or talking to baby at bedtime. Routines (doing the same thing in the same way) help children settle down to sleep. 

4. Put a night-light in baby’s room.

Some babies make a game of calling out for you or dropping toys out of the crib for you to pick up. If you don’t stop these habits right away, baby may wake you up a few times a night.

When baby cries after you put him to bed, check him but keep the lights dim and don’t pick him up. If he’s OK, put him on his back, pat him for a minute or two, and leave. The less you talk to baby, the better. (NOTE: To help prevent SIDS, put baby to bed on his/her back, NOT on sides or tummy.)

If you try this for a few weeks and baby still wakes and cries during the night, you may try letting him cry. Here is a way that works for many parents. Pick a weekend night. When baby cries, go in and check on him and rub or pat his back, then tell him you’ll be back in 10 minutes.

Check on him every 10 minutes until he falls back to sleep, even if he’s still crying. It probably won’t take more than a night or two to end the habit for good.

Letting baby cry like this can be hard on you. Be sure you are up to it. He may cry for hours. If you give in after an hour, you could be training him to cry for long periods.

Showing Fear of Strangers

Sometimes at around 8 months, many babies show a fear or wariness of people they don’t know well. As your baby can move around more, he can be separated from you.

This can be scary, so he clings to you more and avoids strangers. He is also becoming aware of who he knows and who he doesn’t.

He may need more reassurance when he is away from you, especially when he is tired, bored or frustrated. A pacifier, blanket, stuffed toy or thumb may help him feel more secure.

Crying or trying to get away from an unfamiliar person are less common than neutral reactions, like a serious, watchful stare.

Some babies even look at the new person, then look away a few times before warming up and smiling.

Grandparents or friends may have a hard time understanding why baby gets upset when they see him or pick him up. Take it slowly.

Don’t just hand baby to someone he doesn’t know well. Hold him while he gets to know the person. Have the “stranger” offer baby a favorite toy. Let baby make new friends at his own pace.

Spanking Baby Doesn’t Work

Every parent uses some form of punishment with children, like taking away a toy.

But no one should ever hit a child. No baby should ever be spanked. In many countries this is even against the law.

Spanking a baby is dangerous. Many babies are injured this way every year. Also, spanking seldom works. Babies are too young to understand, so they don’t learn from spanking. It just makes baby cry more, and it will make you feel bad.

When your baby does something you don’t like, redirect him to an activity you do like. Show baby a better way.

Your baby may upset you by waking you up at night, crying a lot or messing up his diaper just as you put a fresh one on. Remember: he doesn’t do this on purpose to make you mad. He’s not smart enough for that. He can’t help it, so it makes no sense to get mad at him.

What can you do? Call a friend and ask what she would do. Get someone to watch your baby while you get some fresh air. You may come back with a new outlook on living with your baby.

Mashed Foods for Baby

Now that your baby is 8 months old and may have some teeth, you can give her some foods that are mashed with a fork, besides pureed foods.

Mash a favorite vegetable or meat with a fork, or use a potato masher for foods like bananas, cooked apples, winter squash, white or sweet potatoes or cooked carrots.

Make sure the food has no big lumps, pieces of skin, seeds or strings. Mashed foods are a little thicker than pureed foods.

Baby Food Safety Tips:

• Don’t add salt, sugar or seasonings to baby foods. Foods that taste bland to an adult are new to babies. There is enough natural sodium in foods to keep baby healthy.

• Don’t give honey to a baby less than a year old. Honey may carry botulism spores that can make babies sick.

• Don’t make baby foods out of leftovers. They may be contaminated with bacteria. Use fresh or frozen food.

• Raw eggs and unpasteurized (raw) milk are not safe for babies. They can cause infections.

• Don’t give baby chunky foods like corn, nuts, popcorn and seeds, or course-textured foods like crumbly cookies. These foods are hard for baby to eat and can cause choking. Grapes and round pieces of hot dog are especially dangerous.

• It’s OK to serve foods cold. Most babies don’t mind. If you want to warm baby food, do it just before serving.

Tooth Care

By now, your baby may have one or more teeth or may be teething. In about two years, he will have 20 baby teeth.

If any of these teeth are decayed, the child may have what dentists call “Nursing Bottle Mouth.” Bacteria in baby’s mouth react with sugar to make acid.

When baby is awake, swallowing helps to wash the acid away. When baby sleeps, more acid stays on the teeth to cause cavities. So don’t give baby a bedtime bottle. 

Even though your child will lose his baby teeth, it is important to keep them healthy. Baby teeth help keep space open in the mouth so adult teeth aren’t crowded.

You can take care of baby’s new teeth by giving him a balanced diet and wiping his teeth with a clean washcloth or gauze pad after each meal.

The American Dental Association recommends:

• Do not put baby to bed with anything but water in a bottle. No milk, juices or soft drinks.

• Don’t feed babies sugar-coated food. Avoid sugar whenever you can.

• Don’t put sweets on the pacifier.

Car Safety

Baby will soon be big enough to sit in a forward-facing car seat. He will be able to look out the car windows, and may be happier in the car.

Car accidents are the most serious threat to your baby’s safety. Here are a few points to keep in mind to help you keep your whole family safe in the car:

• Use baby’s car seat for every ride. It won’t protect him if he isn’t in it.

• All passengers and the driver should wear seatbelts.

• Don’t allow yelling, horseplay or other distractions when you drive. If your child needs attention, pull off the road and stop. Never turn around in your seat when you’re driving.

• Never let children play with the car controls, even when the car is parked.

• Keep a flashlight, first-aid kit and emergency flares in the car.

• On long trips, provide quiet games to keep children busy. Tape-recorded stories or favorite songs are good, too.

• Stop at least every two hours. Don’t try to go too far in one day.

• Never leave children alone in a car for even a few minutes.

Children of Battered Women

An estimated one out of six families across America experiences some violence against women. Even if the children in these homes are not being hit, they are affected by what they see their parents doing.

Research shows that the effects of seeing parents hit each other are different for girls and boys. Boys who see parental hitting are more likely to grow up and be violent against the women in their lives.

Children in these families are learning that it is OK to hit the people you love and to solve family conflicts with violence.

Most families solve their disagreements by talking them out, not by hitting. When partners don’t agree, they can try to compromise, take turns doing what they want to do or seek outside help to come up with a solution.

If you or someone you know is living in a violent home, think about the children, too. It is illegal for people to hit each other, even if they are married. Help is available. Look in the phone book Yellow Pages under “Social Service Organizations” or call the county Extension office for information.

Games for Growing

Here are some games babies may enjoy:

Hiding and Chasing: Big brothers and sisters can do the hiding. You can say, “Where is _________?” and baby can try to help find the missing one.

How Big is Baby? So Big!: At first you might need to show your baby (gently) how to raise his arms up over his head while you say “So Big.”

Hiding Things: Let baby watch you as you hide a small toy under a cloth or cup, or in your pocket. Does he try to find it?

Music Fun: Your baby will like listening to many kinds of music with you and trying to dance. Inexpensive music boxes can be fun, and baby can learn to start and stop the music all by himself.

Activity: Reading to Baby

Showing books to your baby is a great way to help him feel good about reading. Success in school and in later life depends on good reading skills.

Pick a time when your baby can sit still for a while. Bedtime is good. Use books with big, colorful pictures. Don’t worry about the story. You can just talk about the pictures or make up stories.

Babies like books with pictures of everyday things he knows about, like clothes, food, trees, cars and animals. Point to a picture and tell baby about it, “Look, this is a kitty. Do you see the kitty? Kitty says MEOW.”

You can make a book for your baby:

1. Cut sturdy fabric or cardboard into eight or ten square pieces.

2. Glue a large, colorful picture and, if you want, write a single word or phase in big letters on each page.

3. Sew the book together or punch holes and tie it with yarn.

Here are some suggestions for pages:

• Pictures of baby, other family members and pets.

• A small unbreakable mirror.

• A picture of baby’s favorite toy.

• A picture of baby’s favorite food.

• A picture of plants or flowers like ones that grow nearby.

• A bunny made from fake fur.

• A shoe made from a scrap of leather, with holes and laces.

• A piece of sandpaper.

• Pictures of familiar things cut out from magazines.

For more information on family issues, contact your county Extension office or the Family Living Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension, 5717 Corbett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5717, (207) 581-3448/3104 or 1-800-287-0274 (in Maine).

Published and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914, by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the Land Grant University of the state of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Cooperative Extension and other agencies of the U.S.D.A. provide equal opportunities in programs and employment.

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