What can 8-month-old babies do?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vu Quoc Anh - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
Over time, the development direction of children becomes more and more differentiated. When babies are 8 months old, this is when they become hyperactive, inquisitive and love to be adults. Children discover interesting things outside waiting for them to discover. Children will be active constantly and will not sit still for a long time.

1. What does an 8-month-old child do?

8 months old baby knows what to do is the question of parents when having children at this age. Usually, when it comes to this stage, your baby will keep you very busy, her hands are constantly active, excited to crawl and move to explore the little nooks and crannies in her little house.. .. 8 months old baby will have the following development:
Gross motor:
Baby can sit up on his own, sometimes his head still bends forward, but most of the time he can use his hands to support his body. When lying on a flat place, the baby will move continuously, and know how to hold his feet or anything next to him to put in his mouth. But the baby quickly refused to lie on his back and automatically turned over.

When lying on his back, baby learns to arch his back so he can see around. In the room, the baby begins to crawl to the places where he wants to go, or he can also crawl to move. Can also hold onto objects to stand up; But after standing up, the baby needs adult help to be able to sit down. Knowing how to reach for toys by themselves, also starting to learn how to pick up toys. Fine motor:
Baby can use the left, index and middle fingers to hold the puzzle; knows how to coordinate thumb and index finger to hold objects and pick up small objects from the ground. However, when the baby takes the toy, the baby's hand tries to reach the toy and concentrate all his mind, but the child is still not aware much, so he often throws or drops the object after grasping it. Sleep:
Baby needs to sleep 2-3 times / day, each sleep is about 1-3 hours. Eight-month-old babies often begin to wake up in the middle of the night. Babies may cry spontaneously and fall back to sleep on their own, or they may cry for a long time. So, don't worry too much when you see these changes from your baby, things will gradually stabilize. Visual acuity:
A child's eyesight, which used to be around 20/40, has now developed to almost adult levels in clarity and depth. 8-month-old babies can see best at close range, their long-range vision is also good enough to recognize people and objects in the room. An 8-month-old baby can see a toy in the far corner and crawl in that direction. When hand-eye coordination is more mature, children like to explore objects in detail, they will look at pictures without getting bored. Emotional development:
Children know the people around them very well and show pleasure when they meet them. This means that children are also able to distinguish between strangers and appear wary or fearful around them. The baby is afraid and worried when he has to be away from his parents The baby will be curious and excited when he sees new things. When she sees herself in the mirror, she will go behind the mirror to look. Start observing the behavior of adults, when the adult stands in front of the baby and raises his arms to call the baby, the baby will laugh and reach out his hand to ask for a hold. Learn to imitate adult behavior. Can listen and understand the words and feelings of adults, gradually know how to distinguish the mood of adults, such as when being praised, the baby will laugh happily; when scolded, the baby will face down; When the mother is happy, the baby will smile...

2. What should an 8-month-old child not know how to sit and stiff neck?

Usually by 8 months of age, babies can sit up, crawl and some babies can learn to stand. However, some 8-month-old children do not know how to sit, yet have a stiff neck because each baby's motor development is different, so if you see that your baby is still healthy, able to roll over, crawl, and move his limbs well, then shouldn't worry too much.

Therefore, when it comes to this stage, but the 8-month-old baby has not yet stiff neck, does not know how to crawl, you should pay attention:
See if the baby has signs of calcium deficiency, such as sweating, hair loss in the shape of a scarf, Sleepless nights, ... because of calcium deficiency, rickets is also the cause of the baby's delay in sitting. Feeding your baby more yogurt and cheese can add calcium when the baby does not eat enough milk. Yogurt is about 50 g a day and should be given at least 30 minutes after the main meal. Do not try to force your baby to sit because of impatience, because forcing your baby to sit when the bones are not strong enough can adversely affect the spine. Let's create games for children to move as they want. Some babies can take up to 9-10 months to learn to sit. Pay attention to your baby's diet. This month, your baby needs 500ml of milk and 3 meals of solid food. If the mother has enough milk, continue to breastfeed the baby, only eat more formula when the mother works or does not have enough milk. Flour is cooked each meal including 20g rice flour + 20g meat (or fish, eggs, shrimp, crab...) change during the day + green vegetables and fat. Let your baby sunbathe in the early morning for about 20 minutes to help him synthesize vitamin D to enhance calcium absorption. To practice sitting for your baby, you should let your child practice sitting with his back against his parents or on a pillow. You can stack pillows and have your baby sit in the middle or hold your baby against you. You can also buy a sitting pillow to help your baby get used to the feeling of balance and straight back. After learning to sit, you should let your baby learn to crawl, let your baby practice crawling on the bed and put toys that he likes in front of him close to him to encourage him to crawl. If the child does not know how to use force to crawl, adults can keep the child's legs moving forward little by little and help the child grasp objects. If you are not really sure, you can take your baby to a pediatric specialist so that the doctor can check and give specific advice for your baby's case.

3. Take care and encourage your 8-month-old baby

In order to be able to be a companion and take care of your baby properly, you need to pay attention to the following issues:
Encourage your baby to pick up or scoop food: Because in the period of feeding 8-month-old babies, mothers need to practice Teach your child the habit of holding a spoon to eat by himself. This encourages hand-eye coordination, prioritizing raw foods such as boiled vegetables, fruits, rice balls... Keeping your baby safe: Once your baby can crawl, he or she will enjoy the exercise. stand by clinging to any object. In the next few months, when your baby learns to walk, you will have to be more careful because at this time, children are more likely to fall and collide with objects in the house when they still cannot maintain their balance. Choose the right toys for children: Toys are also a way for mothers to teach their children to develop intellectually, colors and sounds are the factors that attract babies. Mothers can choose toys that make music and have buttons so that the baby can press the buttons and hear the sounds they like. Regularly smiling and transmitting positive energy to the baby, the parents' personality always influences the baby a lot. When talking to your child, combine facial expressions and words to show your baby. Be patient when your baby cries, show concern, and share when she's upset. Clap praise every time your baby does something and don't skimp on praise every time he does well If he does wrong, I will patiently explain to him to understand to create good habits for him. 8-month-old babies need 5mg of elemental zinc/day to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
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