8 month old motor skills

By the time your baby is 8 months old, not only are they getting around, they're also probably getting into everything! Babies are especially curious at this stage because they are becoming more aware of their environment.

Eight-month-olds are gaining a lot of new strength. They may be strong enough to pull themselves up to a standing position while holding onto a chair or sofa. In another month or two, they should start cruising around using the furniture for support.

Most babies are starting to crawl by now, but don’t be panicked if your 8-month-old isn’t there yet. Some babies take a few extra months to get moving, and a few go straight from rolling to walking without slowing down to crawl.

At this age, your baby is figuring out how to pair up her motor skills with their senses. Babies this age typically can spot a toy from across the room, figure out they want it, crawl over to get it, and pick it up. They can also manipulate toys with relative ease, banging blocks together, tossing a ball, or fitting a series of different-sized cups into one another.

The pincer grasp - using thumb and finger -- is now well enough developed for babies to pick up very small objects. Because almost everything your baby picks up will end up in their mouth, be sure to put away any small toy pieces or other objects that are lying around. Keep in mind that if something is small enough to fit inside a toilet paper tube, it’s small enough to choke your child. If your child has siblings older than 3 years, it is a good idea to keep separate play areas and remind that child of the toilet paper tube rule. You may also limit the older sibling to playing with smaller toys while baby naps and cleaning up when baby wakes.

Make cute photos of your active baby, upload to the App. Write about his/her current development.