8-10 months
Your 8 month old baby is busy growing
and his mouth is no exception.
He is becoming more co-ordinated with his jaw, tongue and lips - these newfound skills are essential to chewing and swallowing solid foods and imitating the speech patterns he hears around him.
Main Milestones
- Improved chewing and swallowing skills
- Spoon-feeding and drinking with two-handled cup
- Baby teeth coming in
- Imitating the sounds and rhythm of speech
- may start to crawl properly
- Sits without support
Around this time, your little one may learn to drink using a two-handled cup. First show him how to hold the cup for drinking. Then lift it to your mouth – babies love to imitate. Put a little liquid in the cup and let baby try to drink it. He may spit it out or cough a little but with some practice he’ll be drinking from a sippy cup.
Your baby is also learning how to eat and swallow spoon-fed foods, such as cereals and pureed fruits and vegetables. Around 8 months, you can also try soft pasteurized cheese, yogurt or cottage cheese (remember – no cow’s milk until one year).
Sometime between 6 months and a year, your baby’s first tooth will appear. You will need to keep your baby’s new teeth healthy by cleaning them every day.
Click to view Feeding Advice or Oral Care Advice