Eight Month Old Milestones: What to Expect

At eight months, your baby is likely becoming quite mobile and increasingly communicative. This is an exciting but exhausting time for parents as babies this age want to explore everything—and often move faster than you'd expect! Your little one is developing a unique personality and showing clear preferences for people, toys, and activities.

Physical Development at Eight Months AAP

Movement is the name of the game at eight months. Your baby is driven to move and explore, and their body is finally catching up to their curiosity.

Crawling may be underway: Many babies begin crawling around eight months, though some start earlier and others not until 10 months or later—all within the normal range. Crawling styles vary widely too. Your baby might do the classic hands-and-knees crawl, the army crawl (dragging along on their belly), the bear crawl (hands and feet), or even an asymmetrical scoot. Any method that gets them where they want to go is perfect for their development.

Pulling to stand is often emerging: Once babies discover they can crawl, many quickly figure out how to pull themselves up on furniture. This is exciting but also means bumps and falls are more common. Your baby is learning to balance in a whole new position, and falling is part of the learning process. Ensure furniture is stable and baby-proof your space.

Sitting is solid and stable: By eight months, most babies can sit well without support, pivot while sitting, and get into and out of sitting positions on their own. This frees up their hands for play and exploration, which supports cognitive development.

Fine motor skills continue to refine: Your baby is working toward the pincer grasp—picking up small objects between the thumb and forefinger. At eight months, they might use a raking or whole-hand grasp, but you'll see them getting more precise. This developing skill is essential for self-feeding and eventually for writing and other fine motor tasks.

Cognitive Development CDC

Your eight-month-old is thinking, problem-solving, and learning at a remarkable pace.

Object permanence is strengthening: Your baby now understands that objects and people continue to exist even when out of sight. This is why peek-a-boo is so entertaining—they know you're behind your hands! It's also why separation anxiety can intensify; your baby knows you exist when you leave, and they want you back.

Problem-solving skills are emerging: Watch your baby figure out how to reach a toy that's slightly out of grasp, how to make noise with different objects, or how to get around an obstacle. These early problem-solving attempts are the foundation for more complex thinking later.

Memory is developing: Your baby can remember familiar routines, recognize people they haven't seen in a while, and anticipate what comes next in daily sequences. They might get excited when they see the high chair (knowing food is coming) or cry when they see you put on your coat (knowing you're leaving).

Exploration becomes more intentional: Rather than just mouthing everything, your baby is starting to explore objects in different ways—shaking, banging, dropping, and examining. They're gathering information about how the world works.

Language and Communication AAP

Communication skills are flourishing, though true first words are usually still a few months away.

Babbling sounds more speech-like: The strings of sounds your baby produces are starting to have the rhythm and inflection of real speech, even though they aren't actual words yet. You might hear what sounds like questions, statements, and exclamations. Some babies say "mama" or "dada" around this age, but they may not yet associate the sounds with specific people.

Understanding is growing rapidly: Your baby likely understands many words and short phrases, especially those they hear frequently. They may look at family members when asked "Where's Daddy?" or respond to "no" (even if they don't stop what they're doing). They understand tone of voice and respond to your emotional expressions.

Gestures are becoming meaningful: Your baby is learning to communicate through pointing, waving, reaching, and shaking their head. These gestures are important precursors to verbal communication and show that your baby understands the power of intentional communication.

Social and Emotional Development CDC

Eight-month-olds are social creatures with strong preferences and emerging independence.

Separation anxiety often peaks: Many babies experience their strongest separation anxiety between 8-10 months. Your baby may cry when you leave, cling to you in new situations, or wake more at night wanting reassurance. This is developmentally normal and shows healthy attachment.

Stranger wariness continues: Your baby may be cautious or distressed around unfamiliar people, even those who were previously accepted. This discernment is a sign of cognitive development—your baby knows who is familiar and who is not.

Parallel play is beginning: While true cooperative play won't emerge for another year or more, your baby may show interest in other babies and children, watching them closely and perhaps imitating their actions. They're learning by observation.

A sense of humor develops: Eight-month-olds often find things funny—unexpected sounds, silly faces, games of chase. They may laugh heartily and try to get you to repeat amusing actions. This social laughing is a beautiful sign of your connection.

Feeding and Nutrition at Eight Months AAP

Your baby is becoming a more competent eater with expanding tastes.

Texture tolerance is increasing: Many eight-month-olds can handle thicker purees, mashed foods, and small soft pieces. Good options include well-cooked pasta, small pieces of soft fruit, scrambled eggs, and soft-cooked vegetables cut into small pieces.

Self-feeding is emerging: Your baby wants to feed themselves, which is messy but important for developing independence and fine motor skills. Offer appropriate finger foods and let them practice with a spoon, even if more food ends up on them than in them.

Variety matters: Continue introducing new foods and flavors. Babies exposed to a wide variety of foods in infancy tend to be less picky eaters as toddlers. Don't give up on a food if it's rejected initially—it often takes 10-15 exposures before a baby accepts a new food.

Breast milk or formula remains primary: Your baby should still be getting 24-30 ounces of breast milk or formula daily, with solid foods supplementing rather than replacing.

Sleep Patterns at Eight Months NSF

Sleep is often disrupted during this period of rapid development.

The 8-month sleep regression is real: Many babies who were sleeping well suddenly start waking more at night around this age. This is usually related to developmental leaps (like crawling), separation anxiety, or teething. It's frustrating but temporary.

Night feedings may or may not continue: Many eight-month-olds are developmentally capable of sleeping through the night without feeding, but some still genuinely need one night feed. Others wake from habit rather than hunger. Discuss your baby's specific situation with your pediatrician.

Naps are usually predictable: Most eight-month-olds take two naps per day, morning and afternoon, totaling about 2.5-3.5 hours. Some babies are ready to drop the third catnap if they were still taking one.

Warning Signs to Discuss with Your Pediatrician CDC

Talk to your doctor if your baby:

• Doesn't bear weight on legs when supported standing
• Doesn't sit with help
• Doesn't babble with consonant sounds like "ba," "ma," or "da"
• Doesn't play interactive games like peek-a-boo
• Doesn't respond to their name
• Doesn't seem to recognize familiar people
• Doesn't look where you point
• Doesn't transfer toys from one hand to the other

Early intervention, if needed, is most effective when started early. Trust your instincts and speak up if you have concerns.

How to Support Your Eight-Month-Old's Development

Create safe spaces for movement: Your baby needs room to crawl, pull up, and explore. Baby-proof an area where they can move freely without constant "no's" interrupting their exploration.

Talk constantly: Narrate your day, name objects, describe what you're doing. This constant language input is building vocabulary and understanding, even though your baby can't speak yet.

Support emotional development: Respond sensitively to separation anxiety rather than dismissing it. Short, predictable separations help your baby learn that you always come back.

Encourage problem-solving: Rather than immediately solving problems for your baby (retrieving every out-of-reach toy), give them a moment to figure things out. Gentle frustration builds resilience and cognitive skills.

The Bottom Line

Eight months is an age of exploration, movement, and emotional intensity. Your baby is becoming more independent in some ways (moving, eating) while becoming more dependent in others (needing you for emotional security). This push-pull between independence and attachment is normal and healthy.

Keep providing a safe environment for exploration, plenty of language input, and responsive care. You're doing great!

Clara is here to help with questions about your eight-month-old's development!