Your baby 7-12 months

They’ll be able to recognise important, familiar people in their world and may worry when they can't see or feel you nearby.

Your baby will begin to have their own desires for example, wanting to be picked up or given a particular toy. As your baby becomes more mobile and starts to assert themselves, try to adapt to these changes. It can be a fun and challenging time.

What you do with your baby now will make a big difference to them later in life. The more you talk, play, sing and respond to your baby, the better your child’s speaking skills will be. It will also help their growing brains to develop. When you show your baby love with attention, praise and cuddles it builds their self-esteem and confidence too. 

The following provides general information about the different stages of your baby’s development and some useful tips for what you can do to support your baby. Your baby may do some things earlier or later than described here. 

There is more detailed information about your baby’s development in the Every Child - Newborn to Age 2 e-book. It also provides information about feeding your baby, teething, vaccinations, your baby’s health and making your home safe. 

If you are worried about your child’s development, ask your GP or health visitor.

At 7 - 8 months, your baby may be able to:

• Sit up for a few minutes, without your help;
• Roll over and move across the floor by sliding, shuffling or rolling; 
• Look at where sounds are coming from quite accurately;
• Babble and respond to you with noise;
• Respond to their own name when you call it;
• Explore objects with their hands and mouth; and
• Enjoy playing peek–a–boo (you hide your face for a minute then uncover it and say “Peekaboo!”)

Your baby may become clingy and anxious around unfamiliar people. Your baby may become upset if you or your partner leaves the room. This is normal, your baby is not old enough to understand that you will come back.

At 9 - 10 months, your baby may be able to:

• Use a finger to point at small objects;
• Babble with recognisable sounds such as “mama” and “dada” and copy noises you make;
• Understand some words like “no”, “bye–bye” and “dinner”;
• Clap and wave;
• Copy things you do to make the same thing happen e.g., shaking a toy to make it rattle; and
• Look for something if they see you hide it.

Your baby may still be a bit clingy with new people throughout these stages. Your baby may also be getting more independent, for example, your baby may stiffen their body when you try to get them dressed.

At 11 - 12 months, your baby may be able to:

• Understand simple phrases like “do you want a drink?”;
• Follow simple directions with familiar objects, like “bring me teddy”;
• Recognise people they know;
• Show affection with kisses and cuddles;
• Point at objects;
• Push, throw and knock down everything in sight and give toys to others;
• Use gestures like pointing and waving and understand more of what you are saying;
• Move around. Some children learn to crawl, while others move around on their tummies or their bottoms. Others will roll to wherever they want to go; and
• Walk around, but don’t worry if your baby hasn’t done this yet. It happens any time between 8 and 20 months.

Tips to encourage and support your baby's development 

• Respond to your baby’s crying. Crying is your baby’s way of communicating with you especially when they are very young. They are telling you that they need your help to soothe them. If it is getting too much for you, put your baby in a safe place and leave the room for a moment until you feel calmer. Cry-sis (external link) provides support for crying and sleepless babies.
   
• What to do if you think your baby is unwell. If they have a high temperature, they may have an illness. If you think there's something wrong, ring NHS 111 Wales for advice. You can call them on 111.
   
• Respond to your baby’s ‘signals’. Babies communicate in lots of ways, you don’t have to wait for them to cry to give them a cuddle or play with them. Play with your baby when they are alert and awake. Have a quiet cuddle when they cry, turn away or arch their back. You can use your baby’s signals to work out what your baby wants. Do they suck their fingers when hungry, or rub their eyes when tired?
   
• Give lots of cuddles, smiles and praise to your baby. It reassures them and helps to build their self-confidence.
   
• Keep the same routine as much as possible. It will help your baby feel more secure if you have a routine. Feed, bath and put your baby to bed at similar times each day. Find the routine that works for your family.
   
• Put your baby where they can see things happening. You could change what they are looking at or move them to a different spot, so they have something else to look at. 
   
• Tell your baby what you are going to do next. “We are washing our hands”. This lets your baby know what to expect. They will start to understand more and more of what you are saying.
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• Talk about the things you see and the things you do. When you’re on the bus, in the car, walking to the shops or in the supermarket point out the things you see. When your baby points at objects you can say things like, “yes, that's a dog”. When your baby does things, you can say things like “You are touching the cat”. Talk with Me has useful tips on supporting your baby’s speech, language and communication skills.
   
• Read to your baby, letting them see and feel the book. There are more ideas for talking and playing with your baby from the Book Trust Cymru (external link) website.
   
• Speak some words in Welsh as this can give them the best start to a bilingual life Cymraeg i Blant can help with words to use. You could also sing along to a range of Welsh nursery rhymes and songs also on Book Trust Cymru ’s website (external link). These songs include many simple words making it easy for young children to absorb the Welsh language.
   
• Play.Try to give your baby interesting and safe things to look at, touch and explore. You can make sounds to go with what’s happening, like “brmm, brmm” as you push a car along. You don’t need expensive toys, your baby needs interaction with other people much more than with toys. There are ideas for songs, books and play activities on Playful Childhoods (external link), and Words for Life (external link). 
   
• Try distraction. For example, if your baby is trying to grab onto something that you don’t want them to, give them a different toy or safe object instead.
   
• Try to stay calm and patient. When you are calm and relaxed, your baby is more likely to feel calm too. 
   
• Plan Ahead. Put things away which are dangerous or could break. Put up a safety gate on the stairs and latches on drawers and cupboards. This will keep your baby safe.
   
• Be calm with your baby. Your baby is not old enough to do things on purpose yet. Your baby doesn’t do things to upset or annoy you, however they are beginning to know what they like and don’t like. For example, your baby may crawl away when you try to change their nappy. Your baby is making their feelings known. Never shake your baby as this can damage their brain.
   
•  If it is getting too much, make sure your baby is in a safe place (e.g., a clear, safe cot away from animals) and then leave the room for just a moment until you feel calmer. Or you can ask a friend or family member to care for your baby for a while so you can have time to feel better.

It’s OK to ask for help. If you are worried about feeling stressed, low or depressed talk to your health visitor or GP. 

In addition, you may find these helplines useful:

• Community Advice and Listening Line (C.A.L.L.) - call on 0800 132 737 (24 hour service), or email call@helpline.wales.This is a confidential helpline which offers emotional support on mental health and related matters.
• Samaritans Cymru - call on 116 123 (confidential 24 hour service). You can get in touch about anything that’s troubling you, no matter how large or small the issue.