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From six to twelve months old, babies go through immense changes and hit many developmental milestones. Each baby is different and develops at their own pace, so these milestones are only guidelines, but during these months your baby may begin to sit up, feed themselves, eat some mashed and solid foods, crawl, and perhaps even walk. It’s an exciting time in your baby’s life when words start to make sense and ‘no’ may become a very popular answer!
Certain baby toys, such as stuffed animals and building blocks, are suitable toys for 6-12 months while others are more beneficial at different developmental stages. Below we’ll break down what you can expect during this formative period.
At six months old, babies begin to discover a sense of self. They start to recognize parents and caregivers from strangers, and become curious about different solid foods.
They may begin clapping their hands and making more babbling sounds, as well as taking objects into their mouths. Make sure to have plenty of safe and durable teethers for them to mouth and chew as their first teeth emerge. Some cuddle blankets, like the ones from Liewood, also include a teether for synchronous snuggling and chewing.
As they gain more control over their heads and are able to roll back and forth from tummy to back, playmats and baby gyms create a soft, comfortable spot for them to enjoy these new skills.
At roughly seven months, babies start to have a better understanding of their surroundings. Their vision is improving and they can see colors and distant objects. They may also start to track objects with their eyes and discover that magical item commonly known as a mirror!
Between 4-7 months old, babies begin to understand object permanence. This means they comprehend that things and people exist even if they can’t be seen or heard. Interacting with your baby is one of the best ways to help foster object permanence. Simple games like ‘Peekaboo’ are an easy way to entertain your baby and support their understanding of the world around them.
As the parent of a young baby, each month can feel like an entirely new adventure. And for them, it certainly is! Around eight months old, babies may begin to sit well without support and get around by rolling, shuffling, or crawling. Some may even begin to use you, baby walkers or another form of support to stand up.
They also start to observe toys more closely so make sure to always have plenty of colorful toys at hand, like the ones in pretty colors from Kid's Concept.
Babies become more mobile by the day, and around nine months old your baby might be crawling around so fast you can barely keep up with them! At this age, babies are getting better at stringing together syllables and are copying sounds and gestures. Listening to stories and singing nursery rhymes can help them to develop their communication skills and increase the number of words they understand.
Sensory play is an important part of early development, so be sure your baby has plenty of sounds, colors and textures to discover and explore. Colorful activity toys - like ones ones from Done by Deer - are perfect for this stage, providing playful textures and sounds to stimulate your baby’s senses.
As babies approach their tenth month, they will continue developing their language skills and you may even start to be known as ‘mama’ or ‘dada’. They could start or continue to crawl and sit up without support for longer stretches of time.
Their fine motor skills will be improving fast, and you can further this with activity toys that encourage them to use their thumb and index finger with more precision. They will be getting better at following picture books, so carry on reading to them from board books and cloth books. The thicker pages make it easier for them to learn how to turn, and last longer than paper while your baby is mouthing!
Your baby’s personality should really be beginning to shine through around eleven months old. They will be using more body language to communicate and enjoy bouncing around to music. Cause-and-effect musical instruments like light-up pianos, maracas and rattles, such as the rattles made by Jellycat and , will give them plenty of enjoyment as they experience how a simple action produces sounds.
Your baby turning a year old is perhaps the biggest milestone - for you at least! You’ll notice your one-year-old is increasingly active, and enjoys shaking, banging and throwing objects, and may even start to correctly use some items like hair brushes or drinking cups. Toys 1 year and thereabouts should continue to challenge and delight them, such as building blocks, like these from Djeco, which they may begin stacking (and pushing over!), and puzzles with large pieces to push into place.
At one year, some babies are able to stand on their own and may even attempt their first steps. Pull-along and push-along toys are among the most popular and useful toys for one-year-olds, and can help them on their journey to independent walking.