Time really flies. The eighth month is already here. Sometimes we just need to stop and appreciate all the joys small babies bring (and forget about all the tedious stuff). Because soon, they will grow and won’t need us that much. So expect to give your eight month old babies a lot of kisses and hugs while they still love them.

If your little one is still younger than 8 months, no worries. We covered every month so you can find it all in the articles in the first year of a child’s life section. If you are still waiting for a new family member, you can start with the first month of newborn’s life. And now back to the eighth month.

Baby-led weaning

If you read the article on the previous month of baby’s life, you know we mentioned that we plan to start with the baby-led weaning. And we did! So some feedback is in order.

First, let’s talk about what is the baby-led weaning and what are the pros and cons of this approach. It’s complicated sounding term, but don’t let that scare you. It’s actually very simple, even natural way to introduce solids to your child. The base idea is that child should explore and enjoy their food. They should be allowed to touch it, squeeze it, put it in their mouth, gum it and finally swallow it (or more likely spit it out!). To do that, we should give them real pieces of food, not blended mush. And, of course, we should let them choose what and how to interact with the food we offer. So no feeding with the spoon.

Downsides of Baby-led weaning

There are some obvious downsides of this approach, so let’s talk about them.

First, is it safe? I know my main concern when hearing and thinking about trying this approach was choking. Thankfully, babies are equipped with the very efficient gums so, even toothless, they are capable of chewing food. And then there is a gag reflex. For babies, the gag reflex is getting triggered much more easily and higher in the mouth. Gagging is actually a natural defense against choking and nothing to be worried about. Although, hearing baby gag and cough, in the beginning, can be nerve-wracking.

Obviously, some precautions should be made. Baby should be over 6 months old, capable of sitting unsupported and have no medical issues that would interfere with swallowing. Never leave your child to eat alone, so you can react if there are some signs of the trouble. For starters, give really soft or steamed fruits and veggies. No-no food includes honey, whole round food like grapes and cherry tomatoes, sausages and nuts. Pieces should be in the sticks shape so the baby can grip it and bring it to the mouth. Later, when the pincer grasp is better (around 8 months), you should start cutting food into bite-size pieces.

The second worry is the amount of food the baby is eating and is she getting all the important nutrients. With the jar of the baby food, you know exactly how much did your baby eat. With the baby-led weaning there is much less certainty. Food will be everywhere, on the floor, clothing and some (hopefully) in the tummy.

Solids are an important part of the baby’s diet after 6 months of age, mainly because of the iron. So it’s a good idea to have at least some general idea what is baby eating in the day. How? Well, the content of the diapers could give you some clue. Since introducing solids, diapers are… Well, much more colorful. And smelly. At least we had a good 6 months of non-smelly poop! So back to the topic. Diapers should now contain some pieces of undigested food and that’s a good sign. Besides content, you should also monitor the changes in the frequency of pooping and peeing.

We mentioned iron as an important part of the baby’s diet. Good sources of iron include red meat, broccoli, beans, and egg yolk so try to include them in the meals. It’s easiest to start with the steamed broccoli, but you can be creative in preparation of those dishes. They could be both nutritious and easy to eat (blend it in the gravy or put in the muffin for example).

Another important consideration is the spices. Don’t use salt and sugar at all, a baby is still not prepared to deal with them. Other spices are a fair game and good to include in moderation, experiment and see what does the baby like.

The third and admittedly less important is the mess. Oh, there will be a mess. Baby is practicing grasping, throwing and painting walls with the food. It sure is fun (for her), but the after meal party (by that I mean cleaning) can be tedious.

Benefits of Baby-led weaning

So there must be some good stuff, right? Of course, and I think benefits outweigh these potential problems mentioned.

Some evidence suggests that by giving babies control of what and how they eat, they become less picky and more adventurous eaters. They are more likely to develop healthy eating habits and avoid overeating. All that chasing the little pieces of food does wonders for their fine motor skills. That pincer grasp will develop before you know it!

Another obvious benefit is that food given this way is an amazing sensory experience. So many textures, colors, ways to squish! Watching your child experiment with touching and squeezing, then smelling and tasting different types of food is so fun to watch. And we all know early sensory experience is crucial for cognitive development.

The next big advantage is that the meal can now be a family bonding time. When you eat with your child, you are including her into one of the basic human social rituals - sharing a meal. That helps her to learn various behaviors from you as a model, from a way to use utensils or chew properly to the conversation skills. It also helps the baby to become more independent and to exercise control over at least some small part of her life.

One thing to note is there isn’t or should not be “one proper way” to do anything and that includes introducing solids. For some families, spoon feeding is a way to go and all members are happy with that choice. Some choose baby-led weaning some choose combination. It’s important to evaluate potential benefits and downsides and pick the best option for your specific family situation. We are very happy with the baby-led weaning approach and for us, this is a way to go.

The trouble with the teeth, part 2.

Waking in the middle of the night and crying? Lea rarely does that. So when it started to happen, we were a little worried. Is she sick, is she in pain? The next morning we got our answer. Gums were swollen again! It’s time for the upper front teeth to make their entrance.

Lea is a little bit ahead of the curve, usually, they appear after 8 months of age. Oh well. Maybe it’s better to get it over with sooner. Common symptoms struck again. Drool, drool everywhere! It seems like we are shadowing her all the time with the tissue. But even though we are constantly wiping her chin, that annoying teething rash still pops up occasionally.

It’s a good idea to put some kind of barrier cream on it - we used some lanolin-based product (usually for the breastfeeding cracks) and it really helped. Another symptom is of course chewing. Babies chew a lot even when all is good, but the intensity of chewing when teething is just through the roof. Always something in the mouth. And by that, I mean anything BUT the teething toys. They are never in the mouth. Sigh.

Lastly, we noticed Lea was much more clingy. She wanted to be carried more, breastfeed a lot and enjoyed time in her baby carrier. She needed some extra hugs and kisses and a little bit of pampering. Luckily, the worst was over in a few days. Until the next little tooth decides to peek out!

Growling and the other disturbing sounds

Is your child preparing to audition with some black metal band? It surely can sound that way! Growling and snarling are some of the new fun sounds Lea discovered this month. And although we are metal music lovers, hearing her practicing was a little unnerving.

Is she choking, coughing, having pneumonia? First-time parents anxiety struck again! Luckily, she had too much fun to notice our worried looks. Talking to her plushies and also to herself I guess, is one of her favorite activities this month. And boy, can she talk! Sometimes her monologues last for a good half an hour. It’s a little bit less entertaining when she decides to do it in 3 in the morning. But, what can you do?

Experimenting with different sounds is how they improve their verbal capabilities. It is crucial for language acquisition. She also loves to listen to others talk and you can see she is soaking in both verbal and nonverbal cues and tries to mimic them. So it’s time to pay more attention to our speaking patterns - soon we’ll see our bad habits reflected in our baby. Can’t wait.

Crawling, standing, moving like a pro

Last month we also talked about crawling and what joys and dangers it brings. Well not much changed in that field. She still crawls like a little soldier going boldly where no baby has gone before. I think there is no part of the house now that she didn’t lick. Except for the bathroom… God, I hope she didn’t lick the bathroom.

The difference is that she started to get herself more and more on her knees and started to crawl on them. Proper baby crawling. But she is still lazy and does the most of moving in soldier position. She moves faster that way. And when Mama and Dada are not looking you must move fast to chew that cable or you’ll miss your opportunity.

Another level up is in her climbing skills. Now she is able to stand on her feet while holding herself for the furniture. That is another great skill for our little explorer. So handy for getting that pesky remote controller, mobile phone and laptop that sit on the table. Now nothing can hide from her grasp. And mouth. And yes, that is another great skill to end up suddenly on your back and in tears. Especially when tired. She gets really hyperactive when tired but so unstable that her balance is worst than in drunkard after the bottle of liquor.

But following her around as a safety net has its meaning. All that climbing and pulling is actually preparation for the walking. Child's legs are still not prepared to carry the rest of the body so she needs to practice. Getting in the standing position helps her to gain balance and prepare her spine for the walking. We can’t wait that she starts to walk. The chase around the apartment is such a great joy for every parent I bet.

And the month eight with a baby is done. The first birthday is getting closer. Who knows what else will happen until then and how many more grey hairs will we get. But one month at the time. So join us soon in the ninth month with the baby. We’ll get there… We think we are doing great (read: everyone is still alive) :)

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Original article at https://www.stemlittleexplorers.com/en/baby-eighth-month/