Developmental Checklist: 8-10 Months

Remember that all babies are individuals and develop at their own pace. Premature infants, especially, reach many milestones later than their same-age peers. This checklist should be used only to get a general sense for where your baby is or where he is heading. If you have any concerns about your child's development, consult with your physician.

Physical Development

• Crawls quickly.
• Pulls to standing.
• May cruise holding onto furniture.
• Comes to sitting position from stomach.
• Points with finger.
• Picks up tiny objects with thumb and finger.
• May begin to demonstrate right- or left-handedness.
• Holds bottle and cup.
• Handles two objects simultaneously.

Intellectual Development

• Eager to explore.
• Shakes, drops, feels, and tastes all he finds.
• Briefly searches for hidden objects.
• Enjoys being recognized for newly developed feats.
• Experiences heightened anxiety level.
• Understands the word no (but doesn't always obey it).
• May develop fear of heights or bath.
• Recognizes parents and self in mirror, will kiss own image on mirror.

Social And Emotional Development

• Responds to own name.
• Shows moods: angry, happy, hurt, sad
• Plays peek-a-boo.
• May play patty-cake.
• Playfully imitates sounds of others, including coughing, lip smacking, and hissing.
• Experiences separation and stranger anxiety.
• Easily overwhelmed by older, noisy children.
• Fights with other children over toys.
• Objects if you try to take toy away.
• Begins to identify with same-sex parent.

Language Development

• Correlates words with gestures, such as waving bye-bye or nodding yes.
• Combines sounds into longer expressions.
• May say mama, dada, or bye-bye.

Dr. Bettye M. Caldwell Ph.D. Professor of Pediatrics in Child Development and Education

Parenting advice is given as a suggestion only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider.