Reading to Your Baby

Reading to your baby is a way to spend special time with her. And it is one of the best ways to help your baby learn. Read to her every day.

When you read to your baby, you are helping her learn new words. Reading to her lets her know that books and reading are important. Reading to her now will help her do well in school later on.


At this age, your baby can pay attention for only a short time. Read only a few pages to her with lots of large, colorful pictures. She loves to have you read the same book over and over. Hearing the words over and over helps her to become familiar with them. She will begin to point to pictures to get you to name them for her.

Your baby likes to touch things. You can make a book for her with different pictures of her favorite things. Cover the book in plastic. She will like to feel it. You can paste pictures onto sheets of paper in the book. Use pictures of toys, family members or friends, foods, flowers or other things she likes. It will make her happy to look at these pictures and to feel the pages. She will like to listen to you as you talk to her about them.

You can even make a book of textures. Paste pieces of fabric onto the pages. You can use fabrics that are rough, bumpy and scratchy. You can add fluffy, stretchy and other kinds of fabrics. You can even paste in a piece of leather or some soft fur. This can be her special book. She will enjoy handling its pages. The important thing is to spend time reading to her every day. Reading to her is good for both of you.

Do you want to learn to read better? A public library might be able to help. You can also call America’s Literacy Directory at 1-800-288-8813 to find out about programs in your area that help people learn to read. The call is free.

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Mealtime with Your Eight-Month-Old

Mealtimes are still messy for you and your eight-month-old. She continues to need your special attention at meal times.

Your baby is probably able to pick up food with her fingers. By now, she is learning to drink from a cup. When she chews, she can move the food to the sides of her mouth.


You can now offer her thicker and lumpier foods. Here are some foods that she should be able to eat now:

• Soft, small pieces of meat.
• Mashed beans or peas.
• Bite-size pieces of bread.
• Cooked, mashed fruits and vegetables.
• Noodles.

Your baby is not yet ready for some foods. Here are some foods that you should not give her yet:

• Cow’s milk.
• Egg whites.
• More than 4 ounces of juice per day.
• Honey or Karo syrup.
• Wheat cereal.

Instead of drinking cow’s milk, your baby should continue to be breastfed or to get formula with iron. Egg whites and milk can make a young baby sick. If your baby drinks too much juice, she may lose her appetite. Then she might not eat the foods she needs. Honey may have bacteria. This can make your baby very sick. Wheat cereal can be hard for your baby to digest.

Remember, your baby knows how much food to eat. Give her a choice of foods that will help her grow. Do not force your baby to eat her food. She knows how much food she needs.

Meals should be offered at regular times each day. Meal times should be pleasant and as quiet as possible. Turn the TV off. Don’t have a lot of other activity going on. Enjoy your meals together.

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Your Baby’s Next Checkup

Now is the time to make an appointment for your baby’s nine-month checkup. At this checkup, the doctor will measure your baby’s head. The doctor will weigh your baby and measure her length. The doctor will give your baby a physical exam. You will need to remove your baby’s clothes before the doctor can do this. You will need to bring an extra diaper, too.


The doctor will also check to see how your baby is developing. Here are some of the things the doctor will check:

• How well she can sit by herself.
• How well she reaches for objects.
• How well her eyes are able to follow moving objects.
• The sounds she makes.

If she did not have a blood test at her six-month visit, your baby may have a test for anemia. She may also be tested for tuberculosis (TB). If you think of questions you would like to ask the doctor, write them down. You might want to bring your questions with you to the checkup. That way, you won’t forget what you wanted to ask. If the doctor’s answers are not clear to you, say so. It is important that you understand what is best for your baby.

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Early Intervention and Your Baby’s Developing Skills

Children learn skills as they grow. These skills happen by certain ages. A child learns skills at her own pace. You can see how your baby is doing. Watch when she starts to crawl, walk, talk and feed herself.

If you are concerned that your baby is learning skills too slowly, talk to your doctor. You can also call 1-800-695-0285 to get information. The call is free. When you call, you will be told how to contact the early intervention program in your state. Staff of your state’s early intervention program can assist you in finding help in your state.


What is an early intervention program?

An early intervention program helps children from birth to age three. Early intervention staff can help your baby learn to roll over, sit up, crawl and grasp toys.

They also help children who are having problems seeing, hearing and talking.

How does an early intervention program help?

It can help your child with needed services and also help you join a support group.

Your family and early intervention staff can work together to plan services. These services teach basic skills and can be done in your home or during child care.

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Ways To Keep Your Baby Safe

Your baby needs to be safe. But she also needs to explore. You must decide when to tell her “no.” And you must decide when to let her discover things on her own. You can keep your eight-month-old baby safe. But you always have to stay one step ahead of her!

Baby-proof your house:


• Lock up all of your medicines, vitamins and pills.
• Be careful when visitors come—people often carry medications in their purses or handbags.
• Remove sharp things from your baby’s reach.
• Put covers on all electrical outlets.
• Move all electrical cords and extension cords out of your baby’s reach.
• Keep your baby away from fans and space heaters.
• Put away small things that your baby can swallow.
• Keep cleaners and detergents out of your baby’s reach.
• Put latches on dresser drawers and cupboards.
• Place tight covers on trash cans and diaper pails.
• Keep your toilet lid down. Your baby can fall into the toilet and drown.
• Be sure to cushion the sharp corners and edges of furniture where your baby plays.
• Avoid using any toy chest or other container with a hinged lid that can fall freely and smash small fingers and heads. To learn more about toy chest safety, call the Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772, or visit their Web site at www.cpsc.gov/.

Prevent falls:

• Do not leave your baby alone on a bed, changing table or chair.
• Do not put furniture on bare floors. Put it on top of rugs or small rubber squares that you can get from the hardware store to hold it in place so it does not slide away from your baby trying to stand up.
• Install safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs. This includes porch stairs.

Prevent drowning:

• Never leave your baby alone in the bathtub.
• Never leave her alone near a swimming pool or any amount of water including a pail of water. It doesn’t take a lot of water to drown a baby.

Closely watching your baby is the best way to keep her safe. Check on her frequently. If you leave the room for a short time, make sure she is in a safe place, such as a crib or a playpen. And be sure to keep a list of emergency phone numbers right next to your telephone.

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Eight-Month-Old

At eight months, your baby is curious about everything. This is a fun time for both of you. Your baby may surprise you with how well she can get around the house. Let her explore, but keep her safe.

Now that she can pull herself around on her belly or crawl, she wants to get into everything. When she holds things in her hand, she wants to throw them or put them in her mouth. Or she wants to bang them on the table. These activities are important ways she learns. It seems like the more noise she can make, the more she likes it.

She practices new skills every day. She may try to pull herself up to a standing position. She likes finger foods.

Your baby may try to make new sounds, like “dada.” The world is exciting to her, but some things may scare her. When she is around strangers, she may cry and hide her face. She may cling to you. All these things are normal. They are part of learning and growing.

She may try to stand or crawl. She may fall down a lot. It may be hard for you to watch her fall. Try to let her explore and move around on her own unless she is in danger or may hurt herself. Make your home as safe as possible for your baby. Join in the games that help her learn about her world.

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