Between 6 to 12 months of age, your child will develop the muscle strength that will allow him to start moving around on his own. His grasp of language will also improve.
It is an exciting period, as he sees new things, meets new people and begins to master new abilities that will surprise and delight you. Here are some things you can do to help him develop those abilities even faster.
Moving about
To help strengthen the muscles for walking, avoid walkers¹ and
encourage him to first roll about, then crawl and play on the floor, or support him under the arms and bounce him on your lap.
You can encourage him to walk by kneeling in front of him and holding his hands so he can walk towards you. Later, you just hold out your hands and give him encouragement.
See the various stages of the development of your child’s ability to walk from 6 to 12 months.
*Please note that this is a simplified visual demo only intended to aid in the understanding of the
subject matter.
You should also let him go barefoot in the house, as it will help strengthen the arches and leg muscles.
Feeling the textures of the surfaces he is walking on can also help improve balance.
Communicating
Your child’s understanding will develop faster than his ability to speak. Introducing sign-language (example: open palms when talking about a book) will let him express himself and help the progress of language skills².
There are more ways to help develop his understanding of language: name objects when you point at them, read to him, sing to him, describe your actions to him as you are performing them (when you are changing him, for example) – even if he may not understand most of what you say.
Social skills
At around 10 months old, playdates with other babies will help him develop social skills. He will also learn how to interact with others by observing the way you treat other people.
The role of nutrition
As breast milk may not be the sole source of nutrition during this period, it is more important than ever for your child receive proper nutrition to ensure optimum mental and physical development³.
Hoffman DR, et al. Maturation of Visual Acuity Is Accelerated in Breast-Fed Term Infants Fed Baby Food
Containing DHA-Enriched Egg Yolk J. Nutr. 134:2307-2313, September 2004
