All babies have their own timetable, but you can watch for certain developments in your 11-month-old. Celebrate with your baby as she reaches or nears these milestones.
Cognitive
- Understands how to use many objects (cuddling a stuffed toy, shaking a rattle, putting a cup to her lips)
- Understands that objects have names
- Understands object permanence well (looking for an object that’s hidden because she knows it’s there)
- Has an expanding attention span, from two to three minutes at 8 months to 15 minutes at 12 months
- Is attracted to novelty (new toys, objects)
- Explores playthings in new ways (touching, banging, dropping)
- Increasingly displays memory of recent events
Motor
- Has good accuracy in picking up objects with fingers (pincer grasp)
- Getting better at releasing objects from grasp
- Points and pokes with index finger
- Feeds self, though messily
- May be able to put things into containers
- Crawls quickly
- Pulls up to a standing position
- Stands with support (holding onto your fingers or furniture)
- May stand alone briefly
- May cruise along furniture
Communication
- Gestures to communicate
- Shakes head or frowns to express “no;” responds when told “no”
- May hold out arms to be picked up
- May recognize own name
- Recognizes many familiar words
- Understands many things said to her
- Babbles in long groups of consonant-vowel sounds, like “tata upupup ba ba ba!”
- Babbles using the cadence and inflections of real conversation
- May use “Ma ma” and “Da da” to refer specifically to parents
- May say other early words, though probably not with good pronunciation (“ba ba” for bottle, “mik” for milk)
Social
- Accurately mimics the expressions and some sounds made by others
- Imitates actions of adults and other children
- Enjoys watching older children
- Enjoys being around other babies but doesn’t yet play with them
- Watches for your reactions (to banging, laughing)
- Shows stranger anxiety (shyness around strangers)
- Shows separation anxiety (crying or exhibiting distress when you leave the room), which peaks between 10 months and 18 months
- Interacts more with family
- Waves good-bye
