Your 11-Month-Old Baby’s Milestones and Development

Your baby's first birthday is just around the corner, and you may be feeling a wide range of emotions. Along with all the feelings, you're likely noticing that your baby is more like a toddler these days. From standing and moving toward walking to maybe even saying the beginnings of their first words, the 11-month mark can bring about some very exciting milestones.

If you're curious about what else you can expect this month from your 11-month-old baby's milestones, read on. We provide you with the inside scoop on what you need to know about those ever-important developmental steps as well as nutrition, sleep, safety, and more.

11-Month-Old Baby Physical Milestones

At this age, parents are sometimes concerned if their baby is not walking yet—especially if their friends' babies are walking. But, pediatricians indicate that you probably have nothing to worry about. Your 11-month-old may be at any of the following stages:

• Standing: They pull themselves up with the help of furniture or a crib rail and stand by themselves for a few seconds with limited to no support.
• Cruising: They walk by themselves holding onto furniture as they travel from one location to the next.
• Walking: Some 11-month-old babies can walk independently. The average age for babies to begin walking is around 12 months. If your child reaches all of the milestones leading up to walking but isn't walking on their own by 18 months, contact their pediatrician.

"Development at this age is a matter of degrees and percentages," says Corey Fish, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician and chief medical officer with BraveCare.com. Some babies are already walking and others are just not there yet. Both scenarios are pretty common. As their legs strengthen and their core gets stronger, your baby will become more adventurous with their movement, too.

Some babies may be displaying additional skills when it comes to movement and making more independent moves like standing upright unassisted or taking one or two first steps. Other babies may be improving their crawling skills instead.

"Babies this age also can learn to crawl up the stairs if they are allowed to practice with close supervision by the parent," says Florencia Segura, MD, FAAP, a pediatrician with Einstein Pediatrics in the Washington, DC area. "And some babies this age will walk two or three steps without support and can stand for a few seconds without holding onto anything."

11-Month-Old Baby Cognitive Milestones

At this age, your baby is continuing to build their language and communication skills and understand more of what you are saying. "They are starting to do something that is called 'joint attention' where they will look at something you are pointing to," Dr. Segura says. "They also are increasingly conscious of things that have names and their purpose, so they might try to brush their hair with a brush or hold a telephone to their ear."

In addition to saying one or two words, your child may be using their hands more to communicate, such as pointing to objects, waving, or using simple hand gestures to express their wants and needs. But don't worry if they don't quite have words yet; they'll get there in their own time.

"Babies this age are often using hand movements to communicate their wants and needs. They will respond to simple directions as well as reach to be picked up, and point specifically to things," says Dr. Segura. "They also understand words like no—even if they choose not to listen."

11-Month-Old Baby Feeding Milestones

By now, your baby is likely eating three meals a day in addition to breast milk or formula. Your baby is also developing more independence when it comes to eating solid foods. They may be better at picking up food and may even attempt to use a spoon and open cup.

"At 11 months old, many babies are finger feeding and self-feeding as well as eating an increased variety of food," says Dr. Segura. "They also are getting better at using an open-faced cup during meals."

You still need to be careful about what types of foods you are feeding your 11-month-old baby. Not only should you continue to refrain from feeding them honey and cow's milk, but you also have to watch out for choking hazards.

"Never give babies round pieces of food that could become lodged in their throat," says Dr. Segura. "I also always tell parents the three S's—to consider the size of the food as well as make sure babies are sitting when they are eating and that they are supervised. They can choke if they are moving around and eating at the same time."

You may also want to refrain from giving your baby juice. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) indicates that juice should not be consistently given to babies under 12 months of age. After their first birthday, infants may have limited amounts of juice each day.

As far as how much food your baby should be eating at one time, Dr. Fish encourages parents to allow babies to determine how much they want to eat at a given time. You should also continue to offer a variety of foods—even foods your baby doesn't like.

Although you shouldn't force your baby to eat something, it does take several tries before a baby decides if they like a particular food. You may also notice that your baby now makes faces when they eat something unfamiliar. Keep introducing new foods and make mealtimes fun.

11-Month-Old Sleeping Milestones

Your baby is now sleeping through the night and may start to transition to one nap a day, Dr. Fish says. This transition can be challenging for parents especially if they use those two naps for themselves or to get tasks accomplished while their baby is sleeping.

Some babies may even start fighting their naps altogether, but it's important to stay consistent with your baby's sleep schedule. They still need about 14 hours of sleep per day at this age, with some of that sleep occurring during the day.

There is a chance that your baby may go through a slight sleep regression at this age. Most likely this is due to a growth spurt or teething. Dr. Segura says that some babies will even experience disrupted sleep when they are learning to conquer a developmental milestone.

11-Month-Old Baby Health and Safety Milestones

As far as safety this month, babies are now much more mobile and more adept at getting around, says Dr. Segura. If you have not baby-proofed your house yet, you should. There are a number of hazards that pose a risk to your baby like falls, eating something toxic or poisonous, or sticking things in outlets.

"The big thing at this age is the risk of falls," says Dr. Segura. "Falls happen quite a bit just when babies are learning to walk, but falls from a greater height are a big risk. Parents need to put baby gates near stairs and doorways and refrain from using unsafe equipment like baby walkers."

Your baby will also continue to grow teeth this month—or begin teething if they haven't already. Some babies don't get their first tooth until after their first birthday. If your baby is teething, talk to your pediatrician about how to treat your baby's discomfort. Options for relieving teething pain include:

• Over-the-counter pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen
• Massaging your baby's gums with clean fingers
• Offering solid (not liquid-filled) teething rings
• Offering clean frozen or wet washcloths
  

Other Things To Consider About Your 11-Month-Old

Your baby's first birthday is just around the corner, so it is likely that you will be seeing a lot of changes or at least preparations for changes like taking their first steps, improving their language skills, and getting more skilled at using their hands to pick things up and communicate. To celebrate your first year together, you may be considering planning a birthday party.

Some parents choose to celebrate with cupcakes and close family and others throw a big birthday bash complete with a smash cake. The important thing is that you do what you have the time, energy, and budget to do. Your baby has no idea what a birthday is, so don't feel like you have to go all out. Make your little one's celebration what you want and not what you feel pressured to do.