8 Month Milestones: Crawling, Babbling and Separation Anxiety (Australia)

8 month milestones cover the stretch from 8 to 9 months when most babies sit without support, start crawling or bottom-shuffling, pull up on furniture and pick up small things with a thumb and finger. Babbling turns tuneful, 'dada' and 'mama' may appear, and many babies become wary of strangers and upset when you leave the room.

The checklist below is the 8 to 12 month band of the ACECQA developmental milestones document, the same checklist BabyLog records for each baby. The plain-language context comes from Pregnancy, Birth and Baby(opens in a new window) and healthdirect(opens in a new window). For the whole first two years, start with baby milestones by age.

What are the milestones at 8 to 9 months?

Most babies at 8 to 9 months are moving (crawling, shuffling or pulling to stand), using a thumb-and-finger grip, babbling in strings and showing a clear preference for familiar people. The ACECQA document(opens in a new window) lists five areas; social and emotional are combined below to match the four areas most Australian guidance uses.

The right-hand column comes from Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's pages for 8 months(opens in a new window) and 9 months(opens in a new window). The middle column runs to 12 months, so the later items are not expected at 8.

Is it normal for an 8 month old not to crawl?

Yes. Some babies crawl at 8 months, some shuffle on their bottom, and some never crawl at all and go straight to walking. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says exactly that on its 8 month page(opens in a new window): don't worry if your baby isn't crawling.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby · 8 months old

Your baby may also be crawling or shuffling on their bottom. Don't worry if your baby isn't crawling. Some babies never crawl and go straight to walking.

healthdirect's 9 month list asks whether a baby is moving around, 'such as crawling or bottom shuffling', rather than naming one method.

When do babies pull to stand?

Many babies pull themselves up to standing on furniture at around 8 to 9 months, and some take stepping movements along the couch soon after. By 9 months, Pregnancy, Birth and Baby describes babies pulling up on furniture and gaining confidence with safe chances to practise standing and cruising(opens in a new window). Walking on their own is a later milestone, covered in 12 month milestones.

What is the pincer grip, and why do finger foods matter now?

The pincer grip is picking up a small object between thumb and forefinger. It usually emerges between 8 and 9 months, at the same time many babies start handling finger foods. ACECQA lists 'picks up and pokes small objects with thumb and finger' and 'uses hands to feed self' in the 8 to 12 month band. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby describes 9 month olds using their thumb and fingers to pick up small items(opens in a new window) and feeding themselves finger foods.

Soft finger foods such as banana, avocado, steamed vegetables and toast fingers give a baby a reason to practise the grip, and the grip makes self-feeding possible. Solids sit alongside breast milk or formula at this age.

Why does my 8 month old cry when I leave the room?

Crying when you leave, and going quiet or clingy around new people, is separation anxiety and stranger wariness. Both are a normal part of emotional development that often shows up between 7 and 9 months. Attachment to caregivers is becoming stronger at 8 months, so a baby may need to 'check in' with you by voice or by looking for you. By 9 months, many babies show signs of separation anxiety(opens in a new window): crying when you leave the room and feeling unsure around unfamiliar people.

A baby who cries at the door has learned that you still exist when you are out of sight. That is a milestone in itself.

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's advice is simple: respond and soothe them, and your baby may settle more easily.

What does 8 month babbling sound like?

Around 8 to 9 months, babbling turns into strings of sounds that rise and fall like conversation, and words such as 'dada' and 'mama' may appear without much meaning attached yet. ACECQA calls it 'babbles tunefully'. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's 9 month page(opens in a new window) adds copying sounds, shouting to attract attention, pausing briefly at 'no', and imitating actions such as clapping or waving.

Does sleep change at 8 months?

Around 8 months, most sleep happens at night with around two naps a day, and it is still normal for a baby to wake at night(opens in a new window) throughout the first year.

When to talk to your child health nurse

Variation is normal at this age. A persistent absence of a skill is what your nurse or GP wants to hear about. Drawing on healthdirect's list for 9 months(opens in a new window) and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby's month pages, talk to your child health nurse or GP if your baby:

• doesn't make babbling sounds such as 'bubu' or 'dada'
• doesn't pass toys from one hand to the other, or isn't interested in holding toys
• isn't moving around, such as crawling or bottom shuffling, and hasn't started to sit without support
• doesn't take weight on their legs when held in a standing position
• doesn't respond to familiar words like their name, or doesn't respond to carers or make eye contact
• has stopped doing something they had already learned to do, at any age

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby calls a lost skill 'regression' and asks parents to raise it with a doctor whenever it happens.

The 8 month child health check

In Victoria, the 8 month visit is the sixth of the 10 Key Ages and Stages visits(opens in a new window) with a maternal and child health nurse. The Victorian Department of Health's description of that visit(opens in a new window) says the nurse reviews your baby's growth, health and development, works through the PEDS-R questions in your green book, and covers hearing screening, injury prevention, teeth, sun protection and immunisations. Other states and territories schedule a check in a similar window under different names; see baby health checks in Australia.

Keeping track between checks

The nurse's questions at that visit are about the last few months: when did she start sitting, is he babbling, does she pull up yet? Answering from memory, with a baby on your lap, is the hard part.

BabyLog's Australian Standard child development milestones use this same ACECQA checklist. Tap Watch on the milestones coming up for your baby, then mark each one observed when it happens, with the date and a note. Milestone tracking is part of Pro, and editors on a Pro-shared baby can track milestones too. Before a check-up, a checkup report on Pro turns your logs into a summary with feeding and sleep patterns, growth charts and the milestone checklist, shareable with a nurse or educator as a private link or PDF.

Watch this window unfold at your baby's own pace, and track your baby's development with BabyLog. Looking back a few months? Start with 6 month milestones.

Common questions