Home > Play > Play 8 months

Playing with Baby from 8 Months

At eight months some babies are on the move, so make sure that you have checked what your home looks like from your baby's level to make sure there is nothing that baby can hurt herself with.

Baby might be beginning to pull herself to a standing position or she may already be cruising around the furniture. It's good to encourage baby to move but also to encourage her to focus on her toys.

Continuing to develop baby's thinking skills through problem solving activities and encouraging the use of her fine motor skills will benefit baby when learning to speak or to use paints and crayons.

If she is on the move and crawling everywhere, you can leave toys around the floor to surprise her when she is on her travels. She will love finding the VTech “Dial and Discover Phone”. This phone has three different modes, lots of flashing lights and fun voices. It will help her learn about numbers, shapes and letters and might keep her away from your phone.

The VTech “Rhyme Time” book allows baby to turn the pages and choose what music she wants to hear. Baby is learning fast about cause and effect now so it's good for her to play with toys that have musical buttons or light shows. Baby will learn to predict which buttons result in what effect.

Baby will also enjoy playing with wooden pullout puzzles that will help her perfect her pincer grip. Simple shape sorters and jigsaws will keep baby busy for a while. It's great to sit on the floor with your baby or play chase around the table while on all fours. She will love it if you roar like a lion and chase her all over the living room – the neighbours might wonder, but so what? You're having fun!

Find a balance now between electronic play toys, books, wooden toys and just playing together.

To find out more about what to look out for when choosing and buying nursery toys visit our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Different Ages section and our Brands section.

To find out more about the different types of nursery toy that are available for each age group visit our Types of Nursery Toy section.

To find out more about the different online baby and nursery toy shops and stores visit our Top Sites section.

You can also find out more in our How to Choose and Buy a Baby Toy for Helping to Develop Different Skills section.