Older Babies!

Sleep

Recommended sleep in 24 hours: 12-15 (NSF, 2015)

Average night sleep: 10-11 hours (Paavonen et al., 2020, Mindell et al., 2010)

Average day sleep: 3-4 hours spread over 2-3 naps (Paavonen et al., 2020, Mindell et al., 2010)

Typical awake time: 2-3.5 hours

Challenging sleep time: around 9-months, often referred to as the 9-month sleep regression

Notes on this age:

6 months is the earliest age babies should sleep in their own room for SIDS reasons according to the AAP safe sleep guidelines.
Usually baby drops from 3 to 2 naps during this time.
Night awakenings are normal: 6-Month-old babies wake on average 2.5 times a night and 8-month-old babies 2.4 times (Paavonen et al., 2020). 6-12-month-old babies wake on average 1.76 times a night (Brown & Harries, 2015). At 6 months, 69.5% of babies have nightly awakenings (Hysing et al, 2014).
6-12-month-old babies feed on average 1.4 times a night (Brown & Harries, 2015). Breastfed babies fed more overnight in this study, but there were no differences in waking patterns between breastfed and formula fed babies.
Only 22.3% of 8-month-olds slept through the night in a large study (Paavonen et al. 2020)
Most babies need parental support to fall back asleep.
More frequent night waking and need for parental contact is normal around 8-9 months.
Separation anxiety plays a key role in baby’s behavior and can peak around 8-10 months.
Night feeds are still important for development for most babies. For babies too distracted during the day to feed well, night feeds can be an important part of over-all intake.
Developmental milestones make for busy brains at night consolidating learning and building neuro-connections for the many new skills. This can lead to increased waking.
Short naps, contact naps, motion naps, and nursing to sleep are all normal.

Recommended sleep in 24 hours: 12-15 (NSF, 2015)

Typical sleep in 24 hours: 12-14 hours

Average night sleep: 10-11 hours (Paavonen et al., 2020, Mindell et al., 2010)

Average day sleep: 2-3 hours spread over 2 naps (Paavonen et al., 2020, Mindell et al., 2010)

Typical awake time: 3-4 hours

Notes on this age:

Several night feeds and several night wakes are both still normal.
6-12-month-old babies wake on average 1.76 times and feed on average 1.4 times a night (Brown & Harries, 2015).
It’s normal to need parental support to fall asleep, even as an older baby.
Separation anxiety continues to play a key role in baby’s behavior and can peak around 8-10 months.
Some previously short napping babies lengthen their naps once on 2 naps a day, but short naps can still be normal.
Contact naps, motion naps, and feeding to sleep are all normal.

6 months is the recommended age for starting solids. Developmental readiness signs include: loss of the tongue thrust reflex, ability and interest in chewing, can grasp food and bring it to their mouth/working on their pincer grasp (thumb and forefinger), and can sit up well without support/minimal support.
Human milk or formula should be their main source of calories until 12 months. Nurse or bottle feed before offering solid foods. In the first few months of solids, your baby shouldn’t replace a normal nursing or bottle feeding session with solids.
Feeding an older baby can be wiggly, distractible, playful, and dynamic.
They are often efficient feeders at this point.
If overly distracted while feeding, try feeding in a low stimulation environment, feeding with motion, a soft toy to play with, or in a more upright position.
Once they have the strength and control, nursing older babies can start nursing in all sorts of funny positions. Think baby yoga or baby gymnastics in your lap.
A soft toy can give activity to busy hands that would otherwise be in your mouth, up your nose, twiddling, scratching, pinching, or pulling on you in some way. Make sure it’s soft because you will likely be hit with it at some point.

This is a really dynamic period with a wide range of what’s normal.
For gross motor skills, babies are sitting at the beginning of this time. This progresses to crawling, pulling up to standing, cruising with the support of furniture, and for some babies full on walking.
Your baby will begin to point, copy gestures, pick up things between thumb and forefinger, and pass items smoothly from hand to hand.
Babies begin to babble actual word sounding things which may or may not regularly refer to the same thing. Many babies progress to saying their first words as they approach their first birthday. Some babies do not say their first words until after 1 and that’s ok.
Babies begin having some language understanding, knowing their name and some specific key words as well as the ability to follow simple instructions as they approach a year.
Separation anxiety becomes a factor, and your baby may have more trouble with separation, when you leave, or be more clingy then previously. This is in part due to their understanding of object permanence.
Some babies start showing their baby toddler selves around 9 months – communicating stronger opinions, testing boundaries, and asserting themselves more than previously.

Your baby is going to be on the move at some point during this time. Include playful practice of whatever milestone they are currently working on in your interactions.
Babies love repetition. Doing the same song, story, simple game over and over helps them learn.
Reading, singing, and movement based activities are great ways to spend time together.
Talk back and forth with your baby even if you can’t understand what they are saying. Act like you do. Narrate what they might be saying back to you. This serve and return is great for language development.
Babies may love games like peek a boo, hiding toys underneath things, and making silly faces at each other.
Flap and pop up books can be a lot of fun, but beware the ripping capabilities of your little one.
Singing and playing music together using simple musical instruments like a baby drum or something to shake can be a great option.
For a baby needing more activity, create a crawling obstacle course using cushions and other things around the house.
Give your baby simple toys to begin learning cause and effect. This is what happens when I bang these toys together/throw/drop and so on. They may want to stack or put things in and out of a container.
This is a great resource on play and development: https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/313-stages-of-play-from-6-12-months-discovering-connections

Go to…