11 month old baby

What an 11 month old baby is doing

Eleven months is a month of qualified firsts. The HSE describes a baby who may stand alone, and who may use their index finger and thumb to pick up objects — a true pincer grip rather than the earlier thumb-and-side-of-finger version.

Communication takes a jump that is easy to miss. Your baby may copy simple sounds and say their first word; look at something when you point to it; and ask for something by pointing, or by looking at an object and then at you. That last one is the important one. Looking from a thing to a person and back is joint attention, and developmentally it matters more than a word count.

Socially, your baby starts to develop a concept of self — the beginnings of a social identity and an understanding of who they are. In play they will uncover a toy hidden beneath a blanket or cup, which is object permanence made visible.

Not walking, not talking at 11 months

Both are among the most searched eleven-month phrases and both are usually inside the range. Note how the HSE phrases it: standing alone is a "may" at eleven months, and taking first steps without help is a "may" at twelve. Saying a first word is likewise a "may", and understanding words comes before producing them — a baby who looks where you point and responds to their name is doing the harder half of the job.

Milestone lists work this way on purpose. When the CDC's developmental surveillance checklists were revised in 2022 by an expert working group convened by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the criteria included using milestones that at least 75% of children would be expected to achieve by a given age, explicitly to discourage a wait-and-see approach, and using milestones that are easily observed in natural settings. About a quarter of the previous milestones were removed and around 40% replaced. The point of setting the bar there is that a single missing item is worth mentioning at an appointment — not that it is diagnostic. Our milestones guide covers how to use them.

What the HSE flags at twelve months, and therefore what is worth watching for now, is the absence of any independent mobility at all — crawling, commando crawling or bottom shuffling — and not pulling to stand from a sitting position. Losing a skill your baby previously had is always worth a call.

Getting ready for the twelve-month changes

A lot changes at the first birthday, and eleven months is the month to prepare rather than scramble.

Milk changes. Cows' milk can be introduced as a main drink from twelve months, and formula milks are not needed once your baby is twelve months old — that includes first infant formula, follow-on formula, growing-up milks and toddler milks. All infant formula in the UK has to meet the same standards, so a more expensive brand buys nothing, and there is no product you need to switch to at one. If you are breastfeeding there is no deadline; the NHS notes the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for up to two years or longer.

Bottles change. Once your baby is one year old, feeding from a bottle should be discouraged. If your baby is still mostly on bottles, start the move to an open cup or a free-flow cup without a valve now. It is messy, and it is much easier done over a month than over a weekend.

Vitamins continue. The recommendation is a daily supplement containing vitamins A, C and D for children aged six months to five years, and from one to four years a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D. Babies having more than 500ml of infant formula a day do not need supplements, which is a rule that stops applying once the formula does. Keep to the dose on the label and do not give two supplements at once, since too much of some vitamins is harmful.

Vaccinations restart. The UK offers nothing routine between 16 weeks and one year, and then three vaccines at twelve months, with a further appointment at eighteen months. Which vaccines your child is offered now depends on their date of birth, so check the current schedule for the country you live in rather than an older chart.

Sleep at 11 months

The NHS band for six to twelve months is that a baby may sleep for up to 12 hours at night by around six months, with teething pain and hunger disturbing it. After the first birthday, most babies sleep around 12 to 15 hours in total across 24 hours. There is no published nap schedule at any age, so a baby on two naps, one long nap, or something that changes weekly is not doing it wrong.

Expect disruption around new skills. A baby who has just learned to stand will practise standing in the cot at night, and the NHS is explicit that sleep patterns change as a baby grows, so a settled routine getting rewritten is the normal course rather than a failure. Daytime floor practice helps more than a nighttime negotiation.

When to get urgent help

Get urgent advice if your baby has a high temperature with other signs of illness, is feeding much less than usual, has far fewer wet nappies, is unusually floppy or difficult to wake, or their breathing looks like hard work.