11 Month Old Baby: Developmental Milestones

Your baby is just one step ahead of transforming into a toddler. It will be a fulfilling month for you to see your kid getting independent as well as progressing in terms of his overall development.

Physical development

Growth Details	Boys	Girls
How much should an 11-month-old weight	16.31 to 25.35 pounds ^[1]	15.43 to 24.25 pounds ^[2]
What should the height of an 11-month-old be	27.63 to 31.06 inches ^[1]	26.77 to 30.51 inches ^[2]
How much should their head size be	17.08 to 18.97 inches ^[1]	16.53 to 18.54 inches ^[2]
What is the respiratory rate of an 11-month old ^[3]	25 to 40 breaths per minute	25 to 40 breaths per minute
What is the heart rate of an 11-month-old ^[3]	80 to 120 beats per minute	80 to 120 beats per minute

What should your baby be doing at 11 months

Motor development

You will be amazed to see your baby cruising around the room with support ^[4]. He might also show independence by taking a few steps without you holding his hand. Some may walk unsupported in the eleventh month ^{[4, 6]}. Trying to flex his body in different ways, your eleven-month-old might attempt to get on his toes or stand on one leg. As his cognitive and motor skills are simultaneously developing, he enjoys putting one toy inside the other or his favorite blocks into boxes and buckets ^[5]. Beginning to learn to climb, the little one will enjoy getting up on crib rails, window sills or anything accessible to him ^[4].

Communicative development

Their language skills seem to be more matured by now. Though their vocabulary might comprise of only a few meaningful words such as ‘mama’ and ‘dada’, they will babble non-stop, most of which is difficult to understand ^[5]. Parents should keep talking and reading to their children as much as they can ^[7].

Cognitive and behavioral development

As his cognitive skills advance a step further, his understanding of getting back hidden objects becomes more pronounced ^[8]. The pangs of separation anxiety that had developed for the past few months goes on to heighten by now ^[5]. He is more skilled at pointing and waving, being able to follow your commands to a certain extent.

Moreover, the little one also goes through the phase of emotional development, throwing a tantrum, when he is asked to give up his favorite plaything or on hearing the command “no” from you. Developing a sense of individuality, your baby has also learned to express his likes and dislikes ^[4] or approval and disapproval ^[9]. With his attention span improving, he may be able to focus on a game or a certain activity for longer than before ^[4].

Sensory development

Their vision is much advanced, working in unison with their hands, helping them to grasp objects using their forefinger and thumb ^[8]. Properly coordinated eye and leg movements make them experts in crawling and cruising around ^[10]. They can arrange toys by their size, color and shape ^[4].

Because of a sharpened hearing skill, babies hear sounds at varied range and intensity. While they are overjoyed to hear pots and pans banging against each other ^[5], unusual sounds continue to scare them.

What feeding schedule should an 11-month-old have

What should your 11-month-old be eating

Most babies can feed independently, with their fingers or even a spoon. Having cut their first tooth already, with more in waiting, teething symptoms will persist.

There are some choosy eaters, keeping the spoon off their mouth and fussing about a lot ^[4]. Come up with creative breakfast and lunch ideas to make their meal time exciting. Babies can be given oatmeal (made from unsweetened oats), pancakes or waffles prepared using a whole grain mix, eggs (boiled, fried or scrambled), yogurt, as well as mashed fruits and vegetables^[4,11,12].

They will be experts in eating finger food so give them more of it to facilitate the method of baby led weaning (allowing him to feed on his own) that makes your kid more independent. However, consult your doctor while fixing the baby’s diet.

How much breast or formula milk should an 11-month-old be given

Give your baby 22 to 32 ounces of breast or formula milk in a span of twenty-four hours ^[13]. Avoid providing whole milk or cow’s milk till he reaches the age of one ^[14].

What is the sleep schedule of an 11-month-old

An eleven-month-old sleeps almost through the night for 10 to 12 hours with about two naps during the day ^[15]. Most will refuse to sleep in a cot or crib, crying for their mother’s company ^[16].

When to call a doctor

Your baby is looking sick and feverish along with rashes spreading up to his eyes (indicates a symptom of chicken pox) ^[19].
Vomiting for more than twelve hours or throwing up with great force along with other symptoms such as sleeping a lot, bulging fontanelle, swollen abdomen, and breathing difficulties ^[17].
Small red or white bumps or acne lasting for longer than three months ^[18].
Having a chesty cough for more than five days and passing yellow, green or brown mucus, fever above 103° F as well as problem in breathing ^[20].
Wax accumulating in baby’s ears accompanied by pus formation, earache, and itching ^{[21, 22]}.
Rashes forming on his cheeks, scalp, chest, legs with other parts of the body looking dry, scaly and thick might be symptoms of eczema ^[23].
Having watery, red and swollen eyes (pink eye symptoms) ^[24].
The sclera (white part of the eyes) or the skin of his tummy, legs, and arms turning yellow, along with a lack of appetite and fever might indicate jaundice ^[25].
Vomiting frequently, coughing persistently, loss of appetite, crying a lot and regurgitating may be signs of gastroesophageal reflux ^[26].
Showing tonsillitis symptoms such as unwillingness to eat, bad breath, drooling, swallowing difficulties, pulling ears a lot ^[27].
Looking sick with a temperature lesser than 97° F ^[28].
Not gaining enough weight (might indicate the failure to thrive) ^[29].
Displaying symptoms of diarrhea like loose motions for over a day, increased vomiting, decreased urination, tearless crying, and blood or black stool ^[30].
Passing smelly urine, along with fever, vomiting, irritability and loss of appetite (possibilities of urinary tract infection) ^[31].
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