At 11 months, your baby is up for seeing new sights, making new friends and visiting new places. He can understand a lot of what you say and is able to follow simple directions. Have fun and help him grow.

Things You'll Need

• Ball For A Baby
• Children's Puzzles
• Stuffed Animals
• Toy Blocks
• Toy Car

Instructions

• Make adult friends: Although he still may not want you out of sight, he enjoys making new friends.
• Get a laugh: He's developing a sense of humor and will laugh when something isn't right, like when you pretend to drink from his bottle or try to put on his shoe. Change the game and let him put on your shoe.
• Push a toy car through a cardboard tunnel. See if he watches for it to come out the other side.
• Roll him a ball and encourage him to roll it back. He'll get better as you practice.
• Dress a doll or stuffed animal in an outfit with a zipper. Show him how the zipper goes up and down. Before long, he'll try to pull down the zipper himself.
• Play with flour paint: Spread a thin layer of flour on a clean, smooth surface. Demonstrate how to rub your finger in the floor to make circles, zigzags and slashes.

Babies change dramatically from the time from birth until 11 months. They will continue to develop rapidly over the next few years. At the age of 11 months most babies begin to use nonverbal gestures and words to communicate their wants and needs. Also, by this time most babies have learned to move their body from one location to another.

Considerations

Babies who were born prematurely may perform developmental milestones later than their full-term counterparts. It may be helpful to adjust the premature baby's age based on the child's original due date rather than on the actual date of birth.

Developmental Delays

Developmental delays may exist because of prematurity of health problems. Also, sometimes developmental delays sometimes occur for unknown reasons. Caregivers can discuss developmental concerns with a pediatrician who may recommend physical and speech therapy in an effort to catch the baby up with same-age peers. Some developmental delay warning signs at this age include an inability to sit or stand, lack of using gestures to communicate, lack of any discernible words, eye contact avoidance and little interest in the immediate surroundings.

Physical Development

Babies at this age should be able to stand for a few seconds without holding on to anything and they should be able to walk along furniture while holding on. Some 11-month-old babies may be walking and some may be able stoop down while standing. Also, babies at this age may be able to put various objects into a given container and roll a ball across the floor. During this time babies also learn to self-feed.

Social Development

During this time period, babies should show an interest in interacting with caregivers while playing games such as peek-a-boo and patty-cake. At this point, babies show little interest in playing with other children cooperatively. They may also experience separation anxiety when separated from their primary caregivers.

Language Development

Eleven-month-old babies should be able to say "dada" and "mama" to their caregivers. Some infants at this age may shake their head to communicate the word "no" and may also be able to say an extra few words. Other non-verbal language may include pointing, waving and reaching. At this point, babies have receptive language skills that allow them to understand the word "no" and to understand simple instructions such as "pick up the ball."