Health Topics for Child Health and Development

UI Children's Hospital

UI Family Care Centers

Divisions Within the Department of Pediatrics

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

11-month-old child

Social skills advance during a baby's eleventh month of life. There is an increased awareness of approval and disapproval. Imitation is more intentional, polished, and useful for learning. Babies this age still have a strong dependency on their mothers. They tend to follow mom around constantly all day and imitate her behaviors and actions. An attachment to fathers emerges. Baby boys really like roughhousing with dad and begin relating to his masculine identity.

Eleven-month old babies tend to shake their heads and say "no" to everything--even when they mean "yes." They know the difference between being good and misbehaving. Babies will test their parents' "no" by teasing and bothering them for the response. Although all children are unique, new growth and development milestones will typically occur by the end of 11 months.

The typical 11-month-old's motor skills may include:

• standing alone with minimal support and walking with assistance
• climbing up stairs
• squatting and stooping independently
• scribbling with crayons and
• transferring a spoon to the mouth

The 11-month-old's language skills may include:

• speaking in gibberish while making a few clear sounds
• imitating speech rhythms, inflections, and facial expressions and
• relating words to symbols, for example, he may speak the word "doggie" and then make a growling sound

The 11-month-old's mental abilities may include:

• exploring containers and their contents
• increasing imitation behaviors
• turning pages in a book and looking at the pictures and
• exploring ways to achieve a goal

The 11-month-old's social traits include:

• obeying commands
• seeking approval and avoiding disapproval
• refusing forceful teaching and
• showing guilt at doing something wrong

When ready, babies will focus their energy on learning to walk. Walkers can be dangerous and are not recommended for encouraging babies to walk. Keep your baby safe from accidents or injury. Be sure your home is baby-proofed. Store prized possessions or place them out of the baby's reach. Cover electrical outlets and be observant when the baby is around electrical cords. Now is the time to secure to the wall any heavy pieces of furniture (such as chest of drawers, bookcases, entertainment centers, and TV's) that your child may attempt to climb and overturn on himself. Encourage the baby's exploration of his or her world.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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