11 Month Old Baby Development: Self Feeding

Remember those relay races when you carried an egg on a spoon? Sometimes the egg made it safely across the finish line and other times you ended up with yolk on your Reeboks. Bring that game to mind and cheer your baby on every time she scoops up her dinner with a spoon and tries to deliver it (safely) to her mouth. Sure, most of it ends up elsewhere (her bib, the table, the floor) but she's learning, so it's all good!
What You're Thinking: "They should sell bibs on a roll like paper towels! Now there's an invention I could get down with."

• Your baby's fine motor skills are developing rapidly at this stage. Let her practice them by playing with blocks—fitting them into boxes, making towers ... knocking them down. Now's also a good time to get used to calling her destructive nature "developmental."
• And speaking of knocking stuff down, your baby might also enjoy bowling with a big rubber ball and empty water bottles. She rolls the ball to knock the bottles down, you act as unpaid pinsetter. Just add that to your growing list of unpaid duties!
• Take baby's fine-motor-skill development into the tub by providing stacking or balancing tub toys. Stacking cups or putting bath toys into a plastic bowl "boat" will help keep her entertained while you scrub the grime from behind her ears.
• Continue helping your baby work with her motor skills development by engaging in finger songs and games. Itsy Bitsy Spider and Where Is Thumbkin? are good ones. Now your challenge is to see if you can remember all the movements!
• Some babies may have their first temper tantrums at this age if you take something away or don't let them have what they want. (Did you just see toddlerhood flash before your eyes?) The best way to deal with a temper tantrum at this age is distraction. Make an exchange for whatever you need with something else that will hold baby's interest.

• You woke up before your baby did (once).
• You've decided you don't need to subscribe to 10 magazines. All those unread piles just stress you out anyway.
• You've had more visits from the common cold these last three months than you've had in the last three years.
• You don't remember what it's like to go to the bathroom alone.
• You just realized you will soon be planning a birthday party for a 1-year-old (and secretly wondered how you can get Oprah's party planner's phone number).

Right now, with your baby as the center of your universe, it's hard to imagine forgetting a single moment (the good, the bad and the messy). The reality is that they'll all soon become a soft blur if you don't start recording them. (Although, much to our confusion, these moments all come back when your child is in her 30s and you are able to recall every burp, gurgle and giggle. Don't believe us? Just ask your mother a question about your baby days.) Ready to get your baby's scrapbook started (or keep it going)? We've got some tips. Read more ...

• My husband and I practice different religions. How do we decide which religion the family will follow?
• Smart Ways to Save Your Home From Kid Clutter
• I know that kids need vitamin D, but if they can get it by being exposed to the sun, what's wrong with just letting them play outside every day?

Do It: Tony Chestnut
Teach baby the difference between his knees and his noggin!
Buy It: Sassy Baby Less Mess Toddler Spoons
Makes maneuvering the spoon to the mouth a little easier.
Share It: Feline-icide
One mom gives her beloved pets a serious backseat to baby.
Discuss It: Chat with other new mamas and papas on our Baby Board.

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All babies grow and develop at different rates. So please don't compare your kid with so-and-so's baby from across the street—you'll just drive yourself nuts. If you have any concerns, bring them up with your pediatrician at your baby's next checkup.