11 months
Eleven months: almost one
First steps holding your hands, first real words and a birthday on the horizon.
Many eleven-month-olds take steps holding your hands, drink from a cup with help and say one or two words with meaning. This is the month to prepare for the one-year check-up and vaccines.
Growth
Weight
8.2–11.1 kg
Length
72–79 cm
Typical range; your paediatrician tracks your baby on a growth chart. Most babies have roughly tripled their birth weight by one year.
What your baby is learning
- Many babies take their first steps holding your hands or pushing a chair; some walk alone, others will not for several months yet, and both are normal.
- Your baby says one or two words with meaning, such as "mama" for mother or "da" for give, and uses a lot of expressive babble.
- Simple instructions with a gesture are understood: "give me the cup", "come here", "wave bye-bye".
- Your baby drinks from a cup with your help, picks up small pieces of food neatly and may try to use a spoon.
- Play becomes more purposeful: putting a block in a box, pushing a toy car, looking at a picture book and turning thick pages.
Feeding
- Three family meals and two snacks a day, with breastfeeding continuing for as long as you both wish; WHO recommends up to two years and beyond.
- By now the menu can include most family foods cut small and without added salt or sugar: soft rice dishes, noodles, meat, fish, egg, yoghurt and cheese in small amounts, bread, vegetables and fruit.
- Keep the rules until the first birthday: no honey, no cow's milk as the main drink, no tea, juice or sweets, and no whole grapes or nuts.
- Mealtimes at the dastarkhan with the family, with no screens, help your baby learn to eat what others eat and to stop when full.
Sleep
About 12–14 hours with two naps; a few babies start to drop to one nap, but most keep two until 15–18 months. Keep the bedtime routine steady, put your baby down awake but sleepy, and continue safe sleep on the back in their own cot.
Check-ups and vaccines
- Eleven-month check-up with your paediatrician or patronage nurse. Use it to prepare for the one-year examination: a general blood count and urine test are usually done around 12 months.
- Next month, at 12 months, MMR-1 (measles, mumps, rubella) and PCV-3 (pneumococcus) are due. Check your vaccination record and ask about any missed doses.
- Iron-deficiency anaemia is common at 9–12 months; if your baby has not had a blood count yet, ask for one at the one-year visit.
- After MMR a fever and a mild rash can appear 5–12 days later and are usually harmless; call if the fever reaches 39 °C or lasts more than three days.
Play and everyday tips
- Walk together holding both hands, then one; a sturdy push toy or an upturned laundry basket to push makes practice fun.
- Read aloud every day in your home language or languages; name pictures, animals and family members, and let your baby turn the pages.
- Stacking cups, nesting bowls, a small ball to roll back and forth, and songs with actions remain the best toys. No screens before two years (WHO).
- Safety: lock the balcony and never leave windows open with a chair or sofa beneath them; keep stairs gated and medicines, chemicals, coins and batteries locked away.
Call the doctor or 103 if
- Fever of 39 °C or higher, any fever lasting more than three days, or breathing difficulty.
- Dehydration during diarrhoea or vomiting: fewer wet nappies, dry mouth, sunken eyes, no tears, drowsiness.
- A non-blanching rash, a seizure, refusing all feeds or being very hard to wake.
- Developmental: not sitting without support, not bearing weight on the legs by 12 months, not babbling, not pointing or waving, not responding to their name, or losing skills. Discuss with your paediatrician at the one-year visit or sooner.
- If any urgent sign appears, do not wait: call 103 or go to the polyclinic/hospital.
Trust your instinct. If your baby seems unwell to you, call 103 or go to the polyclinic.
Monthly updates in Telegram
Tell the bot your baby's birth date and it will send a development digest every month, with the vaccines due next.
- ✓A short digest every new week
- ✓Countdown to your due date
- ✓Reminders about upcoming checkups
- ✓Kick counter and contraction timer