If your baby isn't walking already, she's likely to take her first independent steps soon. (If she doesn't, don't worry. Some perfectly normal babies are 16 or 17 months old before they start walking.)
You can encourage your baby to walk by standing or kneeling in front of her and holding out your hands. Or hold both her hands and walk her toward you. If she's like most children, your baby will take those early strides with her arms out to the side (for balance) and bent at the elbows, her feet turned outward, and belly out in front while her bottom sticks out behind (for balance).
As always, make sure your baby has a soft, safe environment in which to hone her new skills. Follow standard childproofing guidelines and never leave your baby unattended. Most important, keep the camera ready!
You might feel like it's mean to make your baby part with something she's grown so fond of, but experts say now's a good time to start weaning her away from her pacifier.
The longer your baby uses a pacifier, the harder it can be for her to stop, but another reason to make the break now is that it's the beginning of an exciting speech development phase. Your baby may be less likely to chatter away with something in her mouth all the time.
Taking away a pacifier can be tough. Go gradually: Limit daytime use and then work your baby up to not using it at night. You can also try exchanging her pacifier for a stuffed animal or toy.
Around now your baby's play will probably start shifting from mastering her fine motor skills (she's got that thumb-and-forefinger grasp down pat) to exercising larger muscles. Some children this age have an attention span of two to five minutes for quiet activities — though your baby's favorite games may not be all that quiet.
Your baby probably thinks it's fun to push, throw, and knock everything down. She'll give you a toy as well as take one, and she likes games where she can put things in containers and dump them out again. This works well with blocks in buckets or boxes and with pots and pans, which she can nest inside one another. She'll thrill to the loud sounds of those pots and pans banging together, too.
All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. Developmental guidelines simply show what your baby has the potential to accomplish — if not right now, then soon. If your baby was premature, keep in mind that kids born early usually need a bit more time to meet their milestones. If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, ask your healthcare provider.