At 11 months, your baby may use gestures and sounds more purposefully, handle small pieces of food, put objects into containers, pull to stand or move along furniture. Another healthy baby may follow a different route. Eleven months is not a deadline for independent walking, a particular first word or eating every family meal. This guide covers the range of development near the first birthday, safe feeding, sleep, the NHS 9–12 month review and the signs that need urgent help.

01

What can an 11-month-old baby do?

There is no separate checklist every baby must complete on the day they turn 11 months. Around the first birthday, you may see waving, special sounds for familiar people, container play, searching for a hidden toy, pulling to stand, cruising and a neat finger-and-thumb grasp. Treat these as a broad picture of development, not an exam.

Look at progress across movement, communication, play and hand use. Contact your health visitor or GP promptly if your baby loses a skill, persistently uses one side less, stops responding to sounds or shared interaction, or if you remain worried. Corrected age may be used for a baby born prematurely.

02

Is it normal not to walk at 11 months?

In the World Health Organization (WHO) multicountry study, walking with support began from about 6 months to 13 months 3 weeks and independent walking from about 8 months 1 week to 17 months 3 weeks. These are broad observation windows, not deadlines. Not walking independently at 11 months is not, on its own, a sign of delay.

Offer safe floor time and stable furniture for support; do not pull your baby up by the arms or use a baby walker. Speak to your GP or health visitor without delay if your baby cannot sit independently, has marked difficulty bearing weight on both legs, shows persistent stiffness, floppiness or one-sided movement, or loses a skill.

03

Meals and milk at 11 months

NHS guidance for 10 to 12 months describes three meals a day alongside milk feeds, with a growing range of mashed, lumpy, chopped and finger foods. This is a pattern, not a requirement to finish a set portion. Notice hunger and fullness cues and stop when your baby turns away, closes the mouth or loses interest.

Continue breastfeeding for as long as you both want. If breastfeeding is not used, first infant formula remains the main milk drink until 12 months; prepare it exactly as directed. Cow's, goat's and sheep's milk can be used in cooking from 6 months but not as the main drink before 12 months. Ask your GP, health visitor or dietitian for an individual plan if there is prematurity, poor growth, swallowing difficulty, significant eczema or food allergy.

04

Finger foods, texture and choking safety

Seat your baby upright and stable with an attentive adult nearby. Match the shape and texture of food to current eating skills, soften hard produce and remove stones, bones and tough skin. Do not let a baby eat while crawling, walking, travelling in a buggy or car seat, or while distracted.

Whole grapes and cherry tomatoes, raw hard pieces of apple or carrot, whole nuts, popcorn, round sausage slices and spoonfuls of thick nut butter are choking hazards. Gagging is often noisy; choking may be silent. If your baby cannot breathe, cry or make a sound, call 999 immediately and start the first-aid steps you have been taught. A practical infant first-aid course is the best preparation.

05

Gestures, first words and shared play

Your baby may wave, look between you and a wanted object, imitate sounds, respond to a familiar word or use a special sound for a parent. The order varies, and one absent gesture or word at 11 months is not a diagnosis.

Name what your baby notices, answer sounds with words, share picture books and take turns putting safe objects into a container. Screens cannot replace face-to-face language and play; apart from video calls, avoid using a phone or television as the routine calming tool. Contact your health visitor or GP promptly if your baby loses sounds or gestures, interaction clearly decreases, or response to sound is consistently absent.

06

How much should an 11-month-old sleep?

For babies aged 4 to 12 months, 12–16 hours of sleep in 24 hours including naps is a broad health reference, not a daily score. There is no official nap count, wake-window timetable or requirement to sleep through for every 11-month-old.

Movement practice, separation, teething, illness and changing meals may temporarily disturb sleep. “11-month sleep regression” is not a diagnosis with a fixed start or duration. Put your baby down on their back on a firm, flat, level mattress and keep the cot clear of pillows, loose bedding, toys and weighted products. Lower the cot base and move blind and monitor cords out of reach once pulling up begins. Seek urgent help for pauses in breathing, blue or grey colour, breathing difficulty or extreme difficulty waking.

07

The NHS 9–12 month review and vaccinations

The NHS 9–12 month health and development review usually covers language and learning, safety, diet and behaviour and may use the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). Timing varies locally, so follow the invitation from your health visiting team and take the Red Book, medicines, supplements and questions.

Routine infant vaccinations are offered at 8, 12 and 16 weeks and then again at 12 months; there is no vaccine given everywhere simply because a baby turns 11 months. Catch-up and risk-based doses can differ. Check the Red Book and confirm the current plan with your GP surgery rather than adding or skipping a dose from an online table. Review vitamin D and any other supplements with the clinician, especially when changing products.

08

Home safety and when to seek help

Secure furniture and televisions, fit stair gates and remove button batteries, magnets, medicines, cleaning products, cords, hot drinks and small objects. A baby who is not walking can still reach danger by rolling, shuffling, crawling or pulling up. Never leave a baby alone near water or on a raised surface, and avoid baby walkers.

Contact your GP or NHS 111 promptly for skill loss, no independent sitting, persistent one-sided movement, reduced response to voice or sound, or frequent coughing and distress with feeds. Seek urgent same-day care for inability to feed, repeated forceful or green vomit, blood in the stool, much less urine, a non-blanching purple-red rash or unusual drowsiness. Call 999 for breathing difficulty, blue or grey skin, seizure, extreme difficulty waking, or face or tongue swelling with wheeze or breathing trouble after food.

Keep the approach to the first birthday in one place

Nerumi turns sleep history into personal predictions and brings breastfeeding, bottles, expressing, milk stock, solids, nappies and medicines onto one timeline. Follow WHO growth percentiles, vaccinations, appointments, milestones and memories; record with Apple Watch, widgets or Siri and create a clear PDF for your care team. No Nerumi account is required, and family data stays in your iCloud.

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References and primary sources

This app doesn't give medical advice; if you're worried, talk to your pediatrician.