It’s the third quarter since you gave birth and it is only three months from now until your baby turns one! Your tiny tot is now uttering words that make more sense, and are now more adventurous in their activities.
Here are what you can expect now that your baby is nine months:
Physical development
Standing and cruising by holding on to something are just a few of the things your child might be able to do now that they are nine months old.
Your child may be able to sit for extended periods of time and pull themselves up to stand up from that position. Because their bones and muscles have further developed, they may now be expert in crawling and may even start crawling with just one hand and both their knees, while holding an object with the other hand.
And because they are now more mobile, their weight gain might be noticeably slower compared to the previous months, which is just normal.
Cognitive Development
Your nine-month-old is now more observant and curious – their understanding of language is improving as well. Your baby is also becoming a good listener and is now better at understanding body language.
This is the time when they might already recognize the meaning of “no” through your actions.
The ninth month will also be the time they’d start mimicking your actions, copying the sounds your make and becoming a comedic performer who will do anything to make the adults around laugh.
Speech and Language
In between constant babbling, your child might start to utter real words, phrases and sometimes, sentences.
Note that they think they are saying something you understand so remember to respond to whatever they say.
Social and Emotional Development
This is also the stage where separation anxiety is becoming an issue as well as the so-called stranger anxiety. Your baby can now easily pick up when you’re about to leave them, and become especially anxious when strangers are around.
Health and Nutrition
By this time, your tiny tot might start to become a picky eater, so it’s important to ensure that you’ve started establishing healthy eating habits to ensure they don’t miss out on nutrition.
This is also a good time to introduce new textures, tastes and flavours to their diets.
Their sleeping patterns might also change around this time as they begin to enjoy playtime more, be it in the day or at night.
More tips on parenting your 10-month-old on the next page!
How your child speaks, acts, learns, and plays offer essential clues about your baby’s development, that’s why it’s important to nurture them this early. Here are tips:
Baby in motion
Your child’s motor skills have improved a lot by this time. By now, they would have become experts in crawling – sometimes even to crawl up and down the stairs. They might also be quick in changing positions like sitting back down at ease from crawling or even pivoting. Watch out because your child might also be able to pull a stand and cruise from one place to the other while holding on to furniture (so make sure you’ve childproofed your home.)
Fine motor skills have also improved by a lot on the 9th month. Your little one will already be able to pick up smaller toys and better coordinate their hand movements.
As your nine-month-old is more eager to move, you can encourage this by giving them plenty of space to move.
“Mama, dada”
Your child’s babbling may start to sound more like real words now – meaning you can probably start hearing ‘dada’ and ‘mama’.
While it is more likely that your child just babbles constantly, it doesn’t mean they are not picking up on comprehension. At this stage, your little one might still be comprehending more from your tone than the actual words. This means the more you talk to them, the better they learn how to communicate.
Careful, though, as this also means whatever you say, they might end up imitating.
Actions speak louder
Your nine-month-old child is able to understand what you tell them better through your actions than through your words.
This stage place an important role in making them understand the difference between emotions and as well as the good and the bad.
Through the tone of your voice, your child can pick up if you are pleased or not. They may now also start to understand the word “no,” however, they may not obey it just yet or may but not all the time. Using the word sparingly can help them understand it better. Saying it and following up by removing him from the scene or say, the object you don’t want them touching or sucking, and introducing a new object will help them pick up its meaning.
Every child is unique
While these are common developmental feats that can be observed in nine-month-old babies, it is important to remember that each child is unique when it comes to meeting the milestones. This guide is only to help you find out what your child might be able to achieve at this stage in their life.
If you are concerned of your child’s development, it is always best to consult the you paediatrician to ensure that you are properly guided.
READ: Baby Development: Your 10-month-old
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