When Your Baby is 9 Months Old

Your baby has covered a full circle. She spent nine months in your womb and is now about to enter into her ninth month of development. You as a parent have been witness to some amazing scenarios over the last eight months and are now beginning to feel reassured and in control of the situation.

Let us see what the ninth month has in store for your baby.

a) Almost walking
Your baby has now developed the confidence to crawl up the steps, walk erect while holding onto furniture for support and even manages to walk a few steps without any support. This is not a general occurrence though. She can now sit slowly from a standing position without falling down and that means taking her body weight on her knees. This is a task that seems very easy but takes time to master and your baby is now able to do exactly that. You should feel proud about her, when you see her sitting down slowly from a standing position and does not fall down in a heap.
If your baby still finds any difficulty in walking, you can facilitate this activity by clasping her hands and moving her towards you. Nowadays, you also have nice and comfortable “walkers”, which help a baby walk without falling down.

The time has come to make sure that your house doors and cupboards have proper latches as babies typically head for these places celebrating their new found mobility.

b) Shoes? Not yet
It is at this time that you start wondering whether you need to buy shoes for her. It is not necessary to do that till the time she actually starts walking outdoors and it is actually advisable to let her walk bare feet so that her leg and feet muscles gain strength and there is uniform development of the arches. It also makes it easier for your baby to find her footing and reduces the chances of slipping. Moreover, the feel and texture of the surface on which she is walking is something you must make her experience.

c) Playing and learning
She is now able to gather objects, put them into a container and take them out with out any difficulty. You can assist her by providing some small colorful objects along with a bucket made of plastic. Make sure however that the objects are not so small that she can swallow them. It is also time to introduce her to toys that have levers, doors, wheels like the automobile toys. Even large plastic car toys are attractive play items for your baby and she is sure to love playing with them. The fact that they are harmless and safe is another good reason to purchase such toys.
You will notice that it is not easy separating her toy from her and your baby is able to convey her wants and dislikes very effectively.

Most nine month old children like playing passing games and you can also try this out with your baby by rolling a ball towards her and see if she rolls it back towards you. Other stuff to amuse her and keep her busy would be stacking rings or sorting out toys.

d) Coping with separation
Separation anxiety is bound to increase from now on, as she is in a position to understand and her attachment towards you is at its maximum. When you have doting grandparents or babysitters, the situation is better managed and your baby is able to make the transition with less anxiety. You should not mind if your baby resorts to thumb sucking as a means of coping with this phase of anxiety.

e) Trying to travel
You will find it difficult to go places with your baby as she does not take kindly to change and wants predictability in her day to day routine. When you do travel, you need to be ready for a child who is grumpy and you have to take along a lot of things that will serve to keep her distracted; things like toys, books with a lot of pictures and definitely her mouth fastener.

f) Language comprehension
At this point, you will realize the significance of the many words that your baby has been exposed to since her birth, as your baby starts trying to use them and some of her babbling begins to make some sense. She is also able to discern your mood from the tone of your voice and from your side; you need to keep communication going by constantly talking to her while you are going about your daily chores. It is a fact that the more you expose your baby to words, the better her intelligence at a later date. This communication should not be one way but a positive attempt to indulge her and get her also to respond.

Your baby is now able to respond when her name is called out and she will even try to identify the source. You can keep boosting this behavior of hers by mentioning her name and calling her name on a regular basis.

g) Is my baby developing normally?
If your baby is a normally born one, then you only need to be aware that she will achieve some of the milestones detailed in the article at her own pace. Remember that your baby is different from every other baby and will do things at a pace that is unique to her. Minor delays in achieving some of the milestones or achievement of some of the milestones before time should not worry you and there should be no anxiety caused due to this.

Studies have shown that prematurely born babies however tend to pick up things a bit later than normally born ones and as long as your family doctor is in the loop and able to guide you during your baby’s development process, you should have nothing to fear. Doctors normally factor in the fact that a premature baby will be slower in the achievement of the milestones and will provide the necessary support to anxious parents.

When Your Baby is 9 Months Old

Your baby has covered a full circle. She spent nine months in your womb and...