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Have you noticed how much personality you are starting to see in your 9-month-old? This is a crazy time in their development. They are growing and changing so much, both in physical ways and cognitively.
Let’s talk about a few milestones you may be currently experiencing or experiencing soon. This is a time when one baby may not even be crawling yet, while another is fully walking.
We are also going to quickly go through a day in the life schedule for those who want to see it at the end.
Remember all babies develop at their unique pace. Do not panic or go into full comparison mode. This is just a general guide to make sure they are on track or close to it.
Physical Milestones at 9 Months
The physical milestones you can expect from your baby vary greatly at 9 months. By now they hopefully have mastered rolling in both directions and can sit up without support. They may be scooting or pivoting around when they roll.
Most babies are going to be starting to crawl and pulling themselves up onto furniture. They may be dabbling with crawling upstairs if you have them in your home.
If your 9-month-old is very ambitious they could already be walking. It is not overly common and not expected, but completely possible.
This is a time of huge physical leaps. It can disrupt sleep. Your baby could find themselves sitting in their crib or pulling up to stay. They get confused or almost like they are stuck in this position and need to be put back down to sleep.
And finally teething. The entire first year of life your baby could be teething at any point. Around 9 months they either have or are working on getting their 4 front teeth.
Verbal/Communicative Milestones
At 9 months old your baby can likely babble pretty decently. They may be saying a clear dada or it could be dadadada. They may be able to say mom, or mum, bye bye, or night night. Other words you could be working on include more and up.
If your baby can say one or two of these, they are doing great!
They may be listening and copying you with things like waving, clapping, and kisses.
They likely know their name and will turn when it is said.
Around this time it is so important to start communicating with your baby. I know it sounds crazy but stay with me. If you start developing basic communication and understanding you will reduce and prevent so many meltdowns between 18 months and 3 years old.
Communication is key during the early toddler years.
You need to start working at it now to be in a solid place in 18 months.
What exactly does this mean and what does it look like?
Basically, you need to work on getting a good understanding of each other surrounding daily tasks.
Learning a few baby signs can be helpful for words like “more” and “all done”.
If you have any interest in sign language it takes time so start now.
You can also find alternatives though.
Our toddler wanted to get on the couch but was too little. She would go to the couch and scream until we lifted her. We started teaching her a trick every time this happened. We would look at her say “up” and pat the couch three times with an open palm.
We did this so many times, over and over for her to learn.
Fairly quickly she started walking to the couch and instead of yelling she would look at us and pat the couch three times.
It was an amazing moment for us because we were communicating without screaming and she was getting what she wanted.
If you want to learn more about how to get your future toddler talking check out How to Get Your Toddler to Go from Frustrated to Babbling to Talking.
Emotional Development at 9 Months
Your 9-month-old may be very shy around strangers. Stranger danger kicks in anywhere from 8-10 months. You may notice your baby doesn’t want to be passed to friends and even family members. They may be extra clingy to you and shy in public.
Now at home, they are likely starting to express opinions. This could be with mealtime or throughout the day. You are seeing personality more and more. They are expressing likes and dislikes.
Your baby may get sad, happy, and excited. They may show emotion if you get after them for something or play a sad song where they can hear it. They may show excitement when you come home at the end of the day or pick them up from daycare.
Play
Play has always been important in your baby’s development, but now it is getting more exciting with their ability to move. They can more easily choose what they want to play with.
They are able to catch on to simple games like peekaboo.
You may simply have fun babbling and laughing back and forth. Giggle fits are the best!
Your 9-month-old will enjoy time in front of a mirror. It may cause confusion but can be a lot of fun.
They may enjoy knocking down towers. We use these stacking cups.
Of pulling items off or out of a toy. For this, we use the Galt Pop-Up Toy.
Both of these activities involve frequently resetting the toy for your baby. You put the pieces back and they tear it apart.
For more toy ideas for your baby check out The Ultimate Guide to Finding the Best Gifts for a One-Year-Old.
Water play is fun at this age. It is great for sensory play. Let them play in the bath or take them outside. You could set a bunch of plastic cups and bowls around them with water. The possibilities are endless.
Another important thing to start adopting is toy rotation. Do not get every toy out that you own. Instead, let them play with a few for the day and then rotate them out.
The Top 3 Reasons Why Every Home Should Use Toys Rotation
Food
At nine months old your baby may still be a beginner with solid foods, or they could already be a master.
They may be naturally decreasing the amount of breast milk or bottles they are eating.
They could also still be struggling to get the hang of solid food and heavily relying on milk still.
Overall, they still need to get their nutrients from milk and food is just a bonus.
During this phase, it feels like your baby is constantly eating or sleeping.
By now you have likely introduced a cup. It could be an open cup or a sippy cup. Your baby may be good at working their cup, or still need a lot of help.
The key to progress is practice and consistency.
This is also a great time to work on teaching them to keep their cup on the table or highchair tray. This is something you will thank yourself for in the long term.
And finally, you are probably seeing some opinions and personality when it comes to food. They may be able to tell you when they are done through body language or which foods they prefer.
If your baby is struggling to adjust to eating food, remember milk is still able to support them. Just keep practicing with solid foods.
If your baby is a champ with food and also chowing down with milk don’t overly worry about it. They are either walking or going to be walking soon and will burn off those extra calories in a healthy way.
Typical Schedule for a 9-Month-Old
This is a real day in my life with my 9-month-old. I only include eating and sleeping. In the gaps, we spend time playing, taking a walk, or even running small errands.
7:45 Wake Up
7:55 Nurse #1
9:00 Breakfast
10:30 Morning Nap
11:15 Wake Up (typically only a 45-60 minute nap)
11:20 Nurse #2
12:30 Lunch
2:30 Nurse #3
2:45 Afternoon Nap
4:15 Wake Up
4:20 Snack
5:30 Nurse #4
6:15 Dinner
7:45 Nurse #5
8:00 Bedtime
Conclusion
Your 9-month-old may be in a very different place from other 9-month-olds. And that is perfectly ok. You should definitely make an effort to give your baby the environment to grow and thrive but don’t stress about pushing them to the next milestone. They will get there in good time.
Remember to keep enjoying your sweet baby. Before you know it, they will be a toddler running around. Get those little baby cuddles when you can.
Check Out My Articles
7 Tips and Tricks for Surviving Life with a Baby
Creative Ideas for Keeping Your Toddler Engaged and Happy on a Long Car Ride
The Benefits of a Daily Routine for Your Eight-Month-Old’s Development
(144) The Importance of Your Ten-Month-Old Getting Enough Food and Milk