Milestones Of Nine Months Old Baby
The adorable sounds made by your 9-month-old baby could now be real, live words. What a thrilling sound it is to hear your baby’s little voice say “Mama,” “Dada,” “ball,” “bye-bye,” and whatever other words come out of her adorable mouth.
But don’t worry if she’s not saying anything understandable right now. She will, in due course. Regardless, baby begins to make remarkable verbal strides this month, most notably in the number of words understood.
If your baby hasn’t started crawling yet, now is the time to encourage her to get down on all fours. So, if you haven’t already, babyproof your home!
Here’s what else your 9-month-old can look forward to this month.
Your 9-month-old baby’s development
Your 9-month-old is probably crawling, pulling up to standing, and possibly walking while holding onto furniture.
That means it’s time to break out the push toys and riding toys, as well as any other toys that promote physical development.
Play tunnels for crawling, large balls to roll, or stacks of pillows for baby to climb over are some ideas.
It’s also a good time to encourage your baby’s creativity by providing musical toys and possibly an art supply or two.
And, as the baby’s brain develops, she may be able to respond to one-step commands with gestures (“Give me the cup” with your hand out) or indicate wants in ways other than crying.
If baby wasn’t a super early talker, her first words could come this month as well, but if they don’t, that’s fine. They certainly will!
Your 9-month-old baby’s growth
Your 9-month-old will most likely consume 14 to 12 cup of grains, fruit, and vegetables per day (or twice a day if your baby is a picky eater), 14 to 12 cup of dairy foods per day, and 14 to 12 cup of protein foods per day.
Is your baby not exactly following these measurements? Don’t be concerned. There’s no need to get caught up in measurements as long as your child is gaining weight and following her growth curve (again, it doesn’t have to be exact). Allow your baby to eat according to her own tastes.
Speaking of appetite, it’s possible it’ll be on the rise this month, which means snacking should play a supporting role in the three-meal-a-day plan.
However, while snacking in moderation is beneficial, grazing (snacking all day with no real meals) is not, as it interferes with play, socializing, and proper nutrition.
When thinking about healthy snacks, it’s also a good idea to focus on establishing healthy eating habits in general right now. So, eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains while limiting your intake of sweet and salty foods.
How your 9-month-old communicates
Your 9-month-old baby may be able to use gestures to indicate what she needs and imitate actions she’s seen you do — sometimes even actions she’s seen you do several days ago!
If you’ve been teaching your baby sign language, you might soon see some recognizable results as she taps those tiny fingertips together to indicate “more” or touches that tiny mouth to indicate she wants to eat.
Some 9-month-olds can even do a happy clap or a good-bye wave. (This is always a Grandma favorite!)
