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What should a baby be able to do at 9 months?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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What should a baby be able to do at 9 months? By asking themselves this question, parents will receive many answers. Child development at this age is in full swing. His speech, motor skills, and emotional development are improving. Parents should be alert. So that in his attempts to explore the space, the child does not hurt himself or throw something over himself. So, more about the development of a 9-month-old baby.

Desire for independence

It happens not only in adolescents, but also in children under one year old, whom we still consider to be independent and too small for separate actions. The 9-month-old baby continues to make significant progress in development. A boy at this age always tries to walk and can be stubborn in things like what to eat and when he goes to bed.

Sometimes it turns into a protest, so now is the time to start setting up some restrictions and teach a child to understand the word "no." At the same time you need to gain self-confidence, as in the parents. But note that this information is not intended as a replacement for pediatric visits. Never hesitate to ask the doctor about specific problems in the behavior of the child.

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Parenting and child behavior

Keep an eye on your 9-month-old's constant attempts to talk. Talk with your child while dressing, swimming, feeding, playing, walking and driving in the car - this stimulates the development of speech.

Encourage your child to play with age-appropriate toys. Children of this age love to play. For the game, he even uses household items such as plastic cups, large wooden spoons, pots, pans and plastic containers. The ball of foam rubber helps the child to develop their small motor skills.

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Ensuring the child's ability to safely research

To raise a child, it is necessary to impose restrictions on the use of verbal “no”, distract the baby, remove an irritating object from the child’s sight, or take the child away from an object that is annoying or dangerous for him. Never beat a child in order to maintain discipline. If you are angry with the baby, put the child in his cot or playpen for a while from one to two minutes. This will allow you to calm down, and let your child understand that he has done something wrong. Discipline is undoubtedly very important.

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Footwear

Shoes are not needed at this age (with the exception of walking to the street). Boots should only be used to protect feet from sharp stones and cold.

Child development at 9 months

  • During this period, your child will again learn to crawl, walk and stand. He can move very actively throughout the room. He already sits well on his own.
  • A child at 9 months is already responding to his own name. He understands a few words, such as "no, no," and "goodbye." It may even say "dad" or "mom", but not on purpose.
  • The baby begins the development of certain concepts - for example, your child already finds a toy after he sees that you put it under a blanket. A child likes to strike two toys together.
  • Perhaps the most striking development in reaching a child at 9 months is the use of fingers: he pokes with pleasure with something with his thumb, can grab all smaller objects in his hand.
  • As for sleep, now a 9-month-old baby can sleep all night without waking up. And during the day he sleeps less.
  • A 9-month-old baby already boasts one front or two lower teeth.

Diseases of a child at 9 months

Nine months is the age when a child becomes more susceptible to infections. This is probably due to the loss of maternal antibodies that the baby received during breastfeeding, and now it is increasingly taking solid food and artificial feeding. Do not be discouraged if your child has a cold once or twice between his first and second birthday.

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Baby feeding at 9 months

Give your child soft foods as recommended by the doctor to increase the texture and variety of foods in their diet. Give your child the opportunity to use their newly acquired skill to gnaw small objects, offering him small pieces of soft foods. You may need to wash your baby after every meal!

A 9 month old baby is a great imitator. He may want what you eat, and pull food from your plate, not from his.

Never give a 9-month-old baby food that may cause the baby to choke. These products include peanuts, popcorn, hot dogs or sausages, carrots or celery, whole grapes, raisins, corn, beans, lollipops, large pieces of raw vegetables or fruits, or hard meat.

Always control your baby when he eats something.

Continue to teach the child how to drink from a cup so that he begins to wean off the bottle during the first year.

For the first year of your baby's life, continue to use breast milk or iron-fortified supplements.

Continue to give extra vitamin D for breastfeeding.

Baby's sleep at 9 months

Encourage your child to reassure himself when you put him to bed.

In connection with the emergence of such emotions as anxiety, a 9-month-old baby can resist night and daytime sleep. Then you need to calm him down, tell a fairy tale, get a baby a massage.

Some 9-month-old babies can wake up at night for short periods of time. If this happens, check the condition of your child, but stay in his room for a short time, avoid stimulating the activity of your child, and leave the room quickly as soon as you feel that the baby is fine. Do not give him extra feed bottles at bedtime. This will only strengthen the nightly awakening, and even become a habit.

Sleep is also sometimes disturbed when the child lies down with his parents and does not want to go back to his own bed.

Never put a child to sleep with a bottle - it can disrupt the process of his digestion.

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Baby safety at 9 months

Remember that there is no such thing as "complete child safety". Your adorable newborn is now very mobile, so you must be sure to monitor its safety when it tries to walk, crawl, or pick up something. When you carry a child in the car, for its safety, continue to use the back seat with a car seat. Do not carry a child in the front seat on your hands.

  • Do not leave the baby alone in a bathtub with water or in high places, such as changing tables, beds, sofas and chairs. Always hold one hand on the back or handle of a child to catch it in case of anything.
  • Avoid using walkers. There is a significant risk of major and minor injuries and even death from the use of baby walkers.
  • If you have gas appliances in your house, you definitely need a fan, the ability to open air vents in this room or gas leak detectors.
  • Always remove empty buckets, tubs or small baths of water immediately after use. If you have a private house with a children's or adult pool in the courtyard, make sure that the pool is enclosed by a four-sided fence with self-closing doors or self-locking. Swimming pools are deadly for children at this age.
  • Avoid excessive sun exposure when taking your child for a walk. A waterproof sunscreen that you apply to a baby must contain more than 15 SPF. Avoid sunburn for a child from 10 am until 3 pm when the sun is most dangerous.
  • Do not leave heavy objects and containers with hot liquid on a table with a tablecloth that a child can pull down.
  • Put plastic plugs into electrical outlets.

Keep all toxic substances, drugs, detergents, cosmetics, paints and solvents in a safe place out of the child’s sight and reach. Never store toxic substances in cans or water bottles.

A child at 9 months is very curious, he is ready to explore the whole world within his reach. Therefore, you need to very carefully monitor the child at this age.

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