Child Developmental Milestone Guide
- 9 Month Old -
At nine months, babies have spent nearly as much time developing outside the womb as they did inside! There are a lot of new developments at this stage – and a lot of refinement of previously learned behavior.
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Sensory Development
Your little one can now perceive and comprehend that size matters. He knows when an object is big or small and may adjust his actions accordingly. If he’s reaching for something tiny, he’ll do it with fingers in a pincer-like position. If he’s after larger quarry, he’ll use both hands to grab it.
Fine Motor Skills
You can finally try a game of ball with your baby! She’s can probably sit on the floor and catch a slow-moving ball that’s rolled right to her. Just don’t expect her to send it back your way.Your eight-month-old is thinking more about what she does. There’s a lot more purpose behind her actions than ever before. Her understanding of the world is increasing daily and she’s developing new behaviors rapidly to keep up.
Gross Motor Skills
As your little one crawls along, he’ll soon be using furniture and maybe even your legs and feet to support corrections in his posture and balance. It is these experiments with using stable objects to support himself that will eventually lead to him standing up!
Curiosity & Discovery
Your nine-month-old is beginning to understand what certain objects are for. During his explorative play, he’ll soon begin to assign purposes that make sense for various objects and use them that way consistently. A good example is banging a block on the floor to make noise. He also knows that buttons are for pushing and he can make things happen by using them.Nine months brings some major advancement in the complexity of your baby’s mind. From an increase in word recognition to purposeful tool use and problem solving, your little one is starting to exert more control on the world around her.
Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
Your little one may be starting to solve problems more creatively. She’ll soon recognize the potential of objects as tools to be used outside their normal function. For example, she might use one toy to manipulate another that’s outside her reach.
Academic Development
Your nine-month-old’s list of words he understands is growing. And he may grasp the abstract relationship between an object’s name and its function. For instance, he might get excited when he hears you say the word “toy”. He’ll look at daddy when asked where daddy is and can associate an object with an imitation of the sound it makes – “meow” means cat, for example.
Listening & Communication Skills
When your little one wants something, he probably knows how to tell you. He may wave goodbye when it’s time to go, or lift his arms in your direction when he wants to be held. His babbling has started to sound more complex and diverse, like the sounds of a real language. He’s stringing a lot of different syllables together just like you do when you speak. He’ll also start responding to familiar noises by turning to listen.
9 Month Old Recommended Toys
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