Nine months is a lovely age. Your baby is mature enough to really
respond to you and he makes it quite clear who his 'special people'
are. Enjoy this relatively peaceful time before he gets seriously
on the move, starts testing his limits and seeing just how far he
can go!
Up and about
- At 10 to 11 months your baby can sit confidently without
support. He can go from sitting to lying and can twist round to
pick up objects.
- At 12 months he may take his first steps to walking by pulling
himself up the furniture and 'cruising' round it. Eventually he
will stand back, holding on with one hand, poised to walk
alone.
Social animal
Although your baby may be reserved with strangers, in many ways
he's becoming much more of a social animal. He knows and responds
to his own name. He babbles away, using vowels and consonants, in a
tone that sounds very much like proper conversation. And he even
understands simple instructions - ask him for his teddy or his toy
and he may give it to you.
Handy hints
- Your baby can hold a mug with both hands and try to grasp a
feeding spoon by nine months
- Let go of an object by opening his hand and deliberately
dropping it at 10 months
- Pick up something as small as a raisin with his thumb and
forefinger by 10 1/2 to 11 months
- By his first birthday, he can put three or more objects in a
container
- Help with dressing, by holding out his arm when you hold his
sleeve up and his foot when you put on his shoe.
Questions and Answers
Q: At what age will my baby understand the meaning of the word
'no'?
A: At 10 months old 'no' to your baby means stop for a second and
then go ahead. By his first birthday ' no' really stands for a
prohibition. A common reaction may be tears or a show of
temper.
Q: Some days my son seems to be permanently clamped to my leg?
Should he be this clingy?
A: Don't despair! Studies show that separation anxiety appears
between seven and 12 months, peaks at 15 to 18 months, then
gradually declines. It doesn't make any difference whether your
child is cared for by a childminder, in a nursery or by you.
Separation anxiety will appear and start to disappear at about the
same time.
Did you know?
Girls tend to be ahead of boys in motor development - that's
development of their movement skills - because their nervous system
matures earlier. They often sit, crawl and walk earlier than boys -
two months is not unusual.