Nine Months to Twelve Months

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Please remember that every child grows and develops at his or her own rate and that no two children are exactly alike at a given age.

Motor Development

• Baby is able to get to his stomach from a sitting position.
• Baby may still be able to pull himself to a stand but is unable to get down by himself. By 12 months of age, he should master this task--you will see baby squat or stoop from a standing position.
• During these next few months, baby will start cruising around the furniture to another located close by, momentarily letting go. Baby may stand alone for brief periods of time.
• Baby may begin to walk, and is able to do so if holding one or both hands, but still prefers crawling.
• When standing and holding onto a piece of furniture, he will be able to twist around and squat to pickup an object, regaining his standing position.
• Baby can offer toys or objects to people, but is unable to voluntarily let go.
• Baby’s pincer grasp will now be perfected and he will spend a lot of time picking up very small objects (such as crumbs, lint, Cheerios, etc.).
• Baby is learning to reach and clap. Games like “Pat-A-Cake” and “So Big” will now become popular with him.
• When holding an object at his age, you will observe your baby turning it over and over for a thorough inspection. His eyes are now watching the movements of his hands.

Mental Development

• Object permanence is now fully developed and baby will play peek-a-boo for long periods of time. He may even initiate the game. You may also observe baby reaching for an object behind him without looking where he’s reaching.
• Your baby is still fascinated with details and enjoys looking at books.
• He likes to turn the pages, but not necessarily one at a time!
• Baby may point to various body parts.
• Baby is actively learning about the properties of objects. He crumples paper, shakes rattles and boxes and listens intently to a ticking watch.

Language Development

• May say 1-2 words (“da-da” for Daddy, “ba-ba” for bottle, “bye-bye”, etc.)
• May learn words with appropriate gestures (waves bye-bye, shakes head No)
• Baby is beginning to recognize words as symbols for objects (for example, when baby hears the word “airplane” he may point or look at the sky).
• Able to understand simple commands like, “Please give it to me.”

Social Development

• Able to show moods--may look hurt, sad, happy or angry.
• Baby may prefer one special toy and show tenderness toward it (like a doll or stuffed animal). These provide security for the child.
• Baby may start showing affection toward his caregivers and offer hugs and or kisses.
• At this point in development, baby plays alongside other children, not with them.

Feeding

• This is a good time to introduce a sippy cup, if they are not already using one.
• All children should be off the bottle by one year of age to protect their developing teeth. Milk intake for a 24 hour period will probably decrease once weaned. This is not a concern, as baby is getting more and more solid foods in his diet, and thus the proper nutrients.
• Table food may be introduced at this time. They should be soft-textured foods (like shredded meat or soft-cooked vegetables). Advance baby on table foods based on how well he can handle the new chunks and textures and by how many teeth he has, in order to learn how to chew.

Age Appropriate Toys

• Because baby may be beginning to teethe, he enjoys a teething ring to chew on
• Blocks, rattles, plastic keys -- small enough for baby to hold and carry
• Balls, bath toys
• Provide baby with toys of different textures to experience -- fur, velvet, fuzzy, smooth, rough, etc.
• Peek-A-Boo is becoming more popular as object permanence develops
• Talk and coo to your baby to stimulate “conversation”

Safety

• Reassess baby’s play area for small objects (paper clips, pins, non-edible crumbs, etc.)
• Serve table foods in small pieces that are bite-sized and never leave baby alone to eat them.
• Avoid giving baby popcorn, peanuts, hard candies and chewing gum.
• Never leave baby unattended in the bathtub no matter how well he now sits.
• Use locks and guards for cabinets and drawers, screen doors and windows.
• Keep poisons, medications and house plants high out of baby’s reach.
• The phone number for the Poison Control Center should be kept by the telephone.
• Continue to use a car seat for EVERY ride. Baby may start to protest using his car seat at this time. Parents need to let him know that this is not acceptable behavior in the car. Remember they should be rear facing until the baby is one year old AND weighs 20 pounds.

POISON CONTROL TELEPHONE NUMBER: 1-800-222-1222.
You should keep this number by your phone, in your wallet and in the diaper bag. Please call poison control if your child eats or drinks anything that they should not. Please call the poison control center if your child may have taken too much medication or a medication which was not prescribed for them. Please remember to keep household cleaners such as dishwashing detergent, toilet bowl cleaners or laundry detergents and bleach locked away and out of reach.

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