Child Stages: Baby 9-12 Months (Child Development Information) - Child Development

9 to 12 Months

As babies continue to grow and head towards their first birthdays, they learn and accomplish many new things that set them on their way from infancy into toddlerhood. Between the ages of 9 and 12 months, most infants utter their first words, and many take their first steps. This period is marked by an increasing curiosity about the nature of people and things. These developments allow children to start placing things, people, and actions in categories. For example, when you say you're going to the store, your baby is beginning to create a mental picture of the supermarket, and you in it.

MILESTONES
As you marvel at all that your child has accomplished during the first year of life, remember that milestones are only meant to help health professionals (and parents) assess whether children are developing as expected. And despite the temptation to compare your child's abilities — whether crawling, talking, or walking — with those of your neighbor's child, be sure to remember that every child is different. Your child may be early on some, but late on others. If at any time you do have concerns about your child's progress, don't hesitate to talk to your child's pediatrician.

Between 9 and 12 months, babies reach many new milestones. Some of them include:
Sitting, standing, and walking. By 9 months of age, not only can many infants get themselves into a sitting position on their own, but they can also pull to a stand while holding onto furniture. This is the obvious first step towards walking, and is typically followed by standing alone. Cruising — the ability to walk while holding on to the furniture — and walking with support are skills that often are mastered between 9 months and a year of age. And then there are precocious children who accomplish these skills in leaps and bounds, and can walk unassisted before they turn one year old.

Creeping and crawling. Infants are generally capable of pulling themselves along with their arms (some even getting up on their hands and knees) by around 9 months of age, and crawl more efficiently (with or without lifting their abdomens off floor) by around 10 months. And for the parents of babies who seem to have no interest in crawling, rest assured that there are some infants who walk before they crawl, and even a few who never crawl. In these instances, it is helpful to remember that crawling is only one of many ways to assess whether a child's muscle strength and motor skills are developing properly. If you are worried about your own baby's lack of interest in or inability to crawl, be sure to discuss your concerns with his pediatrician.

First words. At 9 months, infants are often fairly talented at multi-syllable babbling and imitating sounds. Over the subsequent months, you may find that your baby starts to imitate the tone and inflection in your voice as well, and may even say his first word. Words such as "mama" and "dada" clearly have meaning to infants at this age, and some will even say them by the time they turn one (dada is much more common than mama, not as a reflection of a baby's preference, but because da is a much easier sound to make than ma!).

Pincer grasp and coordination. Babies between 9 and 12 months work on perfecting their ability to pick up small objects using their thumbs and pointer fingers. Nine-month-olds tend to do so rather crudely, whereas one-year-olds are typically much more skilled at using a pincer grasp to get what they want. And quite often, this means getting objects to their mouths! Your baby is also likely to get better at manipulating objects, even if they are wedged in tight spaces, as well as better at drinking from a cup (assuming you've been offering him one.)

Improved communication skills. This is a fun age, where many babies not only start to communicate verbally, but clearly seem to understand more and interact more. They typically learn to point in response to simple questions such as "Where's the ball?" or "Where's Mommy?" and to wave good-bye.

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