9-10 Months Baby Milestones and Activities

Hi there, I'm sure you're here wondering what new and interesting developments your baby is going to be going through and learning in this stage of their lives. I will be sharing easy steps to understand your baby's development in months 9-10 and how to help them.

Your Baby

• Knows the difference between people they have met before and people they have never seen

• Sits up for 10 - 15 minutes at a time

Leaning forward without losing balance

• Might get shy or nervous around strangers or people with new facial features

Beard, tattoos, sunglasses, etc.

• Is making more sounds and tries to mimic sounds that you make

• May start to scoot on belly pulling with arms and pushing with legs

• May get onto hands and knees with belly off the floor and rock back and forward

You can anticipate that your baby may start crawling soon. Don't be alarmed if they start moving backward first.

• Might start to transition from a lying position to a sitting position

• May crawl

• May pull themselves up onto furniture

• May lower themselves down from standing position while holding onto furniture

• May stand on their own

• Starts babbling in longer strings of syllables

"dadadada, "mamama", :"gagaga", etc.

• May start to release objects from their hand when they want to

For Your Baby

• Comfort if they're nervous or shy around new people

• Time with their favorite books

It's important to let your baby hold the books on their own while they explore them. Some great options are board books or foam books.

• Tours

Take your baby around outside and the house and show them where things belong and how they work. They may start to understand where certain objects are kept, like their favorite book or toy.

• Practice waving bye-bye!

• Hidden objects they can find and put in their mouth

• Conversations

Your baby won't be using real words yet, but their understanding is improving quickly.

• Music

Your baby will like to bounce to the tune but will most likely be off-beat.

• Lots of free time on the floor

Let your baby spend lots of time on the floor exploring their movements rather than in a jumper or activity center.

• Safe child-proofed spaces where they can freely explore

• Practice with imitation

Clapping hands, nodding, smacking lips, blowing raspberries, etc.

Toys & Activities For Your Baby

• Sensory play - See blog "Sensory Play In The First Year" for a full list of fun activities for you and your baby

Introduce new textures, colors, and liquids. Leave baby in just a diaper or onesie bare legs and feet for maximum sensory input

• Different shaped objects (blocks, balls, etc.)

examine shape, form, and texture

• Interactive games

Peek-a-boo, high fives, and dancing to music

• Dropping objects

When your baby is in a standing position give them an object to play with, then have it fall on the floor and encourage your baby to drop to their bum and get it

• Bath toys

Give your baby toys that float and sink and let them explore the difference

• Learning about feelings

Exaggerate your feelings to your baby and watch how they react. When they are showing feelings explain them to them. When they are crying say, "I see you are upset, what can we do to make you happy?"

• Hand-Eye Coordination and Concentration

Give your baby two objects and show them how to bang them together

Practice clapping

*This is a great way to have your baby learn how to use both sides of the body at one time

Later give baby two objects where one goes into the other like the Montessori Egg Cup and encourage them to put them together.

*This will help with your baby's concentration

• Opposites

Try giving your baby objects they can open/close, light switches to turn on/off, exploring inside/outside the house, and quantity of one/many this works well with objects that are the same size, and shape, but maybe a different color and/or texture.

• Understanding Inside and Out

Show your baby how an object like a ball goes into a box and then falls to the bottom and see if they want to help out

*This works well with a clear container or an object where the ball goes through a hole and comes down a ramp.

Pulling tissues out of a box

Pulling toys out of a basket and putting them back

• Smells

Spices, flowers, perfumes, fruit, etc.

*At first you will need to demonstrate how to sniff then hold the scent near your baby's nose. Keep practicing as noticing scents is vital for memory development.

* Please note that each child develops at his or her own pace and the range of normal is quite wide. However, it is helpful to be aware of red flags for potential developmental delays in children. These delays are significant lags in one or more areas of emotional, mental, or physical growth. If your child experiences a delay, please contact your pediatrician.