Milestones

Every baby grows at a different rate, but there are some general milestones you can watch for at this age. Your baby will be experimenting, exhibiting new skills, and maybe even beginning to crawl. By the time he/she reaches the age of 9 months, your baby will probably:

• Sit without support and twist and turn while sitting
• Begin to crawl, bottom-shuffle, and pull him/herself forward
• Start to pull themselves up and stand while holding onto furniture
• Turn to you when hearing your voice across a room and respond to quiet noises on either side (if not distracted)
• Start to use his/her fingers to pick up small objects, feed him/herself, and poke things
• Start trying to imitate simple words like 'baby'
• Have top and bottom front teeth
• Be eating a wide variety of weaning foods
• Start learning to drink from a sippee cup

Wellbeing and Safety

• Now that your baby is crawling and beginning to stand up, it is important to baby-proof your home and make sure your baby stays safe. It can be astounding how quickly they can locate and grasp an unsafe item, or topple over or fall!
• Handwashing: It is still important to help prevent the spread of germs at this age, so wash your hands frequently, especially before preparing a feed, handling sterilised equipment and after changing a nappy
• Hand Sanitisers: If you do not have access to soap and water, you can use an alcohol based and sanitiser to help kill the germs on your hands
• Sterilising Equipment: Until your baby is one year old, before every use, you need to clean and sterilise any equipment that will touch your baby's milk or go into their mouth, such as bottles, teats, breast pumps, teething rings and dummies
• Food Preparation Surfaces: Always clean and disinfect surfaces before using them to prepare feeds or weaning foods
• Feeding: Take extra care to clean any blenders, food processors and utensils that will come in contact with your baby's weaning foods. Use detergent and hot water. Make sure you scrub surfaces and then rinse thoroughly with hot, clean water
• Clean and Disinfect Hand Contact Surfaces: To help stop germs spreading around your home, you need to clean and disinfect contact surfaces, such as taps, handles and bench tops
• Nappy Changing Mats: After each nappy change, you need to clean and disinfect nappy changing surfaces, and any surface you may have contaminated with germs
• High Chairs: When your baby is ready to start using a high chair, always use the safety harness. Remove any food debris promptly, and clean and disinfect the tray before putting your baby's food on it
• Floors: Regularly vacuum carpets and clean and disinfect any hard surface flooring you are going to let your baby crawl on. Take care to remove any hazardous objects that your baby could reach
• Cots: Remove any bumpers or toys from the cot that your baby could stand on to climb (or fall) out of the cot
• Stairs: Fit safety gates to stop your baby climbing and falling down the stairs
• Windows: Keep furniture away from windows and fit windows with locks or safety catches to stop your baby climbing up and falling out