Your Baby’s Development: 6-9 Month Old Milestones

You're more than half way through baby's first year. And by the end of this three month period, you'll have a 9 month old baby who is well on their way to becoming a toddler.

But what are the development milestones for six to nine months?

Remember, while babies generally develop in the same way, every baby learns, picks up new skills and grows at their own pace.

Over the course of this guide, we'll look at the most common development milestones that a baby will reach by the time they're a 9 month old. And we'll draw on expert insight and the real-life experiences of dads from the DaddiLife community.

Your baby's physical developmental milestones

Baby's growth will really accelerate after the introduction of solid foods. You may notice your baby start to have a few growth spurts.

By the time they're a 9 month old, most babies can sit up comfortably on their own for extended periods of time, and will love showing off their rolling skills. Most babies will start to crawl around seven months old, so it's important that you've done (and checked) your babyproofing - make sure electrical outlets are covered, remove any choking hazard, and keep high items out of reach.

Dad of two, Sean, says: "We purchased a baby walker at this stage and it was a revelation. Our son used it for support when learning to stand, and then it obviously supported him to learn to walk. The best thing is that it doubled as a super fun toy/play centre, too."

Depending on the pace of your baby's progress so far, they may even show signs of learning to walk. They'll probably start to pull themselves up into the standing position with something to hold for balance.

Your baby's cognitive developmental milestones

Your baby's cognitive development milestones shift towards their fine motor skills. A 9 month old usually has a pretty solid pincer grasp (a pinch between the thumb and index finger) which comes in pretty handy when it comes to finger foods. They will be growing more and more comfortable holding small objects and toys every day.

Now that their eyesight and hearing are fully developed, baby's awareness of their surroundings is much better - they will be alerted by different sounds and their eyes will be able to track and object as it moves.

Your baby's communication and language development

Your baby's language skills and overall communication development will continue to come on leaps and bound.

By the time you have a 9 month old, they should recognise their own name and may even have come out with a few things that resemble real words like 'da da' or 'ba ba' for 'bye bye'. Of course, they're still some way off talking properly so they'll continue to use different sounds to communicate, as well.

Stephanie Jeret, MS, CCC-SLP, speech and language therapist and founder of Speak With Stephanie, says: "They will verbalise or vocalise in response to verbal requests, participate in speech-routine games, and identify two body parts on themselves. These comprehension skills are crucial for building a foundation for understanding and use language.

"Your baby will start saying 'mama' or 'dada' meaningfully, imitating consonant and vowel combinations, and imitating non-speech sounds. They will vocalise with intent frequently, use a word to call a person... and a desire for a change in activities."

Their understanding of your language and communication will also improve remarkably. A 9 month old baby can typically understand simple words and one-step commands, especially the word 'no'.

Although their verbal communication has improved, your baby will be more than comfortable using their finger to point to what they want.

Your baby's social and emotional development

Although your baby may have started to smile and engage with strangers in the previous three months, they may develop some stranger anxiety between six and eight months old.

Stephanie Jeret adds: "Your baby will begin to vocalise to call others, indicate a desire for a change in activities, and vocalise when another person calls. These behaviours are important as they help your baby communicate more effectively and engage with their environment."

This is another normal part of child development and typically occurs around this time because it's when parents start to spend less time with their baby. Dad has typically been back in work for several months and the end of mum's maternity leave is on the horizon.

Sleeping and feeding

Sleep

Sleep is an interesting one at this stage of development. In some ways, it gets a whole lot easier. And in others it gets a whole lot harder.

Sleep will actually improve for many babies, and you may creep nearer those infamous 'sleep through the night' nights. These nights should hopefully help to give you and your partner a bit more energy day-to-day.

However, there are a number of sleep challenges during this period. Most babies at this age will make the transition from sleeping in their parents' room to sleeping in their own room, which can bring on separation anxiety. Plus, settling your baby is no longer a case of leaning over to the Moses basket. It takes that extra effort to make your way out of bed and into their room, which will inevitably wake you up more - so you could end up feeling more tired.

Most babies will continue to have two naps at this age. However, you may notice them fighting a nap during a sleep regression.

There's also the 6 month sleep regression to factor in as your baby's development takes a leap. Some babies at this age may even start practicing their new skills at night, like sitting up or rolling over. It's probably a good time to drop your crib to its lower level to keep baby safe.

Feeding

Although breast milk and formula will continue to be your baby's main source of nutrition, you can slowly introduce 'solid' foods at six months. Over the next three months, you can add more flavours and textures.

Some parents prefer to introduce solid foods by spoon-feeding. However, you can also try baby-led weaning. This usually involves putting your baby in their high chair, offering them soft finger foods (like breadsticks, soft baby crisps... things that dissolve easily) and letting them do their thing.

As your baby develops, they'll grow more and more comfortable with different types of food. And a 9 month old will typically eat simple, plain versions of your meals.

If you need some helpful tips on introducing solid foods and building up your babies palette, we're huge fans of Ella's Kitchen The First Foods Book.

Other milestones

Separation anxiety

For the purpose of this section, we're going to use the term 'preferred parent'. It doesn't mean your baby loves one parent more than the other - it's just much easier way of saying 'the parent for whom the separation anxiety is based on'....

Separation anxiety can occur at any time, but it typically peaks towards the end of baby's first year, especially around the 9 month mark.

For many families, this happens because it's around the time that the mother's maternity leave ends. You may start sending your baby to childcare, while some couples start calling on family and friends to babysit for a few hours so they can have a date night.

It all stems from your baby becoming concerned that you won't return. It's difficult for your little one. You're they're world and they don't realise that they can expect you to come back at some point.

It can be really difficult for the preferred parent. It feels like you're given a choice between a screaming baby or the preferred parent having to do everything with their baby and not getting a moment to themselves.

It can also be really difficult for the non-preferred parent - despite our explainer at the start of this section, it can feel like your baby doesn't love you. This can be especially difficult if you're dealing with paternal postpartum depression.

Lost skills

As we explained in the 3-6 development milestones guide, some babies will 'lose' some of the new skills they've picked up.

They start doing something new, you think they've hit a new developmental milestone. They've cracked it! And then suddenly it all disappears...

This is a totally normal part of your baby's development. On that basis, you may see some skills return over the period.

When to seek help

Although we always try to reiterate that every baby's development is different, there are some milestones that you need to keep an eye on, and contact your child's doctor if they're not reached by the end of this period.

You should contact your child's pediatrician if you have a 9 month old baby who...

• Cannot sit upright without support

• Isn't babblying

• Doesn't recognise adults they've met

• Doesn't respond to or recognise their own name

• Won't put weight on their own legs

• Doesn't or can't switch an object from hand to hand

• Doesn't engage in any back-and-forth games like peek-a-boo

• Doesn't look where you point

FAQs

When can you start sleep training a baby?

You can start sleep training your baby when they are six months old. This typically coincides with the transition from your room to their own room.

When do babies start crawling?

Most babies start to crawl anywhere between seven and 12 months old.