Do you have a chatty baby, or is they on the shyer side? Even if your little one says a lot, there’s a good chance you can’t understand most of it, still. The sounds they make sound like they should be words most of the time though, and here and there, common words that come up in their life a lot may pop out of their mouth – maybe even in a way that might make you wonder if they know what they mean, although they probably really only understand the most basic words in their life at this point.
Whether Baby is saying words you can understand or not, though, they can understand a lot more than they can say, so it may be time to start to be a little more careful about what you say in front of them. After all, you never know what they are going to repeat, or in front of whom!
Baby is a lot closer to talking the talk like a big kid, and they may be closer to walking the walk, too! Between 9 months and a year old, many babies start pulling themselves up into a standing position from the floor, when there’s something near them that they can hold onto for support, like the couch, a table, or your leg.
Pulling up is a huge next step in the march towards knowing how to walk, but it brings its own series of chances for danger, and the need for another round of baby-proofing. Anything at Baby’s eye- or hand-level that won’t support their weight if they try to use it to pull up may need to find a new home, at least until Baby is a little steadier on their feet!
In the meantime before walking though, Baby still has to figure out some way to get around! If they hasn’t gotten used to crawling or scooting yet, this might happen sometime soon.
Baby is also probably continuing with their adventure into solid foods. It’s very common for babies to resist solids, even if they used to be big fans of the mush. If Baby has been, or starts, putting up a fight about food, try switching up the flavors or textures. After 7 months or so, most babies are able to move on to less mushy foods, so you can consider working in some foods that more closely resemble the foods that you eat.
Milestones
- Goes from tummy to sitting on their own: Slow down there, Baby! By 9 months or so, many babies are able to turn from their stomachs to a sitting position. All. By. Themselves. And to think that just a few short months ago, Baby was lying there with those big eyes, doing not much more than pooping and crying.
- Begins to identify self in mirror: For the first few months, Baby couldn’t tell themself from the Queen of England, but nowadays they might be able to identify their reflection in the mirror.
- Understands object permanence: Object permanence is the understanding that people and objects do in fact still exist even if you can’t see them. As a younger, less sophisticated infant, Baby didn’t realize that you were still an inhabitant of Earth when you left the room. Now though, they probably get the picture, which explains why separation anxiety is common around this time.
