Developmental milestones: 9 months to 12 months
Your baby has already been in this world longer than they were in the womb. Every day adds new opportunities to become familiar with the world. Babies are fortunately born with natural, unique and dynamic skills for learning and development. They need a supportive and loving family and a nurturing environment that is suited to innate needs, to grow and develop in the best possible way. Their relationship with their parents and the environment greatly influences the way they maximize their inherent developmental potential.
It is important to remember that although babies differ and develop at their own pace, there are predictable milestones in their development that can be monitored to determine whether your infant progresses. Once you are familiar with these milestones, you can offer the infants age-appropriate activities, games and experiences that will help him or her develop and advance.
Developmental milestones
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Language Development
- Understanding simple instructions (like "where is mommy?", "say hi", "clap your hands").
- Making sounds in a dialogue and in response to sounds and words of others.
- Saying one word or making sounds with a meaning.
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Motor Development
- Banging objects against each other as a game.
- Pivoting crawl (the baby moves in a circle while on the stomach), belly crawl or crawling on all fours.
- Independent eating.
- Pinching.
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Social Development
- Response to calls by the baby's name.
- Mimicking your gestures or movements during shared enjoyment and play.
- Sitting without your assistance.
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1This is the time to talk
Encourage your child to have a conversation with you by mentioning the name of everyday objects when spending time together, for example, on the way to preschool, in the bath, when dressing, during a meal, and so on. You can also encourage use of verbal and non-verbal gestures (such as pointing) by asking such questions like “where is the ball?” or “where is the bottle?”, or by giving the child a choice between two toys, one held in each hand, while maintaining eye contact with your child.
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2Reading books
Children enjoy stories long before they know how to read or even speak. You can hold your baby in your lap, creating pleasant contact or eye contact, when reading. You do not have to read the exact text, or even finish the entire book. Story time is an opportunity to speak to each other. You can refer to the characters, the voices they make, the illustrations appearing in the book, and so on. You can also read a section, take s short break and wait for a response such as a sound or a smile, and then respond in a similar manner. This is essentially a very early form of a conversation. It is also an opportunity to observe your baby, to learn about his or her preferences and to adapt yourself to the baby's needs.
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3Up, up, up
Encourage your child to get up and stand, put games or toys he or she loves on the sofa or low table and allow him or her to try to reach them. You can also encourage walking by holding on to the child’s hands. Once the child is stable, you can encourage walking (with support) by offering an interesting game at a suitable height and reasonable distance, where the child can walk by pushing or leaning on furniture (like a stable chair).
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4Out of the box, in the box
Encourage fine motor skills by placing objects inside boxes and tools and removing them. This is the time to allow your child to gain experience with various sizes, textures and materials. Diversity and experience is the name of the game.
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5Maybe it’s too much?
It is important to notice your baby’s preferences and moods, and to adjust the activities and stimuli accordingly so that it will be pleasant. Occasionally, too much stimuli can overwhelm the baby. If the baby looks away or shows signs of irritation and tiredness, try to ‘clean’ the area and reduce stimuli. The baby may have had enough play time and would be happy just to sleep.
Safety
Safety
During all activities with infants, it is important that you protect their safety. Newborns are vulnerable: their head is relatively large in comparison with their body. The neck muscles are still weak and they lack head control. You must never shake infants. Shaking infants, even in play, is extremely dangerous and may cause irreversible harm.
No less important: take care of yourself
Parenthood can be an incredible as well as an extremely challenging experience. As you know, parenting requires patience, attention and persistence. It is therefore important to take care and do something for yourself that will revitalize you. Taking care of yourself is not a luxury but an inseparable part of being a parent. Try to incorporate time, even if it is brief, for yourself so that you can plan (and do) something that will be good for you. This will allow you to return to your child with renewed energy, more patience and attention.