Your baby 9-12 months

Now’s the time to safety check and baby-proof your house; your baby will soon be on the move. To make things worse he’s able to pick up tiny objects and put them straight into his mouth. Take great care about what is left lying around at home and be extra vigilant when you’re out and about.

  •   What your baby can do
  •   Language development
  •   How you can help
  •   Toys for this stage

What your baby can do

  • He will almost certainly be mobile one way or another by now; either crawling, bottom shuffling or pulling himself up on a firm object and ‘cruising’ - walking around hanging onto the furniture
  • He will be able to pick up and put down toys at will, as his fingers are now a little more under his control
  • Your baby will be able to help feed himself and will enjoy picking up finger foods
  • If he is crawling he will want to explore everywhere
  • He may wave goodbye when familiar people leave
  • He may realize he misses you when you leave the room, and cry
  • He may become shy of strangers and people he does not see often

Language development

He will continue to enjoy your voice and listening to you talking and playing with him. Nursery rhymes and finger games are ideal at this stage.

  • He can wave goodbye, point, nod and shake his head
  • He understands the word ‘no’
  • Sometime before his first birthday he will probably learn to respond to his own name. And round about the same time he may learn to call you by yours, or something like it: ‘Mama’ or ‘Dada’

How you can help

  • He will enjoy peek-a-boo, where you hide behind your hands for a second or two and then pop out smiling. This game helps him to realize that even when he can’t see you, you are still there. Later he will try the same trick on you
  • Try books which have a large picture of one thing on each page. Use the name of the things: ‘Look there is the duck; the duck is yellow’
  • Read the same books over and over again. He will enjoy the familiarity and it will help him develop his language skills

Toys for this stage

  • Shape sorters: simple posting and sorting games which encourage him to match shapes or increase his dexterity
  • Activity toys: toys with buttons to press or turn that make sounds so he can learn that doing one thing leads to another thing happening
  • Bath toys: now he can sit unsupported he will enjoy filling and tipping water from a container and watching it splash

There are no standard developmental tests at this stage.