Activities for a 9-month-old: Fostering baby’s development

After months of 3 a.m. wake up calls and unpredictable sleep patterns, by now your 9-month-old baby probably takes regular naps and is staying asleep all night. On the other hand, you’re still exhausted. This isn’t a newsflash, but chasing after a nearly 1-year-old (and possibly other kiddos) leaves little to no time for yourself. So try to find ways to focus on your own needs, even if the moments are brief or you fall asleep six minutes into your favorite show. The better you feel about yourself, the better you’ll be as a mama.

Along with all the on-the-go action, your little one is trying to talk and starting to make sounds for objects. According to Tovah Klein, PhD, director of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive”, all babies talk at different rates, but your baby should at least be making lots of sounds (da-ba-ma-mama).

Here’s what else you can expect this month.

Related: 9-month-old baby milestones

Sensory activities for 9-month-olds

1. Hide and seek

With a developing sense of object permanence, your 9-month-old baby realizes things still exist when they are out of sight. This makes games like peekaboo and hide-and-seek a real hit. Try hiding a lovie or stuffed animal under a blanket and watch as they’re wowed by the big reveal. Then it’s their turn to hide something!

2. Flour play

In a safe-to-get-messy spot, set baby down on the floor with a baking sheet and a few measuring cups full of flour. Let them explore the texture and engage in the act of pouring the flour from one cup to another.

3. Nature treasure hunt

Help your little one discover a love of nature by heading outdoors to find natural treasures, like bumpy pinecones, fluffy dandelions and smooth stones.

Read more: How much sleep does a 9-month-old baby need?

Developmental activities for 9-month-olds

1. Name that object

To help your baby’s developing language, explain what you’re doing, point to objects, and name them. If they get excited or points to something, talk about it to put words to their gestures, “Yes, that’s a bird!” It also makes them feel good that you understand what they mean. The more language they hear directly spoken to them, the better their talking will be as they grow.

2. Beach ball volleyball

To build your tot’s gross motor skills, start by rolling an inflatable beach ball across the floor to where they’re sitting. Encourage them to “catch” the ball and then roll it back to you. This activity can help boost hand-eye coordination and help build on the concept of taking turns.

3. Coffee date

Over your morning coffee—and baby’s morning milk—start up a conversation. At this stage, your baby is able to understand simple instructions and questions like, “Where’s your bottle?”, and may be able to point and reach to tell you what they want. They know many more words than they can say right now, but having a cute back-and-forth can help encourage those words to flow.

Related: 9-month-old baby feeding schedule & expert advice

Things to do with a 9-month-old

Get ready for lots of fun this month with these week-by-week tips from child development psychologist Dr. Holly Ruhl.

Week 1: Practice the pincer grasp

Baby’s pincer grasp is maturing, which will prepare your tot for independent feeding, dressing, writing and much more. Exercise those fine motor skills with brainteasers that require baby’s forefinger and thumb. Place a few Cheerios in a narrow cup for little one to attain, introduce a colorful knob puzzles, or have baby place pipe cleaners into an empty 2-liter bottle.

Week 2: People watching

Baby is already making inferences about social interactions. Find a spot to people-watch with your budding socialite. Point out kids and babies, note different relationships such as family and friends, and observe social behaviors like laughing and talking. Now that baby has a few words and can follow your gaze, you have a perfect date for a quiet tête-à-tête.

Week 3: Anatomy lesson

Baby can now recognize the names of many objects. Introduce facial features and body parts. Point to your belly button and help your tot touch that button nose. Play “The Hokey Pokey” to teach arms and legs, blow raspberries on baby’s tummy and hands during diaper changes, or sing songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” to teach through music.

Week 4: Mini artist

Letting your tiny tot get a little messy is a fun way to offer new sensory experiences, develop fine motor skills, and elicit those precious baby giggles. Let your petit artiste dabble in edible paints made from blended fruits and water. Engage baby in clean-up and you will be surprised how quickly your clever cutie starts tidying up independently!

Our favorite products for 9-month-olds

Melissa & Doug

K's Kids Pull-Back Vehicle Set

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$22.99

When it comes to capturing baby’s attention, there’s something inherently interesting about anything with wheels. These highly-rated soft vehicles from Melissa & Doug are soft and lightweight enough for babies to lift and roll, and with just a small pull backward, they zoom off across the floor. And even before they’re able to figure out and master the fine motor skills to send them flying, watching you do it helps hone their visual tracking!

SHOP

Melissa & Doug

Sunny Patch Play Tunnel

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$35

Whether on its own or part of the ultimate fort set up, a play tunnel is endless amounts of fun. When they’re tiny it’s a super engaging way to play round after round of peek-a-boo or encourage their crawling skills. As they get older they’ll find tons of different ways to play. From wearing it as a costume to making the spring leap up in the air, it’s always a delight!

SHOP

Playskool

Busy Poppin’ Pals Pop-up Activity Toy

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$21.72

Pop-up toys are ideal for 9-month-old brains as they help develop both manual dexterity and object permanence at the same time. There are tons to choose from of course, but we love the simplicity of this battery-free option from Playskool. Little hands are kept busy by sliding, pulling, pushing and twisting to reveal a crew of cute animals.

SHOP

Hape

Baby Drum

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$21.83

At 9 months, banging on things is one of baby’s favorite pastimes. And whether it’s soothing or not, music is an important part of their development. Instruments that allow your 9-month-old to make their own music are a great option for playtime. We’re particularly fond of this one from Hape which can be used two ways: stand it upright for them to bang or turn it on its side to encourage crawling as they chase after it.

SHOP

Look ahead: Activities for a 10-month-old: Fostering baby’s development

A version of this story was originally published on Nov. 30, 2015. It has been updated.