Seeing little ones sit up on their own for the first time, begin crawling around, stand up, and meet their other milestones fills parents with excitement. After each milestone is met, parents are eager to find out what milestones their baby will meet next. So, what milestones will babies meet when they are six to nine months old?
Ranging from six to nine months of age, you will have the pleasure of seeing your baby begin interacting with other people and seeing themselves as individuals. They will begin to experience family identity, which will lead to a sense of security and an appropriate uneasiness with strangers.
Other milestones to look forward to in six- to nine-month-old babies are:
- Showing preferences for people, objects, and places
- Sitting unsupported and reaching
- Crawling
- Putting one object down to reach for another
- Handing objects to another person
- Responding playfully to a mirror
- Making word-like sounds
The milestones babies should meet and activities family members can do with babies to encourage and help them meet their milestones can be found in Fun Baby Learning Games: Activities to Support Development in Infants, Toddlers, and Two-Year Olds.
Use these two activities with babies six to nine months old to encourage their particular skills or emerging milestones. The first activity helps babies perfect sitting and reaching, and the second activity will help them begin crawling!
Sitting and Playing
To perfect sitting, give your baby opportunities to sit. Either prop your baby on a sofa next to you or allow him to sit supported. Never leave your baby unattended.
Materials
- Items for your baby to manipulate, such as a set of blocks, plastic spoons, or small plastic cups
How to Do It
- Give your baby a small object to hold in each hand. He may bang the two together.
- Offer your baby a third related object.
- At first, he may not know what to do, but in time your baby will learn to sit one object down to pick up the new one. He may also give one object to you or figure out how to hold two items in the same hand.
Behind the Scenes
You are laying the groundwork for sitting and practicing eye-hand coordination with this activity, which are two important skills for your baby.
Crawling and Playing
It is a good idea to encourage the crawling position. You can do this by gently supporting your baby around the middle with your arms. You can also place him on a roll-shaped pillow.
Materials
- A favorite toy
- Circular pillow
How to Do It
- Place a toy on the floor.
- Place your baby near the toy in a comfortable crawling position, either supported or not. Safety note: If you choose to use a pillow for this activity, do not leave your child unattended with the pillow.
- Encourage him to get the toy.
- Move the toy to another spot and encourage your baby to crawl to it.
- Keep playing as long as you and your baby continue to enjoy it.
Behind the Scenes
During every stage, you will see your baby become happier, and much of that pleasure comes from his movement. Imagine how exciting life becomes for your baby. He goes from lying down to sitting up and beginning to get around to new and different places.
