A Baby 6-9 Months

Growth and Development
Six to nine months is a prime time for babies to develop hand skills. They have learned to balance the head; they can almost balance the body; they know how to grasp on sight, and are now eager to try these rapidly growing abilities.

They are never idle; they have a compelling urge to handle and explore things. They are building experiences that will help them understand more about their surroundings.

Everything will be taken to the mouth now, including feet. If things are dropped and fall out of sight, they do not look for them. By about nine months, however, they will search in the correct place for hidden objects and watch toys fall from their pram or highchair. This is thought to be due to an increasing awareness of distance and how things look as they fall, and the noise they make when they land. Little escapes their notice. They can focus on near objects and also follow the movements of people and animals across a room.

They are surprisingly mobile - they roll front to back, and learn quickly to roll back again, and may do this to reach an interesting toy. Some babies circle more or less on the spot, so are often frustrated because the toy is still out of reach. During this time, most children will progress from sitting with support to sitting by themselves. This leaves their hands free to explore everything within reach. Secured in their highchair, they can join the family at mealtimes and will enjoy trying to eat with their fingers, although they cannot manage a spoon yet. They will often accept a drink from a cup in imitation of adult behavior, although spilling is common.

As a Social Being
Gradually babies have gathered many impressions of people and things. They can distinguish between the people they see every day and less frequent visitors. Allow them time to observe strangers from the security of a parent’s arms before advances are made towards them. Friends and relatives may need reassuring that this apparent alarm at the sight of them is nothing personal. It is part of an increasing comprehension of the world around them.

Some babies of this age will cry bitterly if mother disappears even for a short time. This does not mean that they are spoilt. They do not understand yet that, even when she is out of sight, she has not left forever. In the meantime, it will help if they can hear or see their parents when they are awake. Games where mother or father disappear and return - like peek-a-boo - will help reassure and teach them that people and things continue to exist even when they are out of sight.

Learning Thru Play
Just as an appropriate diet is essential for normal physical growth, so it is for mental development. The most vital ingredients of this diet are play and language. Thru them, the child explores the world and learns to cope with it. - Mia Kellmer Pringle 1980

Producing sound gives babies pleasure. They delight in shaking rattles, crumpling paper with hands and feet and experimenting with voiced sounds. High-pitched squeals please them and they may stop and laugh at the noises they can make. They imitate, quite realistically, the sounds they hear.

Syllables may be joined together - ma-ma, da-da and ba-ba are the most usual combinations, but as yet they are still just interesting sounds, not real words.

At first babies bring their toys towards themselves with a scooping action using both hands. By about six to seven months they can grasp an object in one hand and pass it from hand to hand as they examine it intently. Common household objects such as pegs, pots and pans, and such are of interest and they enjoy exploring their possibilities. As they handle and mouth them, they begin to learn about such things as warmth, coldness, roughness, smoothness, softness, hardness and smell.

During this time their ability to pick things up will develop from paw-like movement to poking at tiny objects with the forefinger and then eventually to picking them up precisely between thumb and forefinger.

Music is another form of communication. Singing and rocking rhythmically are relaxing and comforting and both parents and children enjoy this.

They will respond with delight to nursery rhymes that include bouncing and clapping routines, and soon will imitate the actions as they sing their own tune.

Books are important to everyone. Let them be important to babies too. Now their eyes can focus they can look at a picture book with you for a few seconds. Their concentration span is brief. Choose a book that is not easily torn, has bright clear colors and has only one simple object illustrated on each page. They will learn to love books because they love that ‚reading time’ spent with you. This is, of course, no substitute for conversation - which naturally also means listening to and trying to understand their messages to you. Your attention increases their interest in acquiring and practicing new sounds. You, as parents, are their first and most important teachers.

Safety
Choice Of Toys
It is important to select toys that are safe and the younger the child the more care is required.

Check that:

• Toys with small or loose parts are kept out of reach
  Dangling ribbons or elastic are removed
• Eyes in all toys are securely fastened (remove if in doubt)
• Squeaks in soft squeeze toys cannot be removed
  Teething rings and rattles will not break or come apart
• There are no sharp edges or points
• Toys are smoothly finished and free of splinters
  Paint is lead-free.
• All stuffed toys are in good repair and inspected regularly. Choking or inhalation of foreign objects are among the commonest accidents in children under 12 months of age.
• Blind cords are not within easy reach

Playpens And Restraints
Mobility, though exciting for children, can also be hazardous. When they must play alone, or parents are occupied with activities such as cooking, washing or gardening, a playpen or a safe area should be provided. However, free exploration under adult supervision is still the best and most enjoyable learning situation.

Leather or fabric restraints should be used always for prams, shopping trolleys and highchairs. Plastic strips may stretch or break and are therefore unreliable.

During the six to nine months period, most babies will learn to sit without support, roll or crawl around on the floor and use furniture to pull themselves up to stand.

Baby walkers are unsafe and not recommended. They can tip over and they interfere with the baby’s muscle development.

The desire to explore and learn about the world is very strong and needs to be encouraged. Keep your child safe by removing as many hazards as possible before accidents occur.

To Keep Your Child Safe

• Always place your child in an approved child restraint every time you start the car.
• Always restrain your child in a highchair, shopping trolley or pusher to prevent falls.
• Use safety barriers to steps, stairs and rooms you don’t want your child to enter.
• Always stay with your child during bath time or pool play. A child can drown in less than 5 cm of water.
  Avoid giving your child small pieces of hard food such as nuts, uncooked apple and carrot.
• Continually check that kettle and iron cords are out of reach of young children.
• Always keep hot drinks out of a child’s reach.
• Cover power points when they are not in use.
  Always check for small objects such as pins before placing baby on the floor.
• Store medications, cleaning substances and any sharp or dangerous items in a cupboard with a childproof latch.
• Use a diaper bucket with a tight-fitting lid that cannot be removed by a child, and keep it out of a child’s reach.
• Blind cords are not within easy reach.
  Make certain your child’s vaccination are up to date.