Here are some milestones for 9-12 months
Communication
- Babbles back & forth with adult and with the inflection of adult speech
- Begins to point
- May say first words typically “Mama” and/or “Dada”
- Shows an understanding of familiar words like “Mama”, Dada”, “bottle”
- Responds to some simple requests paired with gestures like “Come here” or “Give me”
- Understands and reacts to “no-no!”
Cognitive
- Enthusiastically explores toys/objects in his/her environment
- Enjoys banging things together & dropping things to see the effect/reaction
- Will find toys hidden behind or under things
- Enjoys dumping out & taking off and will begin to put things in & on
- Enjoys cause and effect toys (Eg: Pushing a button that causes music/lights)
- Enjoys looking at pictures in books and may turn pages
Social-Emotional
- Begins to wave, clap and imitate other gestures like raising hands for “So big!
- Enjoys social games like Peek-a-boo, Patty Cake & This Little Piggy
- Holds out a toy to show others
- Shows preference for certain people, places and things
- Often stays close to parent and wants only parent to meet his/her needs
- May test parents’ reactions during routines like meal time and bed time
Motor
- Crawls as a primary means of moving from place to place
- Pulls to stand and cruises along furniture
- May stand independently and take first steps
- Isolates index finger to point/poke
- Uses thumb and index finger to pick up small items
- Bangs toys/objects together, takes things out/off, voluntarily releases objects
Adaptive (Self-Help)
- Bites and chews solid foods
- Begins to finger feed self and may play with a spoon
- Begins to drink from a sippy or straw cup
- May extend arm/leg for dressing
- Displays stranger anxiety
- May show fear (understanding/awareness) of previously accepted situations
Age Appropriate Activities to Encourage Development
- Play games like Peek-a-boo, Patty Cake & This Little Piggy with your child
- Sing songs with sounds and actions for your baby to begin to imitate
- Look at pictures books, point to & name pictures and talk about what your baby sees
- Name people, animals and objects that your baby points to in the environment
- Imitate your baby’s sounds and model animal & environmental sounds for your baby
- Give your baby pots & pans or plastic containers to practice dumping out and putting in
- Give your baby safe space to explore and practice crawling, cruising & taking steps
- Blow bubbles to encourage your baby to point and poke to pop
- Give your baby musical instruments to shake and bang
- Stack blocks with your baby and let him/her knock them down
- Cause & effect toys help your baby to begin to understand that they make things happen
Each child is different and will develop at their own pace. These milestones are a guide to when children meet these milestones on average. If you are concerned that your child is not meeting these milestones in a timely fashion, contact your pediatrician to talk about your child and their individualized needs.