Possible vaccines today: Hepatitis B & (Seasonal) Influenza.  

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By 9-months, your baby should sit without support and may be quite mobile.  Do not worry if crawling looks asymmetric or if your baby just “butt scoots” around the room.  Pulling up to a standing position and walking holding onto furniture brings new adventures and increased need for home safety. Prevent Burns, Choking, Falls, Poisoning,

Baby jibber-jabber start becoming sounding like actual words and conversations. Response to one step commands with gestures (“Give me the cup” with your hand out), sign language ("more,” “hi,” “bye-bye wave”) may start developing.  Encourage conversation by responding with enthusiasm and conversation.

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Sleep routines and consistency are key to prevent sleep regression. Put your baby to bed when drowsy but still awake. Holding, rocking, or feeding until completely asleep makes it hard for babies to go back to sleep if woken during the night. Babies can self sooth back to sleep without feeding.

Avoid using breast feeding / bottle feeding for comfort at bedtime or naptime.  Continue daytime activities and avoid late afternoon naps. Use daytime outdoor walks for interaction with your baby, NOT for sleeping.  These efforts will help lengthen daytime wakefulness and facilitate longer night sleeping.  If not addressed, bedtime frustrations increase. Please review the Healthy Children link on my website. 

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Feedings usually consist of three-meals-a-day with increased snacking.  Continue healthy eating habits with plenty of veggies, fruits, proteins, and whole grains while minimizing excessive sweet and salty foods.  Vary the thickness and lumpiness of your baby’s food with increased use of more soft table foods. Remember, babies often need to get used to new favors, taking 10–12 times before accepting it.   

Do not give your baby hard, small foods like peanuts or whole grapes which are choking hazards. Babies who spit out pieces of meat are not ready for such large chewy foods. Further grinding should help.

Continued exposure to eggs, dairy, soy, peanuts, and fish may help decrease risk of food allergies.  Avoid juice. Puree fruit is better. Avoid HONEY. If you believe your baby has an allergic reaction to a food, such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting let me know. 

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Increasingly use sippy cups and wean bottle use.  (Continue to breastfeed.)   Do not change to cow’s milk yet. How much foods to give?  Continue increasing healthy foods, and water while decreasing formula to about 10-18 oz total per day by 12 months of age.  Breastfeeding is great, but do not use for comfort.

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