The Ninth Month of a Baby's Life

The ninth month of a baby’s life is full of expressions of affection. There are never enough caresses, kisses, hugs or tender gestures during this stage.

This implies a huge sense of satisfaction for all mothers and it’s enough to fill every parent’s heart with love.

In this article, we’ll share with you some of the changes that may occur during the ninth month of your baby’s life.

Changes that occur during the ninth month

They assimilate your routines

If you’ve been firm and fulfilled your baby’s routines diligently, you’ll notice that your baby has started to assimilate routines.

You may be pleasantly surprised when you tell them “it’s time to eat” or “it’s bath time.”

Keep it up, as routines can greatly benefit a child’s life. They give them a sense of order and security.

They become chatterboxes of consonants

It’s exciting and fun to hear how your child tries to imitate conversations by making sounds.

To stimulate language, try to read to them regularly. Tell them a short story in a clear voice so they can memorize it. Sooner or later, they may surprise you with their first words.

Weight and size

In the first two trimesters, the baby grows very quickly. However, as they get older, their growth slows down a little bit.

Normal weight for a 9-month-old baby is around 9kg while the normal height is approximately 72.39 centimeters.

Teething

We’ve already gone through this process and know the changes that the appearance of milk teeth imply.

At this age their upper central incisor emerge and the others will emerge progressively. If you notice they’re teething, you can relieve their gums using cold fruits or vegetables.

What should babies eat during stage?

When a baby reaches the age of nine months, you can give them some fruits and vegetables such as: tomatoes, seedless grapes, tangerines, melon, kiwi, pineapple, etc.

You can also start experimenting with meat such as lamb, rabbit, chicken and veal.

Soups along with rice and vegetables are also good ideas during this stage.

You can prepare a lot of the foods you’ve been giving them previously, and add a little more creativity when it comes to presentation.

Although you’ve already started offering your baby different fruits, don’t forget to give them natural fruit juices as well. They love juices and they’re also healthy.

Recommendations for taking care of a 9-month-old baby

As the baby grows they’ll require more physical effort. This in turn means that parents need to be energetic and healthy.

It’s also important for parents to learn how to take a break and delegate tasks from time to time.

When a child reaches this age they can be left in the care of another adult for a short while so that you can rest.

Take a couple of hours, have a relaxing bath, meet up with your friends for some coffee or you could even go for a massage.

These are some activities that don’t require too much time, however they’re beneficial to you and your baby.

Things to keep in mind:

• As babies begin to recognize themselves as individuals, it’s important to take advantage in order to reinforce their knowledge about themselves. Teach them the parts of their body. This can be done when talking to them during bath time: “Let’s wash our belly” and “let’s wash our face” are a few examples.
• Have some toys handy for bath time. This can make the experience fun for the baby.
• Sleep disorders are normal between the seventh and tenth month. They’re sometimes caused by “separation syndrome.”
• It’s time for them to learn how to share. We often think they’re still too young to be taught about values. However, now’s the time. You’ll see amazing results in the future. Ask for some of their food or one of their toys and then praise them for their kindness.
• You’ll also notice that your baby will begin to respond to simple commands such as “come here”, “don’t touch that” or “give mom a kiss.”
• Go on walks together. Going out to the park or even to a shopping mall can be beneficial to their social development.

The ninth month of a baby’s life is an experience that we should take advantage of. Although it’s true that every stage of childhood is beautiful and memorable, the first months of a baby’s life are golden.

Try to take pictures to capture this stage. You’ll be grateful when you get to relive these moments whenever you want to in the future.