Tips for your 7-9 month old baby

HELP ME BE HEALTHY.

At this checkup, the doctor will:

• Weigh and measure me.
• Check my development.
• Check my heart, lungs, and other body parts.
• Give me any vaccines and blood tests I missed before.

Remember to take my health journal to the doctor visit.

Plan my meals

• At 8 months, I can have meats prepared for babies. Add the baby food meats to my meals of cereal, vegetables, and fruit.
• Don’t feed me hard foods or foods that crumble easily, like graham crackers. I could choke on them.
• Help me start drinking from a cup. This will take time. I like the cups with a cover to keep me from spilling. If you don’t have a cover for my cup, put only a small amount in the cup when you give it to me. Don’t give me a Styrofoam cup. I like to chew on the foam. If I chew off a piece of foam, I could choke.

Shoes or no shoes.

• I don’t really need shoes to help me learn how to walk.
• After I do learn how to walk, shoes or sneakers will protect my feet.

KEEP ME SAFE.

Now that I can pull myself up, there are new dangers.

• When you cook. turn pot handles to the center of the stove.
• Don’t leave spoons or anything hanging over the edge of the stove.
• Check knobs on the TV and stereo to make sure they can’t come off.
• Watch out for carts, chairs, tables with wheels, floor lamps, and aquariums that could fall over. When I pull or push on these, they could fall on me.
• Move the crib mattress to the lowest position so I can’t fall or climb out.
• Keep things picked up so I don’t trip on anything or swallow some­thing I should not.
• Use corner protectors on sharp edges of furniture.
• Keep the bathroom door closed so I don’t play in the toilet bowl.

Check my toys. Make sure they are not broken and they don’t have any sharp edges or pieces that can hurt me. If I have stuffed animals and dolls with button eyes or noses, make sure they cannot come off. I could choke on them.

Put things out of reach that you don’t want me to swallow or put in my mouth. Pills, cleaners, makeup, and plants are dangerous. If you think I have swallowed something, first call the Poison Control Center toll-free at 1-800-222-1222.

Take away anything that dangles. I will pull on a table cloth or dresser scarf. Keep my crib away from curtains and venetian blind cords.

When you take me shopping, strap me into the shopping cart seat. If there isn’t a strap, make sure that I stay in the seat.

Watch me carefully when I’m around water. I like to play in water, but I can easily drown in a few inches of water in a tub, toilet bowl, bucket, or wading pool.

PLAY WITH ME, IT HELPS ME LEARN.

• Put a small ball on my high chair tray and teach me how to make the ball move.
• Help me learn the names of my body parts by pointing to them and naming them. I won’t be able to say them for a while.
• Play hide and seek with me. Ask me, “Where is (name a person)?” I will try to look for them.
• Read to me. Look at magazines and picture books with me. Point to a picture and name it. Say “See the cat,” and, “Look at the flower.” Ask me sometimes, “What is thatt’ Wait a few seconds before you tell me. Soon I will be able to give you an answer.
• Build towers with blocks or toys.
• Play “So Big!” Show me how to lift my arms over my head and say, “So big.”
• Give me a chance to smell some safe things, such as food, flowers, and spices.
• Help me learn why some things are not safe. If I go to the stove or heater, say, “hot,” and move me away. If I reach for a shoe and you know it will go in my mouth, say, “Tastes bad,” and move me away.

WATCH HOW I GROW.

Children are very different from one another.
I’m special. I learn at my own pace. Help me practice new skills when you play with me. Most babies have the following skills at the end of 9 months. If you are worried about me, talk to my doctor or nurse.To find a nearby Early Childhood Intervention program, call the OARS Help line toll-free at 1-800-628-5115.

Watch for me to:

• Sit for a few seconds without any help.
• Feed myself dry cereal or foods I can eat with my fingers. I’m pretty messy.
• Say “ma,” “ga,” “da,” “di,” “ba,” and other sounds.
• Pick up small things, like a piece of dry cereal, using my whole hand in a raking motion.
• Listen to people talking and try to make the same sounds.
• Hold a small block in one hand and pass it to the other hand.
• Look for something that I have dropped.
• Hold onto something and stand for about five seconds.

You may notice that I also:

• Get upset if you leave me, even if it’s for a short time. I will feel better when you return.
• Start to drink juice from a cup.
• Know which toys are mine. I don’t like it when my toys are taken away.
• Might be afraid of things that were okay before. I might be afraid of my bath, a babysitter, or the dark.
• Might be stubborn sometimes. This is part of growing up.
• Might be fearful or shy of strangers.