To learn more about baby development from 9 to 12 months, go to Baby Development from 9 to 12 Months.

Many activities can be suggested for babies from 9 to 12 months, and here are a few examples.

• Positioning the baby on their knees with support must be part of your play time. Your baby can support themselves on a piece of furniture then stands up. They will quickly be able to do it without support.

• You can also work having them stand with their back against the wall to improve support to start walking.

• Moving between furniture is another suggestion that you can use to get your baby move between two pieces of furniture. Also, over time, you can push the furniture further apart to get them to walk greater distances without them even noticing it!

• Fine motor skills are developing every day. For example, you can let them pick up small pieces of food with their fingertips.

• Walkers can be a device to help initiate them to walking, but ideally, you should take several steps between two adults or hold them by the hand or torso.

• Emptying/filling a container is an enjoyable activity. Even on all fours, they will have to raise a hand to do it. Stacking cubes one on top of the other is also fun.

• A ball that rolls when pushed amuses them like other rolling games, such as the telephone toy.

• Placing toys up high rather than on the floor and farther away will stimulate your baby’s efforts to get it.

• Play peekaboo with your baby—they love it, they’re sooo cute, they laugh, we laugh, and life is good!

That ends this educative article about the motor development of babies from 0 to 12 months.

I hope that you have learned that playing with your child is the best method. They need auditive, visual, sensory and physical stimulations and contact. Have fun with them, get pleasure from these precious moments that will allow them to develop their skills.

To promote their full development, stimulate all positions, including the back, stomach, sides, all fours, crawling, standing.

You can also watch the Facebook Live video about motor development from 0 to 12 months (in french) that I made with physiotherapist Cynthia Fontaine.

When should you consult a professional?

As parents, you’re the best judges of your baby’s development. If you’re worried, it’s always better to consult a child development professional.

Alternatively, if you note:

• Muscle tone problems (softer or very stiff);
• Slow skill acquisition;
• Late development that persists over time;
• Difficulty with fine motor skills;
• Delayed speech development (language).

I hope that this has provided you with a good idea about motor development and affective development, and that you better understand how to interact and work with them during their developmental stages.

All the best and talk to you soon,

Marie
The Baby Expert