The Playbook

Your Baby at 9 Months: Babbling, Pulling Up and the 9-Month Checkup

By the Guide to Fatherhood editorial team. Last reviewed . 2 min read.

Checked against guidance from organizations like the AAP, CDC, ACOG and NHS (linked below). This is general information, not medical advice. Read our medical disclaimer.

Your to-do list this month

  • Go to the 9-month checkup. It often includes a structured developmental screening.
  • Read together every day, even for five minutes. Point and name things on every page.
  • Lower the crib mattress to its lowest setting before your baby can pull to stand in it.
  • Narrate your day out loud. 'Dad's making coffee. Hot! Now we're putting on shoes.'
A conversation to have this month

"Is there anything about our baby's development either of us has been quietly worried about?" Bring it to the checkup. Asking early is always the right call.

What your baby is doing

The CDC’s 9-month milestones include:

  • Social: shy or clingy around strangers, several facial expressions (happy, sad, angry, surprised), looks when you call their name, reacts when you leave.
  • Language: makes different sounds like “mamamama” and “babababa,” lifts arms up to be picked up.
  • Thinking: looks for objects when dropped out of sight, bangs two things together.
  • Movement: gets to a sitting position alone, moves things from one hand to the other, uses fingers to “rake” food toward themselves, sits without support.

Many babies are also pulling up to stand on furniture, and some are developing a pincer grasp (thumb and finger) for tiny pieces of food.

The 9-month checkup

The AAP’s Bright Futures schedule includes a structured developmental screening at 9 months. Expect a questionnaire about what your baby is doing. Fill it out honestly, not optimistically; it exists to catch things early, when help works best.

If either of you has been quietly worried about something (hearing, movement, eye contact, anything), bring it up. Pediatricians would much rather hear it now.

Talk, talk, talk

This is a language-explosion age, even if words haven’t arrived yet. Babies learn language from conversation with the people they love. Things that help:

  • Narrate what you’re doing.
  • Respond to babbling like it’s conversation. Pause for your baby’s “turn.”
  • Read every day. Point at pictures and name them. Let your baby turn the (cardboard) pages.
  • Sing. Your voice is the point; your pitch doesn’t matter.

Safety update

  • Lower the crib mattress to its lowest position before your baby can pull to stand.
  • Check furniture anchors and gates. Pulling up means pulling on everything.
  • Keep the car seat rear-facing. Your baby will stay rear-facing well past the first birthday in most convertible seats.

Frequently asked questions

What should a 9-month-old be doing?

The CDC's 9-month milestones include showing several facial expressions, looking when you call their name, reacting when you leave, making sounds like 'mamamama', banging two things together, sitting without support, and looking for objects that drop out of sight. Babies develop at different paces; ask your pediatrician about any concerns.

Why is there a developmental screening at 9 months?

The AAP recommends structured developmental screening at the 9-month visit (and again later) to catch delays early, when support helps most.

Sources

  1. Milestones by 9 Months, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  2. Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care (Periodicity Schedule), American Academy of Pediatrics, Bright Futures
  3. Home Safety: Tips for Families With Young Children, AAP (HealthyChildren.org)

We link to the original source for every medical and safety claim. Guidance changes; if a source has been updated since our last review, the source wins. How we research.