6 to 9 Months
Please note: all babies develop at their own pace, this information should just be used as a general guide.

Physical: Your baby is seeing the world in a new way as she learns to sit and move around on her own. She is picking up and manipulating objects with one hand and bangs and shakes them. She is holding a toy in each hand, is banging the toys together, and is beginning to use both hands to hold an object. She is putting everything she can hold into her mouth to chew. She will use her legs and kick at an object to make a toy continue to move. Language: Although he is still crying to communicate his needs, he is letting you know his opinions by putting sounds together, babbling, cooing, and making a variety of sounds with his voice. He enjoys familiar finger plays and will watch you and your fingers and listen intently as you recite the words. He is beginning to understand names of favorite people and objects.

Cognitive: She is responding to her name and recognizes her primary caregiver. A favorite game is dropping a toy and looking to see where it falls. She looks for toys that are hidden or out of view. Everything she grabs goes into her mouth, as this is a way she learns about the object. She is beginning to move towards a toy that she wants in order to get it rather than wait until someone hands it to her.

Social/Emotional: He may begin to shy away from strangers and become clingy with parents and caretakers. He is showing his happiness with laughs and squeals and his displeasure by frowning and turning away. He can usually be comforted by a familiar adult when he is upset.

Playing with Your Baby: Look at your baby when playing and show him your expressions of delight, surprise, and happiness. Repeat the sounds that he makes and have baby-talk conversations. Name items and talk about what is happening around him when you are doing everyday things such as getting him dressed, during feedings, and going for a walk. Give him toys that are easy to hold and manipulate so he can explore them. Give him a basket, plastic bowl, or other containers so he can put objects in and take them out. Use your baby's name when talking to him, in songs, and during finger plays.

Reading to Your Baby: Your baby will enjoy looking at simple picture books while you name the pictures, tell the story with short phrases and sentences, recite nursery rhymes, or sing songs about the pictures. Books with photographs of real objects are especially nice for your baby to see. Give your baby chunky board books and books with vinyl or cloth pages that are easy for little hands to hold.