What usually appears
Motor: stands holding on and lets go briefly, cruises along furniture, may take first steps (9 to 15 months, the range is wide), a neat pincer grasp, puts objects into containers.
Language: points to request and to show, waves “bye”, follows simple commands with gestures (“come here”), says 1 to 2 meaningful words such as “mama” or “dada” by 12 months.
Social-emotional: cries when a parent leaves, hands over a book to be read, imitates gestures (clapping), shows a favourite toy.
Cognitive: finds a fully hidden object, imitates how objects are used (combing, phoning), understands things exist out of sight.
How to support it
Picture books with one object per page, action songs, in-and-out container play, and barefoot standing time on a safe floor. Hard shoes are not needed yet.
When to be alert
At 12 months: does not crawl or move about in any way, does not stand with support, does not point, does not wave, says no words at all, does not search for hidden objects, or loses skills previously gained.
CDC milestones at 9 months
The CDC "Learn the Signs. Act Early." checklist (2022 revision) for 9 months, grouped by area.
Social/Emotional
- Is shy, clingy, or fearful around strangers
- Shows several facial expressions, like happy, sad, angry, and surprised
- Looks when you call their name
- Reacts when you leave (looks, reaches for you, or cries)
- Smiles or laughs when you play peek-a-boo
Language/Communication
- Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “babababa”
- Lifts arms up to be picked up
Cognitive
- Looks for objects when dropped out of sight (like their spoon or toy)
- Bangs two things together
Movement/Physical
- Gets to a sitting position by themselves
- Moves things from one hand to their other hand
- Uses fingers to “rake” food towards themselves
- Sits without support
