Approximate daily routine for a child at 9 months of age
One of the requirements that the daily routine must meet is the following: the baby needs to grow up healthy and happy! He needs to eat well, get enough sleep and stay awake in order to be able to develop normally.
The living requirements for nine months are almost identical to the previous month. To better distribute and carry out tasks related to caring for a baby, an hourly daily routine will come to the rescue. It includes:
- feeding regimen - both breastfed and bottle-fed, a child at this age eats at least 5 times a day. The interval between feedings can be increased to 4 hours;
- wakefulness and games - for 2.5-3.5 hours in a row, the baby can spend time playing, communicating with mom, moving a lot around the playpen;
- daytime sleep - a baby's sleep during daylight hours should be continuous for 1.5-2 hours and 4-5 times a day;
- Night sleep averages 11 hours. The baby may wake up 1-2 times a night for night feedings;
- walks - the optimal amount of time spent outside is 1-2 hours twice a day. The duration of the walk can be increased or shortened depending on weather conditions and time of year.
An approximate table of hours will help you create an optimal daily routine, which is convenient for parents to use as a basis for organizing their daily routine.
Time | Regime processes |
6.00 | Waking up and first feeding |
6.20 – 8.30 | Morning toilet (diaper changing, washing), wakefulness |
8.30 – 10.00 | Dream |
10.00 | Second feeding |
10.20 – 12.00 | Gymnastics, fitball exercises, wakefulness |
12.00 – 14.00 | Dream |
14.00 | Feeding |
14.20 – 16.00 | Games, massage, wakefulness |
16.00 – 18.00 | Sleeping in the fresh air or at home with an open window (the main condition for “walking” at home is the absence of a draft wind) |
18.00 | Fourth feeding |
18.20 – 20.00 | Wakefulness, quiet games, hygiene procedures |
20.00 – 6.00 | Night sleep |
22.00 | Night feeding |
Important!
An optimally selected daily routine is an important factor influencing the health of a nine-month-old child. For an infant, the routine is one of the foundations of the educational process.
Sample daily routine for a 9 month old baby. Main operating points
- 6:00-6:30 It's time to wake up and have your baby's first meal.
- 6:30-8:30 The morning period of wakefulness with the obligatory implementation of the necessary hygienic procedures: washing, changing a diaper, taking air baths and light massage.
- 8:30-10:00 The first walk, combined with sleep in the fresh air.
- 10:00-10:30 It's time for the second feeding.
- 10:30-14:00 A period of active exploration of the world around us, including exercises and many educational games.
- 14:00-14:30 Another feeding of the baby.
- 14:30-16:00 Time to sleep. Sleeping is not a walk.
- 16:00-18:00 The awakened baby is full of energy and ready to perform physical exercises and educational games.
- 18:00-18:30 Time to refresh yourself.
- 18:30-20:30 A very good moment for a joint family walk, which all family members can go on.
- 20:30-22:00 It’s time to communicate with household members, favorable for quiet games; evening ritual of bathing a baby.
- 22:00 Child's evening meal.
- 22:30-6:00 Sleep until morning.
A few more additional options with a daily routine (you will already choose the best option, taking into account the characteristics of your baby):
The presented table is compiled taking into account the physiological needs of a child at 9 months: it maintains four-hour intervals between feedings, provides for two walks, and the intervals allocated for active leisure leave time for developmental activities and physical exercises.
Dream
The normal duration of sleep for a baby of this age is from eleven to fourteen hours during the day. The longest period of rest is the night rest .
Taking into account the variety of individual characteristics of nine-month-old babies, physiologists have found that most often their daytime sleep occurs:
- Biphasic, consisting of two one and a half hour periods . This is the most optimal option for daytime rest, indicating the normal mental and emotional development of the baby.
- Three-phase, including two short-term forty-minute periods of morning (at 9:00) and evening (at 19:00) rest and a long daytime sleep lasting at least two hours . If this period coincides with the time of the walk, the baby can sleep for three hours. Being a variant of the norm, such a sleep schedule indicates excessive fatigue of the baby, who is not yet ready for prolonged wakefulness.
Periods of daytime sleep are extremely important for the baby: they give him the opportunity to restore spent energy and are a guarantee of his good mood.
About sleep disorders
Parents often witness various disruptions to the normal sleep schedule:
- Some babies may need to rest not 2-3, but 4-5 times during the day, and the duration of their sleep is no more than half an hour.
- Other children sleep very poorly at night: they constantly toss and turn, shudder (why does a newborn baby shudder in their sleep?), often wake up crying (why do children cry in their sleep) and are capricious, and after waking up they cannot fall asleep for a very long time. Having calmed down in their mother’s arms after much persuasion and rocking, they are briefly forgotten in an anxious, superficial sleep, only to wake up soon again.
To normalize your baby’s sleep, it is necessary to find and eliminate the cause that provoked the disruption of its quality and cyclicity..
The culprit for the disruption of daytime sleep is most often the child’s severe overtiredness, which occurs due to the abundance of external irritants: a large number of people in the house, obsessive games of older children, too loud music, as well as too high a temperature and dry air in the children’s room (about the optimal temperature) .
To normalize night rest, the following conditions must be met:
- Before putting your baby to bed, you should ventilate the nursery well. Sleeping with the window slightly open, guaranteeing a constant flow of fresh air, is an ideal option for maintaining a comfortable microclimate;
- If your sleeping baby tends to throw off the blanket, there is no need to stand over his crib all night. All you need to do is put it on correctly before going to bed. In addition to a disposable diaper, the baby should wear light pajamas and socks;
- Excellent options for preparatory procedures that promote a long night's rest are: performing gymnastics coupled with a relaxing massage and the ritual of evening bathing the baby;
- Games before falling asleep should be calm;
- It is very good if parents include the tradition of reading good fairy tales in the procedure for putting their child to bed. The grown-up baby is already able to listen to 2-3 not too long texts;
- An excellent sound background for a baby to fall asleep is the soft singing of lullabies.
Parents are often worried about their child's restless sleep at night. There are various complaints: the baby has trouble falling asleep, often wakes up, cries in his sleep. Why does this happen and what should be done?
About diet
Knowing that the diet of a 9-month-old child includes five feedings, and the daily volume of food eaten (not counting drinking) should be at least one liter, it is easy to calculate that for one feeding he should receive at least 200 ml of products intended for baby food .
Starting at this age, for many mothers, breastfeeding begins to fade into the background (the baby is given breast upon waking up and when going to bed at night). From now on, the basis of the children's diet consists of soups, cereals, vegetable and fruit purees. To increase the nutritional value of the dish, it is advisable to add meat cut into small pieces to light soups and vegetable purees. Since the baby by this time has several (4 to 6) teeth, there is no need to wipe them .
Boiled egg yolk is no less nutritious; it is also added to soups and purees, thereby adding variety to the children's menu. You just need to remember that you should not give the baby meat and yolk on the same day.
At this age, you can introduce your child to dishes made from low-fat varieties of ocean fish (cod, pollock, haddock, hake, flounder). Considering the high allergenicity of this product, it should be introduced gradually and very carefully , starting with half a teaspoon of steamed or boiled fish fillet (you can also give fish puree from a jar).
If you feed your baby fish in the morning, you can observe his body’s reaction. However, you should not give him any other new foods. If, after being introduced to a new dish, his cheeks do not turn red and a rash does not appear, this indicates that he does not have an allergic reaction to fish. This means that next time the portion of fish can be increased a little.
It is very important that the growing baby’s diet includes enough fresh vegetables and fruits: by saturating his body with vitamins and microelements, in some cases they can solve problems with normalizing stool. If constipation occurs, peach or plum puree can act as a safe natural laxative. Pieces of fruit (peaches, bananas, apples) and berries can be added to porridge and children's cottage cheese: this will improve their taste and increase nutritional value.
It will be useful for young mothers to look at an approximate plan for the daily diet of a grown-up baby:
- 6:00 The awakened baby is applied to the chest, and the artificial baby is given a bottle of milk formula.
- 10:00 An excellent breakfast option would be porridge and fresh fruit puree.
- 14:00 For lunch, you can offer your baby vegetable soup with pieces of meat or egg yolk. A good option for a meal would be vegetable puree with meat, and a grated apple would be suitable as a dessert. Over time, ocean fish dishes can become a complete substitute for meat.
- 18:00 The best time to have a snack of baby cottage cheese and fruit juice. Little ones who love heartier food can dine on porridge with pieces of finely chopped meat.
- 22:00 The falling asleep baby is again placed on the mother's breast or given milk formula.
To maintain the correct water balance in the baby’s body, the mother must make sure that he receives the required amount of liquid: baby tea, drinking water, fruit drinks and juices.
Category – baby feeding
My feeding chart for 6-9 months
About physical development
Nine-month-old babies can stand on their feet without any problems and begin to walk with the support of both arms or holding on to some support. In order to help strengthen their muscles, it is necessary to do gymnastics at least twice a day , including in the complex exercises:
- with circular rotation of handles;
- for flexion and extension of the legs (simultaneous and alternate);
- with alternate bending and extension of the baby’s arms holding on to mother’s fingers;
- stimulating crawling;
- with sliding steps;
- for squats (with support from the armpits);
- with the body tilted forward (with straightened legs).
READ ALSO: teaching a baby to walk - 10 ways
Before performing the next exercise, you need to relieve muscle tension with a light relaxing massage. Each movement should be repeated at least five times, and the total duration of the complex should not exceed ten to fifteen minutes.
In an effort to teach their baby to walk as quickly as possible, many mothers use walkers, unaware that this simple exercise machine is too much of a burden for fragile legs..
Even an experienced pediatrician cannot say exactly what kind of load is necessary for the proper development of a particular child, and some mothers, carried away by household chores, have babies in walkers for an unreasonably long time. That is why it is better to stop using walkers, giving the baby the opportunity to independently learn new skills.
READ ALSO: walkers PROS and CONS
About educational games and activities
- Children’s favorite games are still “Ladushki” and “Magpie-Crow”;
- Nine months of age is a time of active development of fine motor skills, which is why babies begin to show interest in small objects, trying to pick a flower or pick up a pebble while walking. Knowing this, the mother must control her baby, stopping all his attempts to put the find in his mouth. But during feeding, this interest must be supported in every possible way, giving the baby the opportunity to hold pieces of bread or slices of fruit in his hands. It is also useful to give him a spoon - trying to control it over and over again, the baby will learn to eat on his own after some time (10 ways to teach a baby to eat with a spoon);
- Activities that involve inserting (and then removing) peas, beans, or lentils into a ball of salted dough greatly enhance the development of fine motor skills. You can offer the baby to collect scattered buttons, large beads or stones in a box. During these activities, the adult should very carefully watch the baby as he puts each object into his mouth;
- Children of this age really enjoy playing hide and seek. Both parents can take part in the game. One, hiding around the corner, should say “ku-ku” and for a moment appear like a baby. After this, taking the baby in her arms, the mother can hide with him and peek around the corner in the same way. The baby's delight will know no bounds;
- It's time to introduce your baby to the concept of color. Over the course of several days, you can build a tower of one-color cubes with him, all the time focusing his attention on the name of their color. Then you can add one cube of contrasting color. Let the baby remember and understand the difference in colors. After a while, you can ask him to serve a cube of a certain color. A variant of the game is to work with the sizes (large-small) and number (one-many) of objects (we teach colors with the child - 5 techniques).
READ ALSO: baby development at 9 months and read about baby skills at 9 months
Daily adherence to the same daily routine disciplines the baby, develops a number of useful skills and habits (for example, the procedure of morning washing, the desire to wash hands before eating, the habit of waking up and eating by the clock, the ritual of taking a bath every night), which will be useful to him in life. further.
← daily routine at 8 months daily routine at 10 months →
Differences in daily routines between breastfeeding and bottle-feeding
The main difference in the daily routine for different types of feeding a baby is that it is more difficult to accustom a baby “on the breast” to a life schedule by the hour. If a breastfed child has been fed on demand since birth, it may take more than one month to establish an hourly feeding schedule.
If the baby received milk in a predictable alternation of feeding hours, then the daily routine of a breastfed baby will be no different from the regimen of a baby fed with formula, and it will be easy to establish it.
The formula-fed daily routine is regular (the formula must be given at certain hours), which is optimal for both the baby and the mother: you can plan your day rationally. A baby accustomed to the regimen experiences calm sleep, a healthy appetite, and a lack of anxiety.
Approximate daily routine
Each child is individual, as is the daily routine of each individual family. The table shows the optimal daily routine, which can be adjusted taking into account the characteristics of a particular baby.
- 6:00-6:30 – rise and first breakfast.
- 6:35-8:30 – period of morning wakefulness, hygienic procedures: washing, washing, taking air baths, performing massage.
- 8:35-10:00 – walk; as a rule, the child’s first nap during the day occurs at this time.
- 10:05-10:30 – return from a walk and second breakfast.
- 10:35-14:00 – period of daytime wakefulness, accompanied by physical exercises, developmental activities and simply learning everything new and interesting.
- 14:05-14:30 – lunch time.
- 14:35-16:00 – afternoon nap.
- 16:05-18:00 – a period of active pastime, can be combined with both outdoor games and educational lessons.
- 18:05-18:30 – afternoon tea
- 18:35-20:30 – evening walk. The energy spent during this time will allow the baby to get ready for bed without any problems upon returning home.
- 20:35-22:00 – time for quiet games, reading books, relaxing pastime, time for water procedures.
- 22:05-22:30 – dinner
- 22:30-06:00 – night sleep
If your baby's routine does not match what is shown in the table, this is not critical. The most important thing when creating a daily routine for a 9-month-old child is to observe the following points: there are intervals between feedings lasting 4 hours, the number of walks is two, the child’s waking time should include both active activities aimed at physical development and activities aimed at developing thinking and speech.
One day in the life of a 9 month old baby
At the 9th month of life, the child masters many skills and abilities. Throughout the month, the little one will diligently train to walk. These are short, two-step walks sideways along the sofa. And taking mom or dad by the hand, the baby suddenly realizes that you can walk not only along the sofa! And with the help of his parents, the heir begins to actively move around the house.
On a note!
At 9 months, babies stand on their feet, holding tightly to support. Usually this is the side of a crib or playpen. The child happily copies the simple actions of adults. At this age, a child will easily learn to play simple children's games: “peek-a-boo” and “okay”.
Here's what a typical day might look like for a nine-month-old baby
Good morning! | Most children at this age wake up early, along with the first rays of the sun. The first time a baby wakes up is to eat. The baby is attached to the breast or drinks formula from a bottle. |
I want to move | A new day has begun, the baby is full, happy and wants to stay awake. It's time to wash your face and do a set of morning exercises. You can turn on the music and practice with your child. The main thing is to have fun with your mother. |
Let's rest a little | After being awake, many babies want to take a little more nap. Not all children at 9 months sleep three times a day, but the mother should try to maintain this morning sleep - the child still needs it. |
And here comes breakfast! | Time has passed since the first morning feeding; it’s time to replenish your strength with breakfast. It’s nice to start the day with tasty and healthy porridge; let it become a good habit from infancy. |
Jump, play | After breakfast, the baby will happily start playing. You can look through bright cardboard books, or you can knock on the pan with a ladle in the kitchen while mom is busy cooking. The main thing is to have fun! |
For a walk | Babies usually love to go for walks, but few people like getting ready and getting dressed for a walk. The baby will be happy to look at everything around him, and after a while he can sweetly fall asleep in the stroller. |
Lunch break | After getting enough sleep, the child will not mind having lunch, having received a portion of milk or a healthy complementary food dish. After eating, the baby will be ready to actively play and have fun. |
Fizkult-hello | While mom is preparing dinner for the family, the little one can have fun crawling next to her, deftly collecting rings on a pyramid, or throwing balls into an empty pan. Whatever the child amuses himself with! |
Meeting at the site | The sun is setting, but just at this time there are many children on the playground. How the little fidget would like to join them, ride on the swing, down the slide! The baby will play a little, and then, as during the previous walk, he can sleep. |
Dinner is waiting! | The whole family is at the table, and the main family member, of course, too. The baby has her own high chair and always her own cutlery. I really want to try something from the adult table! Gradually, you can allow your child to treat himself to healthy adult dishes by safely chopping them. |
It's evening | It's time to take a bath and play with your favorite toys before bed. Sometimes dad comes home late from work, and now is the time to chat with him. Before getting ready for bed, you can have a snack, such as baby yogurt or thin porridge. |
Sweet dreams! | The day has come to an end, and tomorrow new adventures will await the little one. Sing your baby a lullaby and kiss him good night. Children grow up so fast. |
8 month old child: How much sleep do you need?
At 8 months, children sleep 9-12 hours a day, several times during the day. Daytime sleep can be from 30 minutes to 2 hours. However, be prepared for disruptions to your sleep patterns at this age. In some children, separation anxiety at this age causes sleep disturbances. What does this mean? Your baby may begin to sleep less than before or wake up during the night, even if he was previously able to sleep soundly through the night. Here's how you can help your baby sleep better:
- If your baby sleeps in a separate room, do not close the door at night. If your child hears your voice, he will feel calmer.
- Do not forbid your baby to suck his thumb - this is how he calms himself down.
- Come up with a transitional object: a small blanket or toy that will give your child a sense of security in your absence. This is an object to which attachment is developed, and, being close to the child, it gives the baby a feeling that everything is okay.
- If your baby bursts into tears in the middle of the night, pat him on the back and comfort him with words.
If your baby cries at night, try not to turn on the light, rock him or walk him around the room. And also do not feed or take with you to bed. If you do this to comfort your baby, he may have difficulty learning to fall asleep on his own in the future. He will associate falling asleep with these rituals, and he will need them every time to fall asleep.
Feeding the baby
Until about eight months, the baby, feeding on mother's milk, receives from it almost all the necessary nutrients (including complementary foods). From eight to nine months, the baby begins to receive more active complementary feeding, and at this time dishes from animal protein should appear on the menu.
In order for the baby’s immunity, metabolism and digestive system to function normally, the children’s diet should include fruits and vegetables in the form of homogenized purees.
Sample menu for a 9 month old baby | ||
feeding time | breastfed | bottle-fed |
6.00 | breast milk | formula milk |
10.00 | 150 g pureed porridge (buckwheat, rice) with 1 tsp. vegetable oil, 2 tbsp. classic cottage cheese, 3 tbsp. fruit puree | 150 g pureed porridge (buckwheat, rice), 4 tbsp. classic cottage cheese, 6 tsp. fruit juice |
14.00 | breast milk, 2 tbsp. baby yogurt, 6 tsp. fruit juice | 20 g vegetable soup with light meat broth, 150 g vegetable puree with 1 tsp. vegetable oil, ½ boiled egg yolk, scraped apple |
18.00 | 150 g vegetable puree with the addition of meat puree, ½ boiled egg yolk, 6 tsp. fruit juice, peeled apple | milk mixture, 50 g of vegetable puree with the addition of meat puree or offal (liver, tongue), baby cookies |
22.00 | breast milk | milk formula or baby kefir |
Recommendations from pediatricians and nutritionists regarding the daily diet of a 9-month-old baby take into account the body's needs for vitamins, including calcium and vitamin D. Breast milk is undoubtedly the best balanced product for a child of 1 year of age, which contains enough calcium, but is low in vitamins D for the full development of the baby. It is for this reason that it is very important to promptly introduce egg yolk, vegetable oil, and cottage cheese into the children's menu.
How to feed a whimsy?
The baby may refuse the offered dishes in two cases:
- he does not like the taste or smell of the product;
- he has no appetite due to poor health.
To solve the problem, first of all you need to exclude the presence of any acute or chronic disease in the baby.
Based on an examination of the child and the results of the necessary tests, the local pediatrician will help you understand where the reason lies for the refusal to try certain foods. Important!
Before engaging in all kinds of culinary experiments, if you persistently refuse complementary feeding, take your baby to the doctor.
Breastfeeding and first teeth
Some mothers are worried about how feeding will continue once the baby’s first baby teeth appear. Teething will not affect eating in any way if the baby initially latch onto the breast correctly. The main thing is that the baby does not pull off the mother’s nipple and does not cause pain. Unusual sensations in the mouth and itchy gums can cause anxiety in the baby; the child may cry at the breast and even hit his mother with his fists.
What to do?
You should feed your baby while holding his head as close to your chest as possible. You should not allow the nipple to be pulled or bitten, so that it does not become a habit. It is possible and necessary to have a meal while the child is dozing or sleeping. It is useful to praise the baby for careful and careful handling of his mother’s breast.
When and what to eat?
A child's diet at nine months remains the same; the baby eats five times a day.
6:00 | Breakfast | Mother's milk or special formula. |
10:00 | Lunch | Porridge or fruit (vegetable) puree. |
14:00 | Dinner | Vegetable puree with added meat or vegetable broth soup. Additionally, you can feed it with grated apple. Gradually introduce low-fat types of sea fish (pollock, hake, cod). |
18:00 | Dinner | Cottage cheese with fruit. You can replace it with porridge with meat (if the child ate little at lunch, was too active or had low-calorie food for lunch). Additionally, they give fruit juice, kefir, fruit drink or children's tea. Sometimes the meat is replaced with hard-boiled chicken egg yolk. |
22:00 | Second dinner | Mother's milk or special formula. |
A child’s appetite is affected by his activity during the day, compliance with the regime, and state of health. You should not force feed your baby. It is better to try increasing the amount of food at the next feeding. The daily volume of food for a nine-month-old baby is 1–1.1 liters (excluding water and other drinks).
If the child is breastfed, then gradually this type of food ceases to be the main one.
At 9 months, bottle-fed babies usually do not wake up for night feedings. Babies whose diet includes mother's milk can ask for breastfeeding once a night. This is normal at this age, so the child is given the opportunity to eat during night sleep.
The baby's daily diet should be varied, with a sufficient amount of vegetables, fruits, and protein foods. They still follow the golden rule of complementary feeding: introduce only 1 new product per day at a time, starting with a small portion, and preferably in the first half of the day.
Approximate daily allowance of products in the menu of a nine-month-old child: 200 g of cereals and vegetables, 100 g of fruit, 60 g of meat, 30 g of fish, 50 g of cottage cheese, 20 g of bread, no more than 5 g of vegetable or butter.
Meat is partially replaced with fish. They do this gradually, eventually, about once every three days, meat dishes are replaced by fish ones. You can give the yolk of half a chicken egg no more than twice a week. We use only high-quality products, without preservatives, flavors and other harmful substances.
When feeding, avoid too large portions and foods that can cause allergies. Usually at this age the baby already has several teeth, so he is gradually taught to chew. First, stop completely grinding soft foods (fruits, vegetables). If the child does not choke, then they begin to give meat not in the form of minced meat, but in small pieces.
If you are prone to constipation, you can include natural laxatives in your baby’s diet: puree from plums or peaches, decoction of prunes. Drinking enough liquid for your baby can also help avoid problems with bowel movements. This is especially important for children who are bottle-fed, as well as for all babies in the hot season.
A nine-month-old child can easily hold down food: a slice of bread or a piece of fruit. Let him gnaw on such food, but you need to be careful so that the baby does not choke after biting off a piece. To ensure your child’s safety, it is convenient to use a nibbler for such snacks.
Baby's sleep
A child aged nine months sleeps at least 11-12 hours at night. The period of night rest is the longest in the baby’s daily routine. How long should a baby sleep during the day? During daylight hours, the baby rests twice for 1-1.5 hours, and once goes to bed for a long two-hour nap. If daytime sleep is combined with a walk, it can increase by an average of another 1 hour.
The benefits of long daytime naps for infants:
- good mood of the toddler;
- charging the child with energy for the second half of the day;
- active production of growth hormone;
- increasing immunity;
- During sleep, the baby’s brain processes previously received information, systematizes it, accumulates experience, and as a result, the child’s mental abilities increase.
How to deal with sleep disorders?
Getting a baby to sleep can be challenging. To prevent parents from having problems with this, you can try introducing a daily ritual before putting your child in the crib. This will help the little one clearly understand when to sleep. The routine and sequence play an important role: first dinner, then bathing, mom kisses and sings a familiar song, then the eyes close and magical dreams come... Pat the little one on the back, sing a lullaby. If you are breastfeeding, feed him before bed. The child will be calmer if the mother stays nearby until he falls asleep.
Basic rules for healthy sleep:
- comfortable microclimate in the children's bedroom (ventilation before bedtime, optimal air temperature and humidity);
- the right clothes for sleeping - a light cotton slip or pajamas;
- the presence of an evening preparation ritual for bed (bathing, massage, calm communication);
- background sound – a quiet lullaby, dim light.
Note!
Frequent culprits for disruption of cyclicity and tranquility of sleep are overwork and the presence of external irritants (flickering TV lights, loud communication of family members, playing music, unpleasant odors in the room, etc.).
New parents: Meeting a new nanny and finishing breastfeeding
If your child is experiencing separation anxiety and you need to introduce him to a new nanny, you need to think about how to prepare your baby for a new person. Some tips on how to introduce your baby to a new nanny:
- Hold your baby in your arms while you talk to the sitter. This way he knows that this person can be trusted.
- Let the nanny talk to the baby while he is in your arms. This will help build trust.
- Place your baby on the floor with his favorite toys and let the nanny slowly come closer and join the game.
- Try leaving the room for a while, and if all goes well, you can feel confident leaving your baby with a babysitter.
If you have been breastfeeding all this time, you may notice that now that your baby is trying new foods, his interest in the breast may decrease slightly. This is called natural cessation of feeding, and it is completely normal to be guided by your baby's needs. Continue to offer him a variety of foods, breastfeeding on demand.
Some mothers stop breastfeeding for external reasons, including lack of support from family and friends, lack of pumping facilities, or lack of breastfeeding facilities in the workplace. When to stop breastfeeding, every mother decides for herself. Breast milk is recommended as the only food for a baby in the first 6 months of life. It is recommended to continue breastfeeding along with the introduction of solid foods for up to a year or even two. If you have questions about weaning and introducing complementary foods, consult your pediatrician or lactation consultant.
If you are confident that your baby is getting all the nutrients he needs, but you and your baby are not ready to stop breastfeeding, try not to be pressured by any external circumstances or opinions.
Hygiene procedures
Hygiene is one of the main conditions for the strong and harmonious development of a child. It is necessary to take care not only of the noses, ears, and navel, but also of the area under the diaper. Intimate hygiene for girls and boys has its differences, but there are general rules that every parent should know:
- Both boys and girls need to be washed from top to bottom, moving from the tummy to the butt. It is better not to use washcloths - they can easily damage delicate skin;
- You should use soap when washing only if the child has pooped. If the baby just wet the diapers, running water is enough to wash it off;
- After washing, the baby's skin should be blotted with a towel (but not rubbed) and allowed to lie without a diaper for 10-15 minutes. After an air bath, you can apply powder or use a special anti-diaper rash cream.
On a note!
For children under one year old, disposable diapers are changed frequently, every 3-4 hours, regardless of the degree of fullness. When changing the baby, it is recommended to wash it, even if it seems that the skin is clean. Proper care will help avoid allergic reactions and inflammatory processes.
What should a toddler have in his cosmetic bag?
The child must have his own children's hygiene kit. In addition to caring cosmetics for delicate skin, there must be several basic items for the necessary care.
Safety scissors | At 9 months, the baby is a real fidget, and trimming his nails with adult nail scissors is very dangerous. To make the procedure easier, you can purchase a special children's nail care kit. The scissors in it have rounded tips, so they are absolutely safe. They cannot hurt a child, and you don’t have to wait until bedtime to cut your baby’s nails. |
Cotton pads or pads | They are useful for wiping wrinkles on the body when changing a diaper, as well as for carefully applying cosmetics to the baby’s sensitive skin. |
Hair brush and comb | These accessories will be useful for combing out crusts on the baby’s head (after lubricating the scalp with oil), as well as for combing the child’s hair after a bath and in the morning after sleep. For combing, it is better to choose wooden products - they have a better antistatic effect and do not cause irritation. |
Baby's diet
A child who has reached 9 months of age should eat 5 times a day. At the same time, according to pediatricians, the daily volume of food consumed should be 1 liter. This means that at each feeding the child should eat 200 ml. This figure does not include drinking.
By this age, the child receives all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals from complementary foods. Breast milk remains as a supplementary food. And very often, babies are offered breasts only before bed or in the morning, after waking up.
The baby's diet during this period should become more nutritious. This can be achieved by adding meat to vegetable soups and pureed soups. In this case, it is advisable to chop the meat using a knife. As a rule, at this age children have 4-6 teeth, which means they have the opportunity to bite and chew non-hard pieces.
When giving meat in this way, keep an eye on your child. If he is unable to chew and chokes, then the meat should be chopped more thoroughly. The main principle is not to force the child to do something for which his chewing apparatus is not ready, but at the same time gradually accustom him to chewing, starting with less fibrous types of meat.
In addition to meat, an excellent source of nutrients is egg yolk. It should be boiled hard for at least 15 minutes. You can give it to your child as part of soups and cereals. It is not recommended to give your child yolk and meat at the same meal.
Fish is a healthy product, and 9 months is the age when you need to introduce your baby to it. Low-fat varieties such as cod, hake, and pollock are suitable for introducing fish.
Processing method: steaming or boiling. An alternative to homemade preparation is fish puree from a jar. It must be taken into account that fish is highly allergenic. This means you need to pay great attention to the reaction of the child’s body to a new product. It should be administered in the morning. This will give you more time to monitor for unwanted reactions. The first portion should not exceed half a teaspoon. If no rashes appear on the baby’s skin, the portion of fish can be increased the next day. Gradually bringing her up to the required age norm.
Vegetables and fruits are an essential component of a baby’s daily diet. Their daily consumption in sufficient quantities contributes to:
- Ensure that the child’s body receives sufficient amounts of vitamins, microelements, and fiber.
- Improving the functioning of the digestive system.
The problem of constipation in children is very common, and it is the consumption of foods such as plums, peaches, and carrots that helps normalize stool. So, as a plant-based laxative, you can use prune puree, as well as peach purees and juices. Porridge and cottage cheese can also be supplemented with pieces of children's favorite fruits. This will increase the nutritional value of the dish and also stimulate the chewing process.
When creating your baby’s menu, you should take into account the recommended daily allowances of various products:
- Cereals, porridge 200 gr.
- Vegetables 200 gr.
- Fruits 100 gr.
- Meat 60 gr.
- Fish 30 gr.
- Yolk 1/2
- Cottage cheese 50 gr.
- Bread 20 gr.
It should be borne in mind that fish should be present in the child’s diet not every day, but 2-3 times a week. Do not forget about the mandatory use of oils (vegetable and butter) - no more than 5 grams. each type of oil. It can be added to porridge or soups.
An approximate menu for a baby for the day looks like this:
- At the moment of awakening - breast milk or formula, depending on the method of feeding the child.
- 10-hour feeding - milk porridge and fruit puree.
- Lunch – vegetable soup or puree soup with pieces of meat, or half a pre-chopped yolk. If fish is introduced, meat can be replaced with boiled or steamed fish within the daily allowance. For dessert, the child is offered fruit.
- An afternoon snack is usually a fairly light snack consisting of cottage cheese and fruit juice. In case your baby does not get enough of this, you can periodically replace it with porridge with vegetables.
- Dinner is the feeding that precedes a long night's sleep. At the age of 9 months, it is breast milk or a bottle of formula.
Fluid is important for a child's body. Pediatricians say that it is preferable to drink plain water. But if the baby does not drink it particularly well or in order to diversify the drinking diet, he can already be offered tea from special children's lines, homemade fruit drinks and juices.
A child's diet at the age of 9 months should be balanced and varied with sufficient fluids.
Physical development at 9 months
The older the baby, the more interesting it is to do gymnastics with him. But there are also more complications: the nine-month-old toddler is showing interest in independence. But even if a set of exercises at some point began to look like “fussing,” specially selected actions can be beneficial.
- Exercise “bicycle” - with legs bent at the knees, lowering and rising, as if on pedals. This activity perfectly strengthens the leg muscles. Try to remove your hands from the child’s legs; perhaps he will be able to make a couple of turns on his own without support. Repeat 4-6 times.
- Lifting - from a lying position on his back, the baby moves to a vertical position. You need to put your fingers into the child’s fists and slowly pull them towards you. The child sits down. Then we pull up and the child stands up. The exercise is repeated 5-7 times.
- Massage – after physical exercise, let the baby rest and massage his back and tummy. To avoid getting bored, you can play “rails-rails, sleepers-sleepers.” This is stroking the back in different directions, “rails” – vertically, “sleepers” – horizontally. You can also depict how “the goslings are nibbling the grass” and the chickens are collecting grains. The duration of the massage is up to 10 minutes.
- You can also make a stimulating mat for your baby with your own hands - a canvas with fragments of different textures for foot massage and prevention of the development of flat feet. Artificial grass, soft pile, buttons and pockets with sand - the imagination for creating such an orthopedic rug has no limits. Walk your baby by the hand on such a rug as often as possible, and the child will not have problems with his feet.