Your Baby and You: Week Thirty Six
Highlights
YOUR BABY
Physical Development: Standing tall
Your baby may now be able to stand if he is holding on to someone or something. Watch out though as your baby may be a bit wobbly!
Behavioural Development: I'm an explorer!
At 9 months of age, your baby is a little adventurer. You will find she will be making a huge mess of the house. She will empty every draw, bag, box and cupboard she can get her hands on as she explores this new territory. She will really enjoy taking objects or toys out of a bucket or box and then putting them back in again. Unless she is in danger, try not to discourage your baby from this activity.
If you are finding the extra mess difficult to live with, move anything you don't want her to touch out of the way or use safety locks on cupboard doors. Where her exploration is getting a little dangerous then be firm with her, it is unlikely that she will pay much attention to you, but it is important to start being clear and firm with them from the beginning. Tell her 'no' and take her away from whatever it is that they are doing. You will, of course, find that there is a certain amount of entertainment to be had for them in returning to the same site to repeat the process. So after taking them away, offer them something else to engage them. Try giving your baby her own cupboard in the kitchen or a special discovery box into which you can put a variety of baby-safe objects for her to discover.
Feeding: Variety is the spice of life
Make sure you offer your baby a wide range of foods. It is important to keep up the variety to get your baby used to trying new tastes and textures. If your baby is formula fed, his need for protein, calcium and iron is not significant until he reaches 12 months old, but it is vital to introduce these foods gradually before then. Iron is very important for your baby's physical and mental development. Great sources of iron include fortified breakfast cereals, red meat, poultry (chicken and turkey), oily fish (for example salmon and mackerel), pulses (for example baked beans and lentils), bread, eggs, green leafy vegetables and dried fruit (dried apricots are rich in iron). Take a look at our Meal Planners for ideas on how to offer your baby a wide variety of foods.
Care Advice: Moving a sleeping baby
Many babies regularly doze off in the car; the motion and the warmth of the car seat hugs lots of babies to an easy slumber. But what is best to do when you get home or to your destination? It is never advisable to leave a baby unattended in a car so you may want to move your baby from the car into the house for a sleep in their cot, or from the car into a pram. You will know your baby best. Some babies can be removed from the car seat with a cuddle and transferred easily into the cot or buggy without waking up or fuss. Other babies will wake at the first sign of movement and make it very clear they are not at all pleased! If your baby falls into the latter category, you may want to consider leaving them to nap in their car seat or using a travel system rather than a traditional pram. It is important to consider, though, how much time you want your baby to spend in their car seat on a daily basis. Read Napping Out and About for more advice.
Common or Serious Ailments: Ear pain and infections
Ear pain and infections happen commonly in babies and young children. Ear infections will develop either in your baby's ear canal, or behind the eardrum. Your baby will likely have earache and will feel unwell when they get an ear infection. She may also have trouble hearing in the affected ear, have a high temperature (fever) and may feel/be sick. The problem is that young babies cannot tell you that they have pain in their ear so it may take a while to work it out, or be discovered at a visit to your doctor. But a good sign of ear pain or an ear infection is if your baby is fretful and pulling at, or touching, her ear. Ear infections can usually be treated with painkillers and should get better within a few days. Sometimes the eardrum may burst, letting out infected mucus causing your baby to have a runny ear for a few days. Often a burst eardrum releases the pressure and pain of the earache, so it can be a relief for your baby.
Don't forget: Sudden movements
Your baby will be making sudden movements, grabbing for whatever is within their reach (and don't underestimate how far that reach can be to an inquisitive baby). Watch out for hazards your baby can reach above them or pull on, such as table cloths and items on low tables or window sills. Sharp items, hot objects and cups of hot tea and coffee pose very real dangers to your little one. Always try to stay one step ahead by keeping an eye out for what is within your baby's grasp and move the object, or your baby, to a safe distance. Be prepared to deal with accidents though if the worst does happen and your baby gets hurt, read our Baby Health and First Aid section here.
ALL ABOUT YOU THIS WEEK
Your Body: Pelvic floor exercises
During pregnancy and giving birth, your pelvic muscles (that support your uterus, bladder and bowel) were put under a lot of pressure - stretching thanks to hormonal changes and they also had to support, and then push out, a baby. The stress that these muscles go through during delivery can cause an extremely common condition called Post-birth Incontinence, which affects up to 70% of women who have had a baby.
Doing pelvic floor exercises (know as kegel exercises) will regain muscle tone. This will help prevent any wee leaking out, especially when you sneeze, cough, or laugh, and will help your bladder go back to its pre-pregnancy state.
