Raheel's journey towards a year

Recently I read about baby development @ huggies.com.my. Actually I was looking for information about huggies diaper, to look for differences between huggies ultra, dry, comfort dry and so on… when I came across these informations. And I found that huggies website is quite interesting and packed with useful informations for a newbie in motherhood ehemm! ehemm! like me~ hehe...

 

So, this is what I found about development of a baby for timeline between 9 to 12 month (source from here) and as I read I make comparison with Raheel’s progress.

 

Nine months is a lovely age. Your baby is mature enough to really respond to you and he makes it quite clear who his 'special people' are (tick √- Raheel recognize people around him and he is only sociable with whom he is familiar with. When he cries, he will immediately stop crying when I carry him- like magic!). Enjoy this relatively peaceful time before he gets seriously on the move, starts testing his limits and seeing just how far he can go!

Up and about

• At 10 to 11 months your baby can sit confidently without support. He can go from sitting to lying and can twist round to pick up objects (very much like Raheel and he loves play fall from sitting to lying when he sits on mattress)

• At 12 months he may take his first steps to walking by pulling himself up the furniture and 'cruising' round it (Raheel already did this when he was 9months old up until now especially after i bought him fisher price stride-to-ride lion - see it here-. I am still impatiently waiting for him to really take his first step!). Eventually he will stand back, holding on with one hand, poised to walk alone.

 

Social animal

Although your baby may be reserved with strangers, in many ways he's becoming much more of a social animal. He knows and responds to his own name (very well). He babbles away, using vowels and consonants, in a tone that sounds very much like proper conversation (yeahh.. sometimes Raheel can be very noisy babbling about ??? well… only himself know what). And he even understands simple instructions - ask him for his teddy or his toy and he may give it to you. (Raheel really understands instruction, he comes when I call him, he recognizes which sounds for which toys, he knows to bring handphone near his ear when I say hello and he know where to point when I say where is your nose?? And he kisses me when I ask him to. Hehe.. so cute!)

Handy hints

• Your baby can hold a mug with both hands and try to grasp a feeding spoon by nine months (yes! Yes!)

• Let go of an object by opening his hand and deliberately dropping it at 10 months (Raheel really loves to play throwing things especially if it makes loud sound when it hit the floor)

• Pick up something as small as a raisin with his thumb and forefinger by 10 1/2 to 11 months (Raheel simply cannot see tiny thing on the floor. He will definitely use his forefinger to pick it up and put it in his mouth!)



• By his first birthday, he can put three or more objects in a container (Raheel already did this. He is able to play with stack ring accordingly-i'm so proud!)



Raheel playing with his stack ring

• Help with dressing, by holding out his arm when you hold his sleeve up and his foot when you put on his shoe.

Questions and Answers

Q: At what age will my baby understand the meaning of the word 'no'?



A: At 10 months old 'no' to your baby means stop for a second and then go ahead. (very true! When I say no, he will stop, look at me and continue what he is doing) By his first birthday ' no' really stands for a prohibition. A common reaction may be tears or a show of temper (recently he is acting like this. He cries when I strictly prohibit him from doing something and sometimes he shows his anger by making grumpy sounds or throwing whatever in his hands at that particular time)

Q: Some days my son seems to be permanently clamped to my leg? Should he be this clingy?

A: Don't despair! Studies show that separation anxiety appears between seven and 12 months, peaks at 15 to 18 months, then gradually declines (Raheel sometimes acting too mengada-ngada, he will cry when I am out of his sight but I love it! It makes me feel very special!) It doesn't make any difference whether your child is cared for by a childminder, in a nursery or by you. Separation anxiety will appear and start to disappear at about the same time.

Reheel will turn 1 year old this coming 20th November! Haha… time flies so quickly…. I will become a bonda to a one year old boy in less than 20 days. What a remarkable journey I have with Raheel!