9 Months

Summary

By 9 months of age, infants develop the gross motor abilities of crawling, and can pull themselves up to stand. They also develop the fine motor ability of holding objects with a 3-finger pincer grasp. In terms of cognitive abilities, 9 month old infants turn and orient to their names, and also search for hidden objects due to the development of object permanence.

Key Points

• 9 Months
  • Gross motor
    • Crawls
    • Pull to stand
    • Cruises (walks holding onto furniture)
  • Fine motor
    • Inferior/3-finger pincer grasp
    • Claps
  • Language
    • May start saying simple words and performing simple gestures, although this is more commonly experienced by 12 months
  • Social/Cognitive
    • Object permanence
      • Searches for hidden objects
      • They now know that once an object disappears from view it still exists
    • Responds to name