6 to 9 months Play

Your baby will use creeping, or bottom shuffling, as a way of getting around. It may not look pretty, but it will get him where he wants to go! Between seven to nine months, your baby may transition to proper crawling using his arms to power him along, but with a little practice he'll learn to move quickly and efficiently using his legs to do most of the work.

Your baby's fine motor skills at 9 months will be developing rapidly, and he'll be working hard to perfect the pincer move - using his thumb and pointing finger to pick up objects. At this age, he needs a variety of different types of toy to satisfy his curiosity and enhance his learning about his environment.

At this stage introduce:

Reasoning Toys

Your baby can now understand that a toy may be hidden inside or behind another toy, so choose toys that will encourage the development of his reasoning skills by making him work things out. Try toys like stacking cups, jack-in-the-box and cloth books

 

Physical development toys

 

You can encourage your baby to practice using his body in new ways by introducing toys that will get him moving. Try toys like balls and toys that rolls, give them a safe place to explore, household objects, eg. saucepans, lids, plastic cups.

Bath toys

Once he can sit up, he'll begin to love playing in the bath. Introducing toys that encourage water play will turn the bath into a popular playtime location. Raid your plastics drawer for cups and containers, funnels and bottles.

 

Find more related articles and links for baby play

• Baby play 9 to 12 months
• Baby play ideas
• Baby play development
• How to play with your baby
• Tummy time and floor play
• Browse for toys online
• Sign up for your expert FREE weekly email guide to baby's first year

This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot - New Zealand's parenting resource for newborns and baby. Sources include SA Government's Parenting and Child Health and Karitane.