Cruising Along!
Your baby "cruises" along furniture with confident steps, waves goodbye, and claps their hands. Communication is exploding.
Development
- Cruises along furniture — holding on and side-stepping
- Waves goodbye and claps — imitating social actions
- Index finger in full use — points and wants to know what things are called
- Understands instructions: "Give it to mama," "Where is the ball?"
- May say 1–2 words with meaning — "mama," "dada" (varies considerably)
Growth
- Boys: Average 19.6 lbs / 28.3 in (8.9 kg / 72 cm)
- Girls: Average 18.3 lbs / 27.6 in (8.3 kg / 70 cm)
Sleep
- 11–14 hours per day (nighttime sleep 10–12 hours + 1–2 naps)
- Some babies drop a nap and move to one longer midday nap
- Separation anxiety gradually diminishes
Feeding
- 3 meals + 1–2 snacks
- Your baby eats much of the family's food — adjust texture and salt
- Breast milk or formula remains important
- Avoid honey until after 12 months (risk of infant botulism)
- Vitamin D: Continue with 400 IU (10 micrograms) daily
Good to Know
- Well-baby visit: Around 9–10 months, your pediatrician will assess development, vision, hearing, and motor skills
- Name everything your baby points at — it is rocket fuel for language
- Board books with pictures are perfect now — your baby loves finding things in images
Activity Tips
Read board books together! "Where is the cat?" "There!" Your baby loves pointing at pictures and hearing what things are called. Simple and incredibly good for language development.
Explore on Babysential
- Sleep Tracker — Follow the sleep pattern
- Milestones — Log new words and skills
- Baby — All baby guides and tools
Tip: The more words your baby hears, the faster language develops. Narrate what you see — on walks, at the store, at home.