Your Baby at 9 Months: Crawling, First Pulling Up and Hide-and-Seek

Slip his rattle under a scarf, right in front of him. A few months ago, your baby would have looked away, as if the object had ceased to exist. Today he lifts the cloth and waves his find with a triumphant air. This little game sums up one of the great conquests of the 9-month-old: he now knows that things keep existing when he cannot see them.

The same month, he often gets on all fours, pulls himself up on the sofa and understands your "no". It is also the age of a developmental check-up with the paediatrician. This guide goes over these milestones, the normal differences between babies and what to adapt at home.

Under the scarf, the toy still exists

Psychologists call it object permanence. The Quebec guide Mieux vivre first describes, between 6 and 9 months, a baby who looks for a half-hidden object. Then he finds a completely hidden toy: at 9 months UNICEF mentions peekaboo and searching for objects you hide. The US CDC adds that he follows the dropped spoon with his eyes when it falls out of sight.

This period is also one of protests when you move away, and of reserve with strangers: two behaviours the CDC expects to see at this age. We covered them in the article on baby at 8 months.

On all fours, then standing at the sofa

Most 9-month-olds sit alone and stay sitting without support, two CDC milestones at this age. For the rest, the WHO data, collected on four continents, show wide latitude among healthy children:

• crawling on all fours appeared between 5.2 and 13.5 months, and a small minority (4.3%) skipped it;
• standing with support, between 4.8 and 11.4 months.

At 9 months UNICEF describes a baby who pulls himself up on furniture, and advises settling him next to it, with a toy placed on the sofa seat for example. Mieux vivre then places the first steps along furniture between 9 and 12 months. For what comes next, everything is in our article on first steps.

His hands are progressing too. He bangs two objects together, rakes crumbs toward himself, and UNICEF sees him already picking up small objects between thumb and forefinger.

What he understands, what he says

Your baby understands far more words than he says. According to UNICEF, he understands "no" and points at objects. The CDC describes a baby who raises his arms to be picked up, repeats "mamamama" or "babababa" and looks when called by name. Mieux vivre adds that he grasps certain familiar words, especially when they come with a gesture.

The CDC suggests repeating his sounds and adding real words, naming the pictures in a book as you point to them, and teaching simple gestures such as waving "bye-bye". More detail in our guide to baby's language.

The 9-month visit to the paediatrician

This age is a milestone check. The American Academy of Pediatrics, cited by the CDC, recommends a general developmental screening at 9 months, then at 18 and 30 months. It relies on validated questionnaires: the milestone lists for the general public, the CDC points out, do not replace them.

Prepare for the visit by noting what your baby does, what he does not do yet and what you wonder about. Bring the health record, and check the scheduled vaccines in our Moroccan vaccination schedule while you are there.

At the table: three meals, and soon snacks

The WHO recommends 3 to 4 meals a day from 9 to 23 months, with 1 to 2 snacks as needed, on top of milk. UNICEF gives a guide of about 125 g of food three to four times a day between 9 and 11 months, plus a healthy snack. These are orders of magnitude, not targets.

The CDC advises varying textures, from mashed to finely chopped, and offering a refused food again later. Let him eat with his fingers and drink from a cup. If the family harira tempts him, take his portion before the salt and stock cube, which the NHS advises against for babies, and serve grapes and cherry tomatoes cut into quarters.

Standing up in his cot: adapting the sleeping space

A baby who pulls himself up does it in his cot too, sometimes in the middle of the night. Quebec public health asks for the mattress to be set at its lowest position as soon as he sits or gets on all fours: at 9 months, that is already done or to be done right now. Remove hanging mobiles and keep the cot free of cushions and soft toys.

For this age group the CDC counts 12 to 16 hours of sleep a day including naps, and insists on regular times for sleeping and eating.

Furniture, stairs, windows: the home of a baby who pulls up

A baby who pulls up grabs onto everything. Quebec public health asks you to fix chests of drawers, bookcases, wardrobes and the TV to the wall, and to install a gate at the top of each staircase, preferably at the bottom too. The Montreal Children's Hospital specifies that at the top of the stairs only a gate fixed to the wall is suitable. It recommends safety devices on windows and never leaving a child alone on a balcony.

In many Moroccan homes, the stairs lead to the terrace, where the washing dries: a closed door or a gate is a must. The other risks of this age are reviewed in our feature on accidents in the home.

From the shop

Search, stack, drink and make safe

Container games and hide-and-seek toys to exercise his memory, a cup suited to his age and two pieces of equipment for the home he is exploring on his feet. Check the age on the packaging.

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Products sold by La Maison du Bébé, publisher of this magazine. Prices as of 12 October 2026; please check the product page.

In a few weeks he will cruise along the furniture and point with his finger: these new skills are described in the milestones for baby at 10 months.