My cousin said it best when she said, “Each month seems to be my favorite month with my baby.” I feel like we are thinking the same thing. I thought 6 months was my favorite until 7 months hit, and then 7 months was trumped by 8 months. And now we have a 9-month-old, so it’s looking like 9 months is the best…so far. Haha!
Baby boy is sitting up by himself (finally!), army crawling his way toward wires and outlets (seriously??), and playing peek-a-boo like a boss (that smile is just so dang contagious!). With a little help from my friends, why not share 9 ways we are loving life these days with our nine-month-old?
9 Ways to Do Life With a 9-month-old
1. Laugh…a lot. Life with a little one can be tough in and of itself. In our home, I want laughter and enjoyment to be a daily occurrence. Our little man also mimics everything we do, so when we look at him and smile, he smiles right back at us! Your baby needs to see you laughing and smiling because he or she, in turn, will do just the same!
2. Read your child lots and lots of books…and read them over and over and over again. Choose all sorts of books! Right now, Baby Boy’s favorite teethers are books, but hey! We’re showing him to have a love for reading while he’s working on his gums. Win-win! Here are some great tips for choosing books from My Little Lamb blog.
3. Trust someone else to watch your child. Mama and daddy need a date night. Easier said than done, right? But if you’re on a budget like us, do something different besides the usual when the baby goes to bed! Do you and your spouse sit on the couch watching Disney plus most nights (I mean, is there anything really wrong with that??)? Try learning a new game or listen to an audiobook together! I love these date night ideas from This Little Becker Family and from Raising Our Wild Things!
4. Concealer. And lots of it!! Even though little man is sleeping through the night (woohoo!), the pesky purple bags under my eyes just don’t want to go away. So I make sure to have my favorite concealer on tap…enough to apply like sheetrock to a house (you think I’m kidding…). My favorite is Nars Soft Matte Complete Concealer. Keep the coffee flowing and those eyes looking bright!
5. Baby proof baby proof baby proof. When I hear a certain goofy giggle, I know 9-month-old Baby Boy is headed straight for something that shouldn’t be in his reach like the dog bowl. Make sure the obvious things like wires and outlets are covered or put away. But even just the other day, Baby Boy tried pulling himself up on a side table that was not sturdy. The table might have come toppling down on him if I wasn’t there to catch it. If you think a baby could get into some trouble with it, put it away or lock it up. Here’s a great checklist from The Bump on baby-proofing your home.
6. Discipline. Spare the rod, spoil the child? Talk with your partner about how you’ll discipline so you can be on the same page. Baby isn’t ready yet, but the time is definitely coming. Discuss options. I love this article from the blog “Working Mother.” You can check out her top discipline strategies here. Her strategies on encouragement vs praise are really interesting.
7. Thinking about a brother or sister? Even though you have a 9-month-old, you may be ready emotionally to start trying for a sibling. But it might also be a good idea to check out everything physically with your OB. Jessie from Soul Care for the New Mom inspired me to have someone check my pelvic floor to make sure my body is strong enough to hold another baby, God willing.
8. Start good habits. Maybe you’ve already been doing them or maybe you’re just starting to think about them, but your 9-month-old is getting old enough to recognize what you are doing. Start habits you’d want your child to see if they were old enough to know better. That favorite 4-letter word you use in the car…yeah I hear you (literally…because I probably have the same word), so pick a new favorite “oh no” word! Baby Boy also notices when I’m on my phone, so I try to limit my screen time as well.
9. Celebrate all things big and small. It’s so easy, for me especially, to have one little thing go wrong and I feel like a failure. So each and every day I want to continue to show thanks and praise for all that God has given, and remind myself to give it all back to Him. If you’ve been able to breastfeed this long–dang mama! Praise God and ‘nuff said! And if you’re like me and started solid foods at 6 months, you’ve been doing it for 3 months already! Good job! And if your baby took a good nap today, let’s get this party started! Left the house and remembered to brush your teeth? Get on with your bad self! Hey, let’s celebrate all the things, ok?
Bottom Line
Let’s say it together, in three months my baby is going to be a one-year-old. I’m just going to embrace it now because I will never be ready for him to turn one year. But guess what? I bet year one will be my favorite stage yet 😉
