You’ve been a mum as long as you were pregnant – how trippy is that! At nine months your little one is probably at two naps a day and some pretty active mucking about during wake time. So, what can you expect from a nine month old baby?
Ask The Expert – Tara Mitchell talks the 9 month old routine
We asked Tara Mitchell, baby sleep consultant, what mums can expect from an nine month old baby. Of course, her advice is only general – if you have any concerns about your baby’s sleep, feeding or other developmental factors, please contact your health care provider immediately.
At 9 months, little ones are generally on two naps a day. These naps should ideally be more than one hour each. The awake time I recommend at 9 months is around 3 hours. Your little one may be ready to go down a little sooner than that for their first nap so I tend to encourage clients to pair a general awake time with observation. Look for signs that your little one is zoning out, losing interest or giving blank stares – that is generally a great time to head to their room and put them to bed.
Ask The Community – Mums Of 9 Month Olds Weigh In!
- Our nine month old routine: Wake at 7. Bf then breakfast at 8ish. Sleep around 9.30 /9.45. Awake and bf 11/11.30. Lunch 12/12.30 Sleep 1.30/2pm. Awake and bf 3/3.30. Dinner at 5. Bath at 6. Bf 6.30. Bed at 7pm. We do BLW so she eats what we do. When she is awake she is crawling chasing her big sister. Play Music and sing songs. Outdoor play. Walks in the pram. Getting into mischief at present. Going through my cupboards especially. We have lots of playdates with our neighbour also. Admin – Jess
- My 9 month old girl wakes 8:20am today, sometimes wakes at 7 weekdays when hearing others up and about our gets woken up at 8 for school run! Eats weet-bix and yoghurt or porridge or toast for breaky! Sometimes a bottle depending on what time awake! Bottle mid morning and sleep! Lunch had whatever available, sandwich, fruit, etc bottle mid afternoon, sleep dinner at 5, starting to have pretty much whatever we are having our mixed Veges, meats etc! She’s not a fan of mushed food anymore, likes to be able to feed herself!! Back in bed at 7 for the night sometimes waking for a bottle in the night – I think she’s been thirsty with warmer weather and being on the bottle! She used to do 12-13 hours straight and still occasionally does! Monique
- My nine month old baby is up at 10am-breastfed morning and night. 2 bottles during the day, 3 meals- BLW and eats what we do. Loves being out and about in his pram. Loves music and goes to kinder music classes once a week and loves Baby TV on Foxtel. Rolls around all day playing with toys, goes in the Jolley Jumper for 30 minutes and also in a walker everyday too. Mary
- My ds is 9 months and wakes anywhere between 530-730am, goes to bed anywhere between 630-8pm. He has 3-4 formula bottles a day, 3 solid meals and snacks during the day.he usually has 2 sleeps during the day depending on what we are doing on the day. While he is awake he enjoys rolling all around the house as he isn’t crawling yet and playing with his toys on his mat Emily
- My 9 month old gets up for his weetbix around 8-8.30am and has formula in a sippy cup, dressed then play time. Bed around 10-10.30 til 11.30-12 ish. Lunch around 12.30 then more play til bottle at 2pm then straight to bed then up at 5, dinner 5.30-6pm then pjs and play til he has his bottle no earlier than 6.45 (whenever he is ready to go to bed) he has 200mls 3 times a day and some of the first bottle is added to the weetbix. He plays with his big sister usually when he is awake if we don’t have errands to run Katie
- Mine is same as Jess except dinner is 530, bath at 6, bottle at 630 then bed at 730. Wakes at 530am. Caley
- He wakes up at 7:30 am has a bottle then breakfast he has weetbix and yoghurt. He sleeps from 11:30-2:30 then has lunch then a bottle.. Plays. Then he has another 30 min nap. Then dinner and bath at 7 pm then some water and bed. He is not crawling, he isn’t sitting yet but he is rolling and he sleeps through the night from about 8 pm – 7:30 am Rachael
- My 9 month old boy wakes at 5.30 for a bottle then straight back down to sleep till around 8am breakfast then playtime. Bottle at 10am then sleep for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs. Lunch time then play again. Bottle at 2pm then 2 hr nap. Dinner at 4.30 then bath time and play with Daddy. Bottle and bed for the night at 6.30pm. Demitra
- Wakes between 8:30 & 10am, with 2 naps lasting about an hour or two, 3 solid meals a day, 2 bottles of formula, 3 bottles of water in his soppy cup, bath after his last meal, bed at 8:30pm, crawling if he isn’t walking around, plays inside and outside, climbs every obstacle possible. Lisa
- My baby is 9 months: He wakes at 530-6am With 2 40 minute naps and 1 3 hour nap a day. Goes to bed at 430-5pm – has 3 solids a day, 3-4 bottles of anywhere between 120-200mls – crawling everywhere, lots of babbling, standing alone for upto a minute and climbing on everything! Loves feeding the ducks if he can eat the bread too and is obbessed with water, doing some kind of water activity everyday. Does swimming and playgroup once each a week. Always a happy baby! Jasmine
- Wake 6-6.30 sometimes 7 , bottle , breakfast at 7.20 , sleep 8.45-10.30ish bottle , play time lunch 11.45 . Sleep 12.30 1sh – 2.30ish Bottle , dinner 4.45 , bath bottle . Bed 5.30 Jess
- Awake between 8-9am. Bed about 10pm. 2-3 naps. 3 solid meals & some snacks. Nurses maybe 5 times per 24 hrs & very active crawling about the house, exploring & finding things to chew. Holly
- Sleeps from about 6:30pm- 5:30am (about 3-4 night feeds… teething!) Breakfast (usually porridge) first up in the morning. Naps at 9:30am & 1pm (40mins each, double that if I’m REALLY lucky). Awake times are always a struggle, he wants to be DOING something all the time. Lots of action songs & rhymes. Walks with him in his stroller/ trike, playgroup, sitting in his trike in the back yard as I hang out washing… Forgot to mention, he has a breastfeed AFTER each nap & one before bed. He eats a big lunch & dinner- he can eat nearly as much as me (but I’m a light eater usually) Karen
- My bub is 8.5 months close enough Wakes at 6.30am, milk feed and we lie around in bed and chill and play for about an hour. Then breakfast solids. Then we play, usually with musical instruments or an educational type game, then he goes down for a nap around 9.30/10am with a milk feed. Sleeps for 45 mins, then we either get ready and head out to the shops/ play date etc or we have some more play time, practice standing/ climbing.. If its a warm day he’ll have some naked or pants free time.. We read books and do drawing (well we hold a crayon together and move it around lol), we might watch a Disney movie or something while we snuggle and play, go for a walk..lunch whenever around 12 sometime, some more play then a milk feed to sleep around 1.30pm.. Another 45 mins usually and then more play! If we haven’t been outside we would usually go down to the park with our musical instruments or books or whatever and sit under a tree and play, if we’ve had a day out we will usually retreat to my bedroom and hang out on the bed, playing, snuggling, watching some bubble guppies! Then he will often go down for another nap with a milk feed around 3.30/4 for at least an hour.. Then when he wakes we play a little, then have dinner, bath, a bit of naked time then bed with milk feed between 7-8pm. Sleeps through usually. Love my boy Oh and a ridiculous amount of singing and nursery rhymes during the whole day lol my poor kid Brooke
- Baby is 9 months – He will wake for the day at 8:30am, first up has a bath! then breakfast about 9am oats and fruit. Then it’s floor time until 10am. At 10am it’s morning tea time and that could be anything from some fruit to a a cruskit with vegemite – normally takes till 10:30am then bubba and I just have our own combos of mum mum mum. haha at 11am he has a bottle of 180mls then goes to sleep till 12:45. Wake up then lunch at 1pm. On the floor to play again with mum for an hour and a bit then on his own for a little bit until next bottle at 3:30pm. After bottle he has some more playtime till 5:30pm then dinner. He then has a sleep till 7pm when he has another 180ml bottle. Some more play and maybe 30mins in the walker till 8:45 then milk 120-180mls. And bed at 9pm. activities with bubba include singling along with music, clapping hands and trying to wave, crawling around. Trying to stack the rings, pushing the train along. Loves his jumperoo. Gayle
- Wakes 5am bottle then back to sleep till 9am breakfast play then down for a nap from 11-1 lunch then play another bottle at 3pm and again at 5pm dinner at 7.30pm bath and bed around 8pm. He is very active crawling and cruising on furniture not quite 10 months until the end of the month. Jolene
- Wakes 8 bottle plays until 11 sleeps until 2 3 snacks a day bath 5 dinner 5 :30 plays until 7 8 and bed mostly sleeps 12 hrs a night 160 ml bottles 4 a day Tracey
- Wakes around 6am. Has a bottle then breaky (weatbix, porridge, baby cereal or similar) at 7. Then morning tea at 9-9.30 which is a fruit (banana, grapes any soft fruit as she has no teeth), yoghurt, cheese sultanas. Then sandwich at 11-11.30 followed by 150ml bottle. Then sleep from around 11.30 till 2pm. Afternoon tea after she wakes up of anything really, cake or biscuits usually whatever miss 3 is eating. And a custard usually. Then dinner at 4 of veggies and meat (either chicken fish or beef). Bottle at 6-6.30 then bed awake times is quiet play with her toys, painting, walks, dancing to music, playing with her sister and crawling everywhere Kirsty
- Wakes 645-7am. Has bottle then Brekky approx 30-45mins later. Has a sleep approx 2.5-3hours after first waking. Has 4 bottles all up usually each day (7am/11am/3pm/630-645pm, although will vary if sleeps thru these times). Has 2 other meals during day, worked in 30-45mibs after bottles. For play its either floor play, in walker, cuddles & chats etc. Also goes to daycare 4 days a week, so lots of other activities Alison
- Riley is 9 months and usually wakes around 6:30 then first bottle at 7am 240ml (doesn’t always drink it all) breakfast at 8am or 8:20 if drank whole bottle. He has baby porridge with fruit sometimes yoghurt aswell or scrambled eggs. Sleep at 9:30am usually 1.5-2hrs then 120ml bottle at 11-11:30 depending on when he wakes. Lunch at 12 or hour after bottle which is varied sometimes avocado and cottage cheese on bread, savoury muffins that I make, toast fingers, rice cakes with toppings I try to change it up. Sleep at 1:30 for 1-2hrs, 120ml bottle when he wakes from that sleep. Dinner at 5pm I make different things in food processor eg chicken + broc + cauliflower + carrots blended roughly. Also steamed veggies that I let him feed himself. Corn fritters or fish and veggies try to vary it. Bath at 6pm, 240ml bottle at 6:30 then bed at 7pm. He has snacks too throughout day baby rice crackers, fruit that I cut up and let him eat, cheese or sometimes some of what I eat. He’s a very active baby crawling all around the house and pulling himself up on all the furniture. He plays with his toys on the mat and we also try to spend time outside. We sometimes read books or listen to rhyme time DVD. He keeps me very busy. Hayley
- Up anywhere from 5.30 breaky at 6.30 bed at 8-8.30 sleeps 40mins-90mins if im lucky. Lunch 11.30-12 bed 1-1.30, 20mins-60mins sleep long occasionally. Short nap at 4.30. Tea usually 5.30-6 bath and bed. Has 3 meals plus snacks. Breastfed and still wakes anywhere from 4-7 times a night for some more boob!! Feeds usually every 2 hrs through the day too. Hes crawling everywhere almost walking. Plays outside with his big brother and sister and the dog. We go for walks read books and play with toys in between sleeps. April
- Up at 630/730, boob and cuddle time. Breaky (toast or leftover vegies) play, nap 9/10 for 2-3 hours. Up, boob, lunch, play snuggle time on couch around 4/5, dinner/boob. Bath around 6/7 cuddles on couch then sing time until bed. Sleeps through night Carley
- Up at 8am. Breast feed then breaky at 9am. Naps at 9:30 and 1pm. Breast feed at 12pm then lunch, snack at 4pm, tea 5:30pm then bath followed by breast feed at 7:30pm then bed about 8pm. He has water in a sippy cup during the day and rolls everywhere. He likes to play with his 2 year old sister and get into all her stuff. Can’t crawl yet and can sit but likes to rock so falls over constantly. He plays in his activity station and jolly jumper too. Oh and he doesn’t have any night feeds. Chrissy
- Mine used to wake at 8. Brekky at 8.30. Playtime until bottle & sleep at 9.30-10 for 1.5 hours. Lunch at 11.30-12. More play time, jolly jumper, lots of crawling. Then bottle and afternoons sleep about 2.30 for 2-3 hours. Dinner at 6. Then bath and bottle and bed at 7pm. Slept all night. Obviously this would vary depending on the day and what we were doing. Rikki
- We were out of whack today with routine, throat infection. But we usually get up at 5.30/6. Bottle 6, breaky 6.45/7. Sleep 8.30/9, bottle 10, lunch 12, sleep 12.30, bottle 1.30/2, dinner 4, bed routine at 5, bottle just after then bed 5.30 Kate
- Little 9 month old man wakes up at 530 Has brekkie at 630-7 usually yogurt and fruit or oats and fruit Goes down between 830-10 for an hr or so (varies on the day whether we do daycare drop off for his sister)
- Bottle 250mls then playtime either on the floor rolling around – doesn’t crawl yet or in his walker following me around the house Lunch then another sleep between 2-3 for an hr or so Bath then Dinner at 430-5 bottle of 250mls then bed at 6. Wakes 2-3 times a night and has 250mls each time. We do play group, swimming, and go to the library for rhyme time every week. Suvina
- Our routine for our 9 month old is wakes at 6am bottle n brekky, 1 hour nap 9 til 10, bottle n lunch n snacks, 2.5 hour nap 1 til 3:30, play, dinner, bath, bottle, bed at 7 Jaimen
Check out routines for other aged babies. Get ideas for routine for a newborn and a toddler.
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