DIET and NUTRITION
At this age your infant may eat finger foods such as crackers, cooked pasta, cereal, and banana chunks as they learn to feed themselves. Your child is likely to swallow without chewing. Avoid nuts, popcorn, raw vegetables or other foods that need a lot of chewing. ABC Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatrics encourage you to continue breast milk or infant formula until one year of age. Now is a good time to introduce your child to drinking from a training cup. This will be messy at first, but your child will get better with practice. Do not allow your child to take a bottle to bed. As your child approaches a year of age, begin offering three meals a day with nutritious between meal snacks. Our example as parents will greatly influence our children's eating habits. If your drinking water is not fluoridated, you may need to add a fluoride supplement. Please discuss this with us.

DEVELOPMENT and SLEEP
Continue talking to your baby to encourage language development. Your baby's vocalization will become more recognizable as words. The first words are an impressive accomplishment. Your child may sleep as long as 12 hours at night and take 2 naps during the day. Establish a sleep routine. Experiment with different ways to help your child sleep. When awake, your 9-month-old may begin to explore with fingers, hands and mouth. Your child will start crawling and cruising also. You may notice how quick and active he has become. As a result of all this positive development, your child is able to get into many interesting and precarious situations. Your child's intellect and personality are developing quickly now. Continue to enjoy them as they amaze you with their advancement.

SAFETY
Car seats, smoke detectors, fire avoidance, poison prevention, hot water temperature, passive smoke and dental health are issues to consider now and in the future. "Kiddie locks" on cabinets and removal of dangerous items such as scissors, knives, cleansers or dangling electric cords are ways to help prevent injuries. Lowering your child's crib mattress is also recommended. Because accidents and ingestion of harmful material may take place, we recommend you have emergency numbers handy. If your baby has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, call Poison Control 4O4-616-9OOO for immediate advice. Babies may face forward in their car seats once they reach 20 pounds and are 12 months old. Soft, flexible, comfortable shoes with non-skid soles will help protect your child's feet. If you have a firearm, store it locked and separate from ammunition.

GENERAL WELL-BEING
The appropriate dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) is 5-7 milligrams per pound every 4 hours as needed for relief. Ibuprofen is 5mg per pound every 6-8 hours. Teaching your child safe, polite and appropriate behavior is a very big job that is already underway. Many books have been written, and you may find these helpful:

The New Dare to Discipline & The New Strong Willed Child by James Dobson
Good Behavior by Stephen Garber
How to Really Love Your Child by Ross Campbell
Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Ted Trip

NEXT APPOINTMENT
Your child’s next physical will be at 12 months old. Additional immunizations will be due at that time.