Describe the developmental markers a nurse should assess for a 9-month-old female infant.

In terms of physical development, the nine-month-old child should be able sit and crawl without any assistance. It is possible that she will be able even to stand up with help. Gross motor skills, such as pulling or pushing objects in a push-pull game or tossing objects at her will help determine physical development. Nurses can observe the baby’s ability to move objects between hands and to pick up smaller items with her thumb and finger (known as a pincer grip).

Cognitively, the baby’s understanding of simple words may have improved by this age; she should understand basic commands like “no” or “come here”. Her babbling should also have developed into true speech; she may now say short sentences like “mama” or “bye bye”. By reading aloud stories to the child or engaging in pretend games, nurses can promote cognitive development.

Socially/emotionally, nine months is when babies begin developing relationships with other people aside from their parents. As they become more independent, curious about their surroundings and play games such as peekaboo to foster social skills, the babies begin exploring with greater independence. This can be assessed by the nurse by watching how an infant interacts with others and her emotional reaction when she is separated from their caregivers.