Questions to Ask a Pediatrician at the 9 Month Visit
For parents taking a baby to the nine month well visit with a pediatrician or family doctor. The questions run in the order the appointment tends to: growth and the exam, the developmental screening, food and cups, sleep and behavior, tests and teeth, then safety at home and what comes before the twelve month visit. Each has a note on what a useful answer sounds like, what a worrying one sounds like, or what to do with it.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Growth and exam
What is different about the nine month visit compared with the six month one?
Why ask it
At many offices this visit is built around a developmental questionnaire, sometimes with a finger-prick blood test and often with fewer shots than the earlier ones. Which of those happen today is the office's call, so ask before the exam starts. Once you know the plan, you know how much of the slot is left for your own list.
How has my baby grown since six months, and is the curve still following its own line?
Why ask it
Have the chart turned toward you so you can see the dots and not only hear a percentile. Gain often eases off once a baby is on the move, and a doctor who is satisfied will say the line is holding. If it has dipped across a line, the answer should include what they think explains it and whether they want a weight check before twelve months.
Did anything in the exam catch your attention: hips, eyes, ears, the soft spot or the shape of the head?
Why ask it
Silence during the exam most often means nothing turned up, but have it said out loud. Add what you have seen at home: a leg that turns out when standing, an eye that drifts when tired, a flat patch on the head you are unsure about. Anything the doctor does name needs a 'when' with it, a second look at twelve months or a referral now.
Development
How did the developmental screening questionnaire come out, area by area?
Why ask it
The parent questionnaire used at this age usually covers movement, hand use, communication, problem solving and social skills. 'Passed' is not the whole result: ask for each area and for any that landed close to the cutoff. If nobody handed you a form, ask how the office screens development and at which visits.
My baby is not crawling yet. Does that matter if they get around another way?
Why ask it
Tell the doctor exactly how your baby travels: scooting on their bottom, rolling across the room, dragging along on the tummy, or not at all. Many doctors care less about the classic hands-and-knees crawl than about a baby who goes after things and uses both sides of the body. If your baby stays put, get the age at which that would lead to a referral.
Should my baby be pulling up to stand or cruising along furniture by now?
Why ask it
You are after the sequence more than a deadline: sitting steadily, getting into sitting alone, pulling up, stepping sideways while holding on. Say which of those you have seen and which you have not. The range for all of them is wide, so the useful part of the answer is the age at which this doctor would want to look again.
What should my baby's hands be doing at this age, and is picking things up with finger and thumb expected yet?
Why ask it
Describe how a small piece of food gets picked up at home: raked in with the whole hand, or pinched. That one detail tells the doctor a lot, and it decides which finger foods will work this month. Mention it if one hand does nearly all the work, because a strong preference this early is something doctors like to hear about.
What should babbling sound like at nine months, and is mine doing enough of it?
Why ask it
Imitate the sounds if you can stand to: strings like 'bababa', squeals, a rise and fall that sounds like talking, any back-and-forth with you. Few doctors are waiting for real words at this visit, so find out what they are waiting for. A baby who has gone quieter than they were at six months is worth saying out loud.
My baby does not always turn to their name or to a noise behind them. Should hearing be checked again?
Why ask it
A newborn hearing screen describes the first days of life and nothing after, and the doctor will want to know about ear infections since then. Say what you have noticed, in which rooms, and how often. The reply might be a simple check in the office or a referral for a hearing test, and if it is to wait, ask until what date.
Which gestures and games should I be seeing: waving, clapping, peekaboo, reaching up to be held?
Why ask it
Much of communication at this age has no sound in it. Doctors tend to ask whether a baby follows your gaze, lifts their arms to be picked up and enjoys a game that goes back and forth. Find out which of these they expect by twelve months, so you know what to report at that visit.
Is there anything in how my baby looks at people and responds to us that you want to keep an eye on?
Why ask it
This is a way to raise social development without naming a diagnosis you have been reading about at night. Give the doctor the plain facts: eye contact, smiling back, whether your baby shows you things or checks your face. A doctor with no concern will say so directly, and one who wants to watch should tell you what for and for how long.
My baby was born early. Are you judging milestones from the birth date or the due date?
Why ask it
Skip this one if your baby arrived at term. For babies born early, many doctors count from the due date for a period when they look at development, and the questionnaire may have been scored that way. Check which age was used today and at what point they plan to stop adjusting.
If an area of the screening came out behind, what happens next and who would we see?
Why ask it
The route differs a great deal by country and region: a repeat questionnaire in a few weeks, a referral to a therapist, or a public early intervention program. Ask whether you can contact that service yourself, how long the wait runs and what it costs where you live. When the wait is long, a referral that goes in today costs nothing while everyone keeps watching.
What can we do at home over the next three months to help with moving and talking?
Why ask it
Good answers are cheap and specific: a toy left just out of reach, a sofa to step along, naming whatever your baby stares at, the same three books every evening. Ask which single thing the doctor would choose for your baby given today's questionnaire. Before you buy a sit-in walker or a jumper, find out where this doctor stands on them.
Does my baby need shoes now that they are standing, or is barefoot better?
Why ask it
Relatives and shoe stores both hold firm views here, so it helps to have the doctor's. Ask what they suggest indoors and outdoors, and what to look for in a first pair. While the feet are being discussed, bring up toes that point in or out, or standing on tiptoe.
Food and cups
Which finger foods suit a nine-month-old, and how should I cut them?
Why ask it
Push past the list of foods to sizes and textures: how soft a piece has to be, and what to do with round things like grapes and blueberries. A softness test the doctor can put in one sentence is easy to pass on to grandparents and sitters. Finish by asking which foods stay off the tray for a long while yet.
My baby still eats mostly purees. How do we move on to lumps and table food?
Why ask it
Describe what happens when something thicker goes in: a gag, a grimace, food pushed straight back out, a turned head. Doctors generally like texture to keep moving forward, and a useful answer breaks that into steps for the next few weeks. Ask what would make them send you to someone who assesses feeding.
How many meals and snacks should there be now, and how much milk alongside them?
Why ask it
Write out one typical day before the visit, with feeds, meals and rough amounts. With that in hand the doctor can say whether the balance looks right or whether milk is crowding out food, or the reverse. Then ask how the same day should look by the first birthday.
When should we start a cup, which kind, and when do bottles need to end?
Why ask it
Open cups, straw cups and spouted cups each have their supporters, and dentists often have opinions too. Get this doctor's preference with the reason, and the age by which they would like bottles finished. If your baby has only ever breastfed, ask which parts of the answer still apply.
How much water can my baby have now, and when does cow's milk come in as a drink?
Why ask it
Describe what goes in the cup today and how much, and mention it if relatives have been offering juice. Most offices tie cow's milk as a main drink to an age and a type of milk, so get both now and you will know what to buy and when. If you plan to breastfeed past a year, the thing to settle is whether cow's milk needs to come in at all.
We have not offered peanut, egg or the other common allergens yet. How should we start now?
Why ask it
Say it without embarrassment, because the doctor can only plan from what has really happened. Eczema or a reaction to any food can change the advice, and some babies are sent for testing first. If the allergens went in months ago, the question becomes how often each one should keep turning up on the plate.
My baby broke out in a rash or vomited after one food. Was that an allergy, and do we offer it again?
Why ask it
Bring the details: which food, how much, how long afterwards, what it looked like and how long it lasted. A photo taken at the time is better than any description. You should leave knowing which of three things to do, avoid it, try again at home, or see an allergist, and not be left choosing between them yourself.
How do I make sure my baby is getting enough iron from food?
Why ask it
Iron comes up at this visit because it connects to the anemia check some offices run around now. Ask which foods the doctor relies on for it and how often to serve them, and say so if your baby is breastfed or your household does not eat meat. Any drops, whether iron or the vitamin D you may already give, should come with a dose and a date to stop.
What do I do in the first seconds if my baby chokes on a piece of food?
Why ask it
Start with how to tell a gag from choking, since they call for different things from you. Then have the doctor or nurse show you the position, on a doll if there is one, because reading the steps is not the same as seeing them. Whoever else feeds your baby needs the same lesson, and an infant first aid class near you is the way to get it.
Can my baby eat what the rest of us are having, and what should I leave out of their portion?
Why ask it
Salt, added sugar, honey and whole nuts are the usual things to ask about, and doctors differ on spice and on cow's milk used in cooking. An answer with reasons lets you judge the dishes the list does not mention. It is thirty seconds that can save you cooking two dinners a night.
Some days my baby throws the food or eats almost nothing. When is that a problem?
Why ask it
Appetite swings from one day to the next at this age, and many doctors judge by the week and the growth chart, not the meal. Ask what they would count as too little and for how long. If the table has turned into a battle, describe a typical one, since how the meal goes is part of what they need to know.
Since solids took over, my baby strains and the stools are hard. What helps, and when is it more than a change in diet?
Why ask it
Report how often, what it looks like (pellets, a streak of blood, a baby who cries and holds back) and what has been on the tray lately. Most answers begin with food and drink before anything from a pharmacy, so you want the foods to add, the ones to cut back and how much water is reasonable. Leave with the point at which the doctor would want to see your baby for it.
Sleep and behavior
My baby was sleeping well and now wakes, pulls up in the crib and cries. Is this a sleep regression, and what should we do?
Why ask it
New skills have a way of being rehearsed at two in the morning, and a baby who can stand may not have worked out how to get back down. Ask whether to lay them down, wait, or practice sitting from standing during the day, and roughly how long a patch like this lasts. It is also fair to ask what the doctor would rule out first, such as ears or teeth.
How many naps and how much night sleep does a nine-month-old need?
Why ask it
Three or four days of notes beat a tired parent's memory. What you want is a range, where your baby sits in it, and when the third nap tends to go if you still have one. A short sleeper who is cheerful and growing rarely troubles a doctor, and it is good to hear that said.
At today's weight, is the night feed hunger or habit, and how would you go about dropping it?
Why ask it
The growth chart is what lets a doctor answer this, which is why it belongs at a well visit and not in a phone call. Ask for a method and a pace along with the verdict. Keeping the feed because you want to is also a legitimate plan, and you can say so.
Should we lower the crib mattress, and does anything else about the sleep space need to change?
Why ask it
A rail that was high enough last month may not be once a baby pulls up on it. Go through mattress height, cords and monitors within reach, and what this office says may be in the crib at this age. Lowering the mattress is ten minutes with a screwdriver, so do it tonight and not on Saturday.
How should we handle goodbyes now that my baby screams whenever I walk away?
Why ask it
Protest at being left is so common around this age that the doctor will have advice ready. Typical suggestions are a short goodbye said the same way each time, no slipping out unseen, and practice in small doses. Add it if the distress has started to change how your baby eats or sleeps, because that makes it a different conversation.
My baby bites, pulls hair and makes straight for whatever I say no to. What actually works at nine months?
Why ask it
Give two real examples, including what you did and what happened next. Expect to hear more about moving the baby or the object than about explaining, and find out how much 'no' a baby this age can be expected to follow. One line you can repeat to everyone at home is worth having, since a baby with three adults gets three different responses.
Are video calls with grandparents fine, and where do you stand on a few minutes of a show while I cook?
Why ask it
Be honest about how much screen there is in a normal day, including a television left on in the background. Many doctors treat a live call with a relative differently from a show, so raise each one and get the reason. If the answer is 'none', the useful follow-up is what they suggest for the twenty minutes when dinner has to be made.
Nine months of broken nights are wearing me down. Who can I talk to about how I am doing?
Why ask it
Some pediatric offices screen parents' mood at well visits and others leave it to the parent's own doctor, so ask how it works here. Being straight about your sleep and how you are coping helps the baby's care as well as yours. A good response ends in a name, a number or an appointment, and not only sympathy.
Tests and teeth
Will you test for anemia today, and how is it done?
Why ask it
Whether babies are checked for low iron, and at which visit, depends on the country, the office and the baby's own risk. If a finger or heel prick is planned, ask when the result arrives and how you will be told. A low number should come with a plan: food, possibly drops, and a date to test again.
Does my baby need a lead test, and what puts a baby at risk where we live?
Why ask it
Rules on lead screening vary by country, by state and even by insurance program, so ask what applies to your family. Tell the doctor about an older house, renovation dust, old pipes, or a job or hobby that brings metal dust home. If the verdict is that no test is needed, ask what would change it.
Are any vaccines due today, or is my baby catching up on one?
Why ask it
At some offices this is a quiet visit for shots unless a dose was missed earlier, but schedules are not the same everywhere. Go over the record together instead of taking 'all up to date' on trust. In flu season, ask whether a flu vaccine is offered at this age where you live and how many doses it takes.
My baby has no teeth yet. At what age would that need looking into?
Why ask it
Change the wording to 'only two teeth' or whatever fits your baby. The spread of ages for first teeth is wide, and the doctor can tell you where yours sits in it. What settles the worry is a number: the age at which they would want a dentist to take a look.
Do you put fluoride varnish on at this visit, and does our water change which toothpaste we use?
Why ask it
Some medical offices paint varnish on baby teeth and some leave it to dentists, and who pays varies by plan. Say whether your household drinks city, well or bottled water, because the fluoride advice depends on it. Have the amount of toothpaste described in a way you can picture on the brush.
Does falling asleep on the bottle or breast harm new teeth, and when should we book a dentist?
Why ask it
The concern you will hear about is milk sitting around the teeth overnight, and advice on bottles is not always the same as advice on breastfeeding. Describe your real bedtime and ask what, if anything, this doctor would change. For the dentist, ask what age is usual where you live and whether your plan covers the visit.
Safety and next visit
Which hazards hurt crawling and cruising babies most often, and what should we fix first?
Why ask it
A ranked answer is more useful than a forty-item checklist. Stairs, furniture that tips, hot drinks and small objects at floor level are the kind of thing to expect on it. Then go home and crawl through each room yourself, because the view from down there is different.
Where do stair gates go, and do the television and dressers need anchoring yet?
Why ask it
Ask about the top and the bottom of the stairs separately, because the kind of gate that suits each may differ. A baby who pulls up will pull on whatever is nearest, which is why furniture straps tend to come up at this visit. If you rent and cannot drill, ask what other families do.
Button batteries, magnets and laundry pods worry me. Which swallowed things are an emergency, and who do we call?
Why ask it
The poison advice line and the emergency number are different in every country, so get both for where you live and save them in each caregiver's phone. Ask which items mean going straight to an emergency department without calling first. Remember the houses you visit: a grandparent's purse or bedside table is rarely babyproofed.
My baby is close to the weight or height limit of the infant car seat. What comes next?
Why ask it
Photograph the label on the seat before the visit, since the limits are printed there and vary by model. Laws and recommendations on how long a child rides rear-facing differ by country and state, so ask what applies where you drive. Ask as well whether anyone locally checks that the next seat is fitted correctly.
Can you write down the fever medicine dose for today's weight, and tell me which medicines my baby is old enough for?
Why ask it
A dose worked out three months ago belongs to a smaller baby. Some medicines that were ruled out in the early months may be allowed now, and the doctor can say which and when to use them. Get the figure for the exact product in your cabinet, since strengths differ between bottles.
My baby has caught one cold after another since starting daycare. How many is too many, and what about the ear infections?
Why ask it
Count them before the visit, with rough dates and anything that needed antibiotics, because 'constantly' is hard for a doctor to work with. What you are after is the point at which a run of infections would lead to a referral, for ears in particular, and whether hearing gets rechecked after several. The daycare's rule on keeping a sick baby home and the doctor's may not match, so get the doctor's.
Which signs between now and twelve months should bring us in without waiting for the next visit?
Why ask it
Ask for the list in two halves, development and illness. On development, find out whether losing a skill your baby already had is one of the things this doctor never wants left until the next visit. On illness, get the fever threshold for this age and what matters besides the number, such as drinking and wet diapers.
What will my baby probably be doing by the twelve month visit?
Why ask it
Having the likely list in advance (standing alone or stepping for some, a word or two, pointing, feeding themselves) makes the next three months less of a guessing game. Ask which items the doctor cares about most and which come down to temperament. Type the answer into your phone, and you have the start of the next appointment's list.
What happens at the twelve month visit, and should we book it for after the first birthday?
Why ask it
In some countries certain vaccines are only given once a baby has turned one, so a visit a few days early can mean a second trip. Ask whether that applies to you, and what else is planned: blood tests that were not done today, the move to cow's milk, the end of bottles. If the office books up, make the appointment on your way out.
How to get the most from the nine month visit
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the appointment
Do the questionnaire on the floor at home
Ask when you book whether the developmental questionnaire can be sent ahead. Filled in at home with your baby in front of you, the answers are observations. Filled in on a waiting room chair with a baby climbing your shoulder, they are guesses.
Try the things it asks about
Before the visit, put a small piece of soft food on the tray and watch how it is picked up, say your baby's name from behind, hide a toy under a cloth. You will answer 'yes', 'sometimes' or 'not yet' with far more confidence, and you will have something exact to describe if the doctor asks.
Photograph the labels
Take pictures of the limits printed on the car seat, the formula can, any drops you give and the fever medicine in your cabinet. Questions about the next seat, iron and doses get specific answers when the doctor can see what you actually own.
Find out what is planned
Whether this visit includes a blood test or any shots depends on the office and the country. Knowing beforehand lets you bring a comfort object, time the feed, and decide which parent is better at holding still.
In the room
Warn them about the clinging
A baby who has just discovered strangers may howl the moment the doctor comes close. Say so at the start and ask to keep your baby on your lap for as much of the exam as possible. It is ordinary for this age, and a calmer baby shows more of what they can do.
Let the doctor watch your baby move
Ask where your baby can sit, reach and pull up for a minute, whether that is the exam table with your hands close or a clean mat. Half a minute of seeing it tells a doctor more than your description, and it is fine to play a video for the parts that will not happen on demand.
Trade 'is this normal' for 'by when'
'Every baby is different' is true and ends the conversation. 'By what age would you want to see it, and what would you do then' gets you a date, and a date is something you can stop worrying about until it arrives.
Ask how it works where you live
Anemia and lead checks, vaccine timing, fluoride, early intervention services and car seat rules all change with the country, the state and sometimes the insurance plan. Advice from a relative abroad or a forum may be right for somewhere else. For each of these, the question is what applies to you.
The week after
Do the ten-minute jobs first
Lower the crib mattress, move the cords, put the cleaning products up high and save the poison and after-hours numbers in every caregiver's phone. These are the answers from the visit that stop mattering if you wait a month to act on them.
Pass on the food rules
Whoever else feeds your baby needs the same instructions you got: how soft, what size, which foods are still off the tray, what to do if a piece goes down wrong. Send it as a message so it can be found again at lunchtime.
Chase the results
If blood was taken, know when the result is due and how it reaches you. Silence does not always mean a normal result; sometimes it means a message nobody sent. Call on the day it was promised.
Keep a dated note
First time pulling up, first wave, first food refused, first word-like sound: one line each with the date. In three months the twelve month questionnaire will ask about exactly these, and you will not be relying on memory.
Mistakes parents make at this visit
Measuring against another baby
A cousin who walked at nine months tells you about the cousin. Bring what your own baby does and let the doctor set it against the range they use, which is much wider than a playgroup suggests.
Rounding up on the questionnaire
It is tempting to tick 'yes' for something that happened once. The form only helps if 'sometimes' and 'not yet' are used honestly, and a score near the line gets your baby a second look, not a label.
Saving the real worry for the doorway
The question you are most afraid to ask tends to come out as the doctor reaches for the handle, when there is no time left to answer it. Put it first, in plain words, even if it sounds small.
Accepting 'wait and see' without a date
Watching is often the right plan. It still needs an end: the age at which the doctor would act, and what to do if things change before then. If you leave without one, send a message and ask.