Your 9 month old, first week

For your nine-month-old baby, everything is fascinating: your shoes, the dog's bowl, a hairbrush. If you put a safe selection of pans, wooden spoons and sieves in a low kitchen cupboard for him, He'll enjoy pulling them all out and playing with them. Secure the other cupboards with child-resistant locks, but do remember that they are not 100-per-cent reliable. Some babies are better than safe-crackers when it comes to cupboard locks. Each time he gets his hands on something new, help him experiment with it. Does it roll? Does it make a noise? Can he bang it against something else? Encouraging your little scientist will boost his confidence and independence as well as widening his knowledge.