Week 40: Little Communicator on the Move
At 40 weeks — around 9 months and 1 week — your baby is bursting with energy, determination, and a growing desire to communicate. Movement and language are developing side by side this week. You’ll see more purposeful gestures, clearer sounds, and attempts to express wants or ideas — with you as their most trusted interpreter.
This is a week of busy bodies and busy brains. Your baby is no longer content to stay still for long, and they have a lot to say — even if they don’t have words just yet.
Development
This week you may notice:
Crawling at high speed or in new patterns
Pulling up, cruising, and exploring transitions between surfaces
Standing unassisted for a few seconds at a time
Using gestures like pointing, waving, or lifting arms to be picked up
And cognitively:
Responding to simple requests with cues ("Come here," "Give it to me")
Repeating sounds or gestures to get attention
Imitating your tone and rhythm during “conversations”
Testing cause and effect: “If I drop this again, will they pick it up?”
Your baby is starting to communicate intentionally, even if it’s with sounds, looks, and actions rather than words.
Sleep This Week
Many babies at this age:
Are taking two naps a day, though the lengths may vary
Wake overnight more frequently during developmental bursts
Resist bedtime due to separation anxiety or overstimulation
To support healthy sleep:
Offer plenty of physical activity during the day
Allow wind-down time before naps and bed — dim lights, soft voices, cuddles
Stay calm and responsive at night wakes
Your baby isn’t trying to “test” you — they’re trying to feel safe in a fast-changing world.
Feeding
Feeding can be a messy mix of:
Confident self-feeding
Sudden food refusals
Increased interest in feeding themselves with spoons or fingers
You may also see:
Strong reactions to food temperature or texture
More frequent feeds for comfort during emotional or physical leaps
Support this stage by:
Offering food you’re happy for them to explore (and squish)
Eating alongside them to model chewing and enjoyment
Continuing to offer breastmilk or formula on demand
This phase is about learning how to eat, not just how much is eaten.
Play and Interaction
Play becomes more communicative and interactive this week:
Your baby may offer you toys, wait for a reaction, then repeat
They might begin “chatting” back and forth with tone and rhythm
Shared attention — looking at something, then looking to you — becomes clearer
Play ideas:
Turn-taking games like rolling a ball or handing objects back and forth
Cause-and-effect toys (e.g. push a button, something happens)
Singing songs with actions and repeating familiar rhymes
Naming what your baby looks at or touches (“That’s your ball! It’s red!”)
Your baby is learning: My actions have meaning — and someone cares about what I do.
Top Tip of the Week
“Your baby learns to speak by being spoken with — not at. Every babble, pause, and giggle is part of the conversation.”
Real Life Reflections
You may feel like your baby is constantly moving and constantly needing you. That’s because they are — and it’s exhausting. But it’s also developmentally normal.
If the mess is growing and the quiet moments are rare, pause and breathe. You don’t have to entertain, stimulate, or teach all day long. Just being present — narrating, cuddling, responding — is powerful parenting.
And if you’re touched out, overstimulated, or exhausted? You’re not alone. A reset can be as simple as stepping outside for two minutes with a hot drink and a deep breath.
Looking Ahead
In the coming weeks, you may notice:
More deliberate babbling with repeated sounds
Standing for longer stretches
Attempts to shuffle or step with support
More expressive pointing, clapping, and mimicry
You’re not just raising a baby — you’re nurturing a whole person. And they’re growing beautifully, one tiny discovery at a time.
Further Reading:
Night Weaning: Keeping It Real Understand the realities of night weaning and how to approach it in a way that respects both your baby's needs and your own well-being.
Infant Sleep Development Explore how developmental milestones, such as crawling and increased mobility around 8–10 months, can impact your baby's sleep patterns, leading to more frequent night waking.
Why Your Baby Doesn't Need To Be Taught How To Move Learn about the natural progression of gross motor skills in infants and why allowing babies to develop at their own pace supports healthy physical development.
