Baby Development and Milestones: Your 10-Month-Old

Get to know your baby at 10 months, a stage where he becomes more chatty, curious, and adventurous!

Physical Development

Because he is becoming so curious, your 10 month old baby will naturally want to explore his surroundings. It’s a good thing his motor skills are keeping up with him at this age! Not only can he crawl, he can also stand on his own from a seated position. He can sit down on his own and squat with support. Plus, he is learning to move objects from one hand to the other with ease.

Taking his first steps is just around the corner at this stage, usually just a few months away!

It’s also important for you to be extra wary of choking hazards, as 10 month olds are fond of picking up small objects, thanks to the development of their pincer grasp!

Tips: 

• This is the stage when baby-proofing your house is of utmost importance.
• How can you encourage motor skills development and coordination? Turn up the music and encourage your baby to bop and shake to the tunes! This will be great for his auditory development as well.

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

As with all stages of your child’s development, looking forward to the important milestones will also help you determine when your little one is lagging behind.

Watch out if your child is unable to bear weight on his legs or is unable to sit with support or smoothly move objects from one hand to another. If you observe any of these, then consult your child’s paediatrician immediately.

Cognitive Development

Your 10 month old is curious and observant, so it’s important to nurture his curiosity by allowing him to explore the world, take him outdoors or simply allow him to play with household objects to encourage his intellectual development.

He’ll also be fond of playing peek-a-boo, as he begins to feel the urge to look for things that are hidden from him. He will also love watching falling objects.

Tips:

At this age, babies learn the concept of object permanence (knowing an object exists even when it is not seen). Encourage this by hiding toys or books and helping your child look for them.

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

When should you be concerned? If your child is unable to recognise people they are usually familiar with or if they are unable to follow with their eyes when you are pointing to something, consult your child’s paediatrician to find out whether this is indeed a developmental delay.

Social and Emotional Development

10 month olds are cute little copycats! Use your face as your best teaching tool. Make funny faces and exaggerate words – this is a great way to stimulate your baby’s senses. At this age, your baby may start being wary of strangers and clingy towards certain “favourite” people.

At times, he may exhibit odd behaviour. This includes head banging, rolling around, grinding teeth or pulling hair as a way to deal with stressful changes in his environment.

Tips:

Be extra attentive. He will begin to form fears he never had before at this age, like when he hears thunder or loud sounds.

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

At 10 months, babies should be responsive to words and actions, babbling and making eye contact with ease. If you find that your baby is constantly listless and unresponsive to stimuli, then it’s time to consult your paediatrician.

Speech and Language

Your baby’s fast-developing brain allows him to comprehend more words. For instance, words like mama, dada, dog, and cat become staples in his daily vocabulary because he is exposed to these words daily. 

Tips: 

Enhance your child’s communication skills by engaging with him, talking to him, reading to him, and singing with him. Many babies tend to retain words more effectively if it is accompanied by a melody.

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

Don’t be alarmed if your baby tends to be a little quiet. It’s natural for him to have different moods at this age. But you should be a bit concerned if he is unable to babble even simple words, like “mama”, “baba”, or “dada”.

Health and Nutrition

By now, more of your little one’s “milk teeth” have erupted, so he’s ready to chow down on yummy food that is thicker in consistency, like porridge! Cut-up solid food is also a good idea. Not only is new food enjoyable, they also help develop your baby’s pincer grasp and coordination if he has to pick up food and put it in his mouth.

As we said in a previous article, it’s up to mums (and babies) to decide when to wean. At this age, it’s also a good time to widen your baby’s appreciation of more types of fruit, vegetables, grains, and meat.

Tips:

• Be careful of food that could be possible choking hazards, like raisins, candy, grapes, and hotdogs.
• Take an easy-to-grip spoon and allow your little one to feed himself.
• Be sure to place a mat on the table or under his chair for stress-free clean-up, as it’ll be messy at first! But allowing your child to become more independent is an important part of this stage of parenting.
• As for your baby’s growth, note that the typical height of a 10 month old is 69.7 to 74.2 cm and weight is 8.0 to 9.9 kg.

When to Talk to Your Doctor:

If your baby’s height and weight are lagging behind the average, consult your child’s doctor in order to find out how to boost his growth and development in the best way possible.

We hope you found this article useful. What can your baby do at 10 months old?