Physical Development of a 10 Month Old

Chattering

• Ten-month-old babies have a lot to say and they are also beginning to understand some of the things you are saying to them. Your baby may ask for his bottle by chattering the word bah-bah. It is important for his development that you respond to everything he says. Your baby will also likely start pointing at things that he wants. When he does this you should always name the things he is pointing to. Your baby should also be able to say mama and dada and know who they are.

Pincer fingers

• Your baby will be able to use her little fingers more adroitly now. She should be able to pick up small items without any help whereas before she would have had to balance on her wrists to do so. She may start crawling around the floor picking up little pieces of cereal or other tiny things. She loves to put everything in her mouth. Baby is also eating solid food now.

Mobility

• Baby should be crawling by now on his hands and knees rather than scooting. Your baby can probably climb up the stairs, and can sit with confidence. At this time he is also pulling himself up on the furniture and standing. Occasionally he may even take a few steps. You might see him standing unattended for a few seconds.

Independence

• By now baby will likely be able to walk for a while if she is holding on to you or to your hand for support. When you attempt to dress her you will likely find that she will cooperate by stretching out an arm or a foot when you put her shoes on. She should be able to feed herself, by hand, her whole meal and should be able to drink from a Sippy cup. It is not uncommon for baby to throw the cup when she discovers that it is empty. This is the age at which they love to play games and seem never to tire of them. They will grab whatever they can and drop it in anticipation of your picking it up.

Interaction

• Now is the time that your baby will want to be around other children, especially other babies. While it may seem that he is playing with other children he has not mastered that capability just yet. Rather, he is playing alongside other children. This is great for his developing social skills. Baby understands what the word "no" means--but he also may very well ignore it. Baby wants to explore everything and his curiosity can get him into trouble, so it is good to set some limits now.