As your little one marks their 10th month, you'll be amazed at just how independent they are starting to become. Your 10-month-old is beginning to be adorably chatty, babbling and stringing syllables together as they try to communicate with everyone.
You'll also get a feel of your baby's personality at this age. Are they a bit shy or more adventurous? Children also begin to pick out certain books, music, and movies they enjoy.
10-Month-Old Development and Milestones: Is Your Baby on Track?
10 Months Old: Physical Developmental Milestones
At this stage, your child’s median length and weight* should be along this range:
- Boys
– Length: 73.1 cm (28.8 inches)
– Weight: 9.1 kg (20.1lb) - Girls
– Length: 71.6 cm (28.2 inches)
– Weight: 8.8 kg (19.4lb)
And your child’s head circumference* should be:
- Boys: 45.41 cm (17.9 inches)
- Girls: 44.23 cm (17.4 inches)
Because your 10-month-old baby is becoming curious, they will naturally want to explore their surroundings. It's good that your baby's motor skills are keeping up with them at this age! Not only can your baby crawl, but they can also stand independently from a seated position.
You may notice that your baby holds on to various objects, like a low coffee table to a stool, and walks. This is called "cruising" and shows that your baby's first steps are just around the corner.
Your baby can sit down on their own and squat with support. Plus, your child is easily learning to move objects from one hand to the other.
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.
How to support your 10-month-old's physical development
- This is the stage when babyproofing 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 is great for their auditory development as well.
Consult a doctor if your baby:
- Cannot bear weight on their legs.
- Is unable to sit with support.
- Cannot smoothly move objects from one hand to another.
Cognitive Development
Your 10-month-old is curious and observant, so it's important to nurture their curiosity by allowing your baby to explore the world. Bring your baby outdoors or allow them to play with household objects to encourage intellectual development through exploration and observation.
Peek-A-Boo is a favourite game, as they begin to feel the urge to look for hidden things. Your baby will also love watching falling objects.
How to promote your 10 months old's brain development
- 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.
- Start naming objects even though your baby may not be able to form proper words yet. Doing this stimulates the part of their brain related to language and communication.
- It's best to avoid all screen time at this stage. Instead, stimulate your child through age-appropriate books, STEAM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts, Maths), toys like blocks and paints, and plenty of interaction.
Consult a doctor if your baby:
- Is unable to recognise people they are usually familiar with.
- You cannot follow an object with their eyes when you point at it.
Emotional and Social Developmental Milestones
10-month-old babies are cute little copycats! Use your face as your best teaching tool for emotions and feelings. Make funny faces and exaggerate words. Give baby a big smile and tell them, "Look, mummy is happy!" or when baby cries, console them by saying, "Are you sad, darling? Don't be. I'm going to hug you and make you happy!"
Your baby may become wary of strangers and clingy towards certain "favourite" people at this age. This is a continuation of the stranger anxiety your baby might have started to display a month or two ago and should ease in the next few months.
At times, your child may exhibit odd behaviour. This includes head banging, rolling around, grinding teeth or pulling hair to deal with stressful changes in their environment.
How to nurture your 10-month-old's emotional development
- Your baby may begin to form fears they never had before at this age, like when they hear thunder or loud sounds. Reassure your baby with lots of cuddles and love.
- If you need to leave your baby at daycare for the first time, always tell them, "Mummy/Daddy will be back real soon!" Don't linger near the daycare after saying your byes; always leave with a big smile.
- Avoid forcing your baby to go to people if they seem shy or scared.
Consult a doctor if your baby:
- Is not responsive to words and actions.
- Does not babble or make eye contact with ease.
- Is listless and unresponsive to stimuli.
Speech and Language Development
Your baby's fast-developing brain allows them to comprehend more words. For instance, words like "mama", "dada", "dog", and "cat" may become staples in your child's daily vocabulary. They may also have long "conversations" with you in cute baby talk. Respond animatedly.
How to encourage your 10-month-old's speech and language development:
- Enhance your child's communication skills by engaging with him, talking, reading and singing to them.
- Many babies tend to retain words more effectively if a melody accompanies them. Time to brush up on those singing skills!
- During change time or bath time, gently poke your baby's tummy and name it. Do the same with those tiny toes and fingers and chubby limbs. This is not only a great bonding exercise, but you're also teaching your baby the names of body parts.
- When you read to your baby, be as expressive as possible. Change the tone and cadence of your voice to suit the characters or experiences described in the book.
- Avoid giving common items "baby" names and labels. For example, your baby's milk should be called "milk" and not "nom nom" or "milk milk". In other words, teach the baby the correct names for items and objects.
Consult a doctor if your baby:
- Is not even attempting to say simple words like “mama”, “baba”, or “dada”.
Health and Nutrition
Your 10-month-old baby might have a great appetite by now and will be excited to try new foods, textures and flavours. You can give your little one four small meals a day, with each meal being around half a bowl in quantity. Your baby can also be offered two small snacks in between their milk feedings.
Typically, the calorie intake for boys and girls of this age is as follows:
- Boys: 731.9 Kcal/day
- Girls: 705.2 Kcal/day
Their nutrition should be composed of the following:
-
Protein
This is an essential nutrient to fuel all that growing and development your child is doing and help them grow tall and strong.
Your child needs around 23.7 grams of protein daily. This amounts to approximately an adult female palm-sized portion of fish, or a child palm-sized piece of red meat or chicken, five to seven tablespoons of dry beans and peas, an egg, or 5-7 dice-sized cubes of tofu.
Give your child oily fish such as sardine or pink salmon, as these are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain development.
-
Fruits
Fruits provide essential nutrients, antioxidants, and fibre needed for good digestive health.
Your baby needs about 1/4 cup of fruit every day. 1/4 cup of fruit equals 1/4 of fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, 1/8 cup dried fruit, 1/4 of a large apple, 1/4 of a large banana, or half a small avocado.
Give your baby some fresh fruits whenever possible rather than canned or dried fruits, which are high in sugar.
-
Vegetables
Along with fruits, vegetables provide crucial vitamins and minerals for your baby's growth.
Your child requires 1/4 cups (25g each) of vegetables daily. 1/4 cup of vegetables equals 1/4 cup of cooked vegetables, half a cup of leafy greens like spinach or kale, 1/4 large tomato, half a medium carrot, or 1/4 cup broccoli or cauliflower.
-
Grains
Your child's daily grains requirement is up to 1.5 ounces or about 42.5 grams. This equals around 1.5 slices of bread, 1.5 cups of cereal or oatmeal, or one cup of cooked pasta or rice.
Choose whole grains, such as whole-grain bread or brown rice, with beneficial fibre and nutrients. Limit refined grains such as white bread, pasta and white rice.
-
Milk/Dairy
Your child should drink a minimum of 700-1000 mL of milk daily. Avoid cow's milk until your baby is one year old.
In a nutshell, here’s what your child needs every day (refer above for what the amounts look like):
- Fruits: 1/4 for boys; 1/4 cups for girls
- Vegetables: 1/4 cups for boys; 1/4 cups for girls
- Grains: up to 1.5 ounces for boys and girls
- Proteins: 22.50g for boys; 22.50g for girls
- Milk: 20-35 ounces of breast milk or 24 ounces of formula for boys and girls
- Water: 800 ml for boys; 800 ml for girls
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.
How to support your 10-month-old baby's nutrition:
- Be careful of food that could be choking hazards, like raisins, candy, grapes, and hotdogs.
- By now, more of your little one's "milk teeth" have also erupted, so they are ready to chow down on yummy food thicker in consistency, like porridge.
- Cut-up solid food is also a good idea. Not only is new food enjoyable, but it also helps develop your baby's pincer grasp and coordination if they pick up food and put it in their mouth.
- 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 a stress-free clean-up, as it'll be messy first! But allowing your child to become more independent is an important part of this stage of parenting.
Vaccinations and Common Illnesses
By now, your baby should have got the following vaccinations:
- BCG
- Hepatitis B (1st, 2nd and 3rd dose)
- DTaP (1st, 2nd and 3rd dose)
- IPV (1st, 2nd and 3rd dose)
- Hib (1st, 2nd and 3rd dose)
- Pneumococcal Conjugate (1st and 2nd dose)
To read more about your child's vaccination schedule, click here.
Has your baby had their first common cold yet? While it's stressful to see your little one ill, sickness in kids is inevitable and helps build up the baby's immunity. Other than the common cold, little ones may also be prone to common illnesses like Hand, Foot Mouth disease, seasonal strains of influenza and coughs and rashes.
Parents, you should never medicate your baby on your own unless you are doctors yourself. Please seek medical advice for any illness in your child, even common ones. However, you can ease your child's symptoms through, for example, saline drops for a congested nose or lukewarm sponging for fever.
Some reminders:
- Wash your hands before feeding your baby or after a diaper change. Advise all caregivers of your baby to do the same.
- It's normal for the baby to go off food when sick. Don't stress about this as their appetite will return when they are better. However, do keep up the fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Ensure all sharp corners of tables or other furniture are padded to prevent accidents. Fasten cupboards and bookshelves to the wall.
Consult a doctor if your baby:
- Is lagging behind on average height and weight.
- Is losing a lot of weight.
- Has fever over 38 degrees Celsius.
- Has unusual rashes, cuts or bumps.
We hope you found this article useful. What can your baby do at 10 months old?
*Disclaimer: This is the median length and weight, and head circumference according to WHO standards.
Updates from Pheona Ilagan
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