10th month

Your 10-month-old's development

Becoming more mobile 

By the time they're 10 months old, babies are usually able to crawl well on their hands and knees, with their limbs straight and their trunk parallel to the floor. Many babies start trying to crawl before 10 months but master the skill only now. At this age, your baby can also sit confidently and may even walk while holding onto furniture, possibly letting go momentarily and standing without support. 


Once he can stand while steadying himself, your baby will use other objects for support, find ways to pull up onto furniture and even crawl up stairs. He'll take steps when held in a walking position and may attempt to pick up a toy from a standing position. Those magical first steps toward independence -- and lots more exercise for you! -- are just around the corner. 

Grabbing with his fingers 

Your baby's fingers are becoming more agile. He may be able to pick up a small object with his thumb and finger without having to rest his wrist on a solid surface. He's intrigued by tiny things and is still likely to taste-test them; this is fine as long as they're edible and not so small that he could choke on them. 

Blooming personality 

Your baby's personality is probably really emerging now. He may be very social, granting broad smiles to everyone he meets, or a little more reticent, shyly hiding his face when well-meaning strangers try to engage him. He'll repeat sounds, gesture for your attention and may even wave goodbye when he sees you head for the door. He's also developing a mind of his own, which you've probably already noticed when he protests being put in his car seat or pushchair. 

Handling your baby's fears 

There will be times when your child is scared of things he can't understand or of things that didn't formerly bother him, such as a ringing doorbell or the telephone. When this happens, the most important thing you can do as a parent is comfort and reassure him; tell him that you're there and he's fine. 

Talking to your chatterbox 

Your baby is just beginning to understand many simple words and phrases, so it's more important than ever to keep talking to him. Give your chatterbox a head start on good speech patterns by repeating his words back to him using adult language. If he asks for a "baubau," for example, gently reinforce the correct pronunciation by asking, "Do you want a drink?" At this stage of the game, it's best to try to avoid the tendency to use baby talk -- it's fun, but hearing the right words is better for your baby's development. 

Though it may sometimes feel silly, having conversations with your baby is a great way to encourage his language skills. When he rattles off a sentence of gibberish, respond with "Oh, really? How interesting." He'll probably smile and keep chattering away. Soon you may notice some words or gestures you actually understand, as well as other forms of communication, such as pointing and grunting. 

Giving your baby a blow-by-blow description of what you're doing is also a great idea, whether you're dicing onions for dinner or folding the laundry. As you put him in his pushchair, say, "There you go, into your blue pushchair. Now let's buckle you in and get you comfortable. Okay, we're off to the park." You can also sing him nursery rhymes, demonstrate actions that go with words (saying "bye-bye" and waving for instance), and play games such as 'patta-cake patta-cake' or 'this little piggy', so he learns to identify key words and phrases. 

He'll soon start to make the connections. Before long, he'll be clapping his hands together when you do and may begin to say "mama" when he's looking at mum and "dada" when dad comes into the room (though at this point he's still more likely to use the two names indiscriminately).