All babies have their own timetable, but you can watch for certain developments in your 10-month-old. Celebrate with your baby as she reaches or nears these milestones.
Cognitive
- Understands how to use many objects (cuddling a stuffed toy, shaking a rattle, putting a cup to lips)
- Understands object permanence well (will look for an object that’s hidden because she knows it’s there)
- Expanding attention span, from two to three minutes at 8 months to 15 minutes at 12 months
- Attracted to novelty (new toys, objects)
- Explores playthings in new ways (touching, banging, dropping)
- Increasingly shows memory of recent events
Motor
- Rolls over quickly and suddenly
- Crawls
- Has good accuracy picking up objects with fingers (the pincer grasp)
- Getting better at releasing objects from grasp
- Points and pokes with index finger
- Feeds self, though messily
- May drink from cup
- Sits up unsupported for long periods
- May pull herself to standing
- Stands with support (holding onto fingers or furniture)
- Crawls up stairs (so watch out!)
- Cruises along furniture (but help her stay safe)
Communication
- Recognizes own name
- Understands many things said to her
- Shakes head or frowns to express “no” or as a response to “no”
- Holds out arms to be picked up
- Babbles in long groups of consonant and vowel sounds, like “tata upupup ba ba ba!”
- Babbles using the cadences and inflections of real conversation
- May use “Ma ma” and “Da da” to refer specifically to parents
- May say other early words, though probably not with good pronunciation (“ba ba” for “bottle,” “mok” for “milk”)
Social
- Accurately mimics expressions and sounds made by others
- Enjoys being around other babies (but can’t yet play together)
- Enjoys watching older children
- Watches for your reactions (to banging or laughing)
- Stranger anxiety (shyness around strangers) continues
- Shows separation anxiety (crying or showing distress when you leave the room), which peaks between 10 and 18 months
- May wave good-bye
