Your 10-Month-Old Baby: Development Milestones, Games & Toys

In this article, you will find developmental milestones for the 10-month-old baby, ideas on activities and games to play, and toy tips. You can also see the typical 10-month-old baby in action in a video.

Furthermore, read about developmental red flags to discuss with your baby’s health care provider.

9-month-old | 11-month-old

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Some 10-month-old babies are still quite content with sitting still and playing. Most, however, move around or try to. Some already walk.

A mother I talked to said that she felt so relieved when her baby was 10 months old. “Now I know we’ll both survive her first year” she said.

This woman really found it tough to become a mother.

Others almost dread the first birthday. “Where did the time go?” And “Where is my baby?!”

Regardless of how you feel, you and your baby have come a long way from the day of his or her birth! (And your baby is certainly not looking back!)

10 Months Baby Milestones

Weight and Length

Your baby is approaching her first birthday and is growing stronger and changing with every day that passes. The most important thing is that your baby is gaining weight and growing at a healthy rate, so don’t worry if your baby’s measures are not like those of an average 10-month-old. These measures serve only as a rough guide.

On average, a 10-month-old baby boy weighs 20 pounds and 3 ounces (9.2 kg), and a baby girl weighs 18 pounds and 11 ounces (8.5 kg).

The average height/length of a 10-month-old baby boy is 28.75 inches (73.3 cm), and a baby girl 28 inches (71.5 cm).

Motor skills

Walking and first steps

Most babies take their first steps between 9 and 12 months old (but walk confidently a few months later).
Your baby might be able to pull herself up to a standing position using furniture. She might also have enough balance to squat or sit down from a standing position in a controlled way.

Better coordination

If you let him, your 10-month-old baby is likely to be able to eat with a spoon or with his hands and drink from a cup.

Let him try as often as possible, even if you might need to clean most of the kitchen, the baby, and yourself afterward.

Cognitive, Emotional, and Social Development

Exploring

With the great improvement of their motor skills and the ability to move around, 10-month-old babies love exploring everything all the time. They are often not very patient; they take one thing, shake it, bang it, taste it, and throw it away, looking for something else.

If you haven’t done it yet, baby-proof your home. Your baby will be on the move constantly, and you need to make sure your home is a safe place for your baby to explore.

Communication

A 10-month-old can follow simple commands, such as “clap your hands.”

She will also attach the meaning to some words and point at some familiar objects when you mention them.

Your baby may now be able to say a few words so that at least his closest family understands what he means. Saying “no” and shaking his head might be one of the first words.

Choosing a lovey for comfort

This may be the time when your baby chooses a lovey. It can be a blanket or a stuffed animal. Make sure that it is safe (no buttons that can fall off), and if possible, buy two!

It really helps to have a substitute if one needs to be washed or if your baby is going to a daycare center. That way, you can have one for when your baby is home and one that you’ll leave in the daycare.

When we bought our daughter an extra, identical soft horse, she took it and looked at it closely. Then she started to pull out the yarn making up the left nostril of the new horse. She was satisfied after pulling out half an inch, and the horse was completely accepted. Do I need to explain the looks of the old horse…? Children are funny and intelligent!

Sleeping When 10-Month-Old

Most 10-month-olds sleep through the night, but some babies are just not there yet.

A 10-month-old typically needs 10-12 hours of sleep at night and has two naps.

Some babies might start skipping the first nap and take just one longer afternoon nap instead. However, most will still have one nap in the morning and one in the afternoon.

At this point, separation anxiety might still cause your baby to wake up more often to check if you are there. This might disrupt your baby’s usual sleep patterns.

The other reason for your baby’s disrupted sleep at 10 months might be sleep regression, which often happens somewhere around the time when your baby is 8-10 months old.

This may be a good time to introduce a baby sleep schedule if you haven’t already.

Development Health Check and Red Flags

In many countries, a health check-up is scheduled at around 10 months to make sure that the baby develops normally.

At around 10-month-old many babies can:

Pull themselves up to a standing position and walk while holding onto furniture.
Use the pincer grasp.
Understand a few words.
Play peek-a-boo.

Every baby develops at their own timeline, but some key may point to a developmental delay, such as if your 10-month-old:

Hasn’t yet attempted crawling
Isn’t able to roll over
Doesn’t respond to your words

If you notice any of these signs, talk to your child’s doctor

Games To Play

PinAt this age, your baby might start initiating games to play with you. Being hunted (if he crawls or walks) can be really popular.

Look at animal pictures and tell your baby what they sound like.

Exploring outside can be fun. Bring a small bucket and help your baby find stones, leaves, or twigs to collect. Always tell your baby about the things you find. Pouring out the things and putting them back will probably also be fun.

You can, of course, explore with a bucket at home, too. Go to the kitchen, for example!

Practicing the names of body parts can be done by drawing a picture of a baby on a large piece of paper. Place pieces of cloth over, for example, the hands, feet, head, and stomach. Ask your baby where the head is. Then lift this particular piece of cloth and say “Hello head!”

Soon enough, your baby might be playing this game on their own.

“Finding the shoe” can be fun on a rainy day. Collect some shoes in a pile. Hold one up and ask your baby to find the other one of the pair. Your baby might need some help in the beginning, but it does help him to notice similarities.

Toy Tips

Maybe this is the month when you don’t have to buy or borrow a single thing! If your baby has just learned to crawl, this might be the only thing that he wants to do.

If you still want a few tips, a push toy, like this one, can be great fun. The best ones at this age are, I think, those where you can control how easily the wheels roll.

Put some heavy books in the wagon if your baby needs it to be very steady. My babies’ favorites have always been the plastic, colorful push toys that play music, have lamps, and so on, while I am in love with the classical wooden wagons… Guess what I buy..?

If your baby likes sitting still for a while, shape sorters can be fun. Choose an easy one, though, or your baby will lose interest. Stacking blocks may also be fun. There are some toys that can be used both for sorting and stacking. Some sort of stacking cups are great! Your baby can build a tower or try to figure out which cup can be put in which.

10-month-old, one of our kids absolutely loved her toy phone. It wasn’t even a mobile phone, but it made funny sounds, and you could talk on the receiver.

Finally, the lovey. If your baby hasn’t chosen one yet and you want to have a say, introduce one that you like, think is safe, and that can be washed often.