Early Pregnancy
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At 10 months, your baby is fully exploring the world. Their physical and cognitive abilities are still developing, and they haven’t finished surprising you yet. Language, feeding, sleep… What’s happening with your baby right now?
10-month-old baby: May tells you everything.
Motor and cognitive development
No longer quite an infant but not really a big kid yet either: let’s take a look at their motor and cognitive development.
Motor development
Motor development in a baby is a process that involves learning physical skills and mastering body movements. At 10 months, your baby is in a full-on exploration phase.
Driven by their curiosity, your baby may already be trying to stand up. This is a major step in psychomotor development, the last one before walking! To get up on their two feet, they need to develop muscle tone and balance for that position. That’s why it’s important to let your baby stand up at their own pace, without rushing them. The sitting position is also a prerequisite (unlike crawling) for standing up. If your baby isn’t sitting well yet, there’s no need to push them to stand and “skip” a stage.
Our tip: when trying to stand, your child looks for supports at their height. You can help by placing upturned boxes at home that are safer and easier to reach than, for example, a coffee table. Don’t hesitate to place their toys higher up to encourage them to look up and want to stand.
Cognitive development
Cognitive development refers to how a baby thinks and understands the world around them. At 10 months, your baby shows significant signs of progress in their cognitive development:
- Face recognition: your baby now recognizes familiar faces and can distinguish a known face from a stranger.
- Imitation: they start imitating gestures and sounds, a sign of social and cognitive development.
When to worry?
The developmental stages mentioned above are only general guidelines about a baby’s progress. Remember, every child develops at their own pace! So don’t worry if your baby is developing faster or slower than others.
However, if you notice a sudden stop in development in your child, don’t hesitate to consult your healthcare professional.
Want to learn more? Feel free to download the May app, where you’ll find plenty of resources to support and guide you throughout your journey as a new parent.
Language and communication
At 10 months, your baby is beginning to make important strides in language and communication development. At this age, babbling is common: they repeat syllables like “bababa” or “mamama.” This babbling is part of the process that allows them to continue their language development. Behind these sounds are cognitive abilities that already allow them to understand simple phrases like “time to eat” or “let’s sleep.”
Keep in mind that babbling isn’t a mandatory stage: not all babies go through it. If your child doesn’t babble, don’t worry—it won’t affect their ability to talk later. See babbling more as practice; babies who don’t babble simply don’t feel the need to practice.
Your baby may also start to show you what they want by pointing. This is their way of communicating interest in an object and trying to get your attention. This type of communication often comes with glances at the adult’s face to check if they are looking at the same object—what’s called joint attention. You’re starting to look at and share things together: the start of a new form of interaction and communication!
Feeding and nutrition
At 10 months, your baby still can’t do without milk entirely but the amounts have decreased compared to the early months. Between 9 and 12 months, it’s recommended to offer at least 500 ml of milk (or equivalent) per day, split into 2 bottles (for example, one in the morning and one for an afternoon snack).
Good to know: you can replace bottles with infant milk-based dairy products if needed.
Alongside milk, your baby can continue exploring solid foods with small pieces, something they likely discovered last month. Note that it’s not recommended to delay the introduction of pieces beyond 10 months, as it may make eating more difficult later, reduce their food repertoire, increase the risk of rejecting new foods (especially vegetables years later), and even lead to orthodontic problems (misaligned teeth, malocclusion, poor alignment of permanent incisors, etc.).
Here are some good habits for continuing to explore pieces:
- Avoid peanuts, whole nuts, hard candies, olives, dates, cherries with pits (at least until age 4 to reduce choking risks), and canned foods (too salty) before age 1.
- Cook without adding salt (don’t salt baby food either, as it already contains the right amount) or fried foods.
- Limit sugar (which shouldn’t be demonized!), honey (avoid before 1 year due to the risk of botulism), and chocolate (also too sugary).
Good to know: there’s an alternative to traditional weaning, where pieces are introduced from the start, called baby-led weaning (BLW).
Sleep for a 10-month-old baby
Babies’ sleep evolves rapidly during the first year. At 10 months, your baby may sleep between 11 and 14 hours a day, split between nighttime sleep and one or two daytime naps. During this period, your baby’s circadian rhythm begins to stabilize, and they may sleep for longer stretches at night. It’s also the age when babies start to have sleep cycles more similar to adults, with phases of REM and deep sleep.
Common sleep problems
At this age, several sleep issues can occur:
- Frequent night awakenings: babies naturally wake up during the night but may still need your help to fall back asleep. This is often related to how they fall asleep at bedtime (for example, falling asleep in your arms and waking up in their bed).
- Disruptions due to new skills: motor or cognitive progress, like learning to stand or walk, can temporarily disturb your child’s sleep.
How to improve my child’s sleep?
Here are some tips for establishing an effective sleep routine:
- Create a calming bedtime routine: a bedtime ritual can include reading a story or singing a soft song to help your baby relax.
- Encourage independent falling asleep: help your baby fall asleep on their own by putting them in bed when they are drowsy but still awake. This prevents confusion when they wake up in a different place.
- Respond consistently to night awakenings: if your baby wakes up at night, give them a few minutes to self-soothe before stepping in. When you do step in, reassure them without taking them out of bed.
Health and medical care
Pediatric visits are important to monitor your child’s growth and development and to detect any potential medical concerns early.
Vaccines this month
Vaccination plays a key role in strengthening your baby’s immune system and protecting them from potentially serious childhood diseases. At 10 months, it’s important to make sure your child is up to date with the recommended vaccines. Consult your pediatrician to verify that all necessary doses have been administered. You can even take this opportunity to plan the next doses.
Common illnesses at 10 months
Babies at this age can be prone to various ailments, usually mild, such as colds, ear infections, or digestive troubles.
To protect your baby from common illnesses, it’s recommended to maintain good hygiene (wash hands frequently, clean toys, etc.) and to monitor any unusual reactions to new foods (in case your baby shows signs of allergies or intolerance).
In conclusion, at 10 months, your baby is in a full phase of exploration, both physically and cognitively. The diversification of their diet also supports this, as they can now hold food with their fingers (if you’re following traditional weaning steps).
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Photos: innasap | AlexVog | ArseniiPalivoda | tatevik_b | joaquincorbalan
This text was translated from French by an artificial intelligence. The information, advice, and sources it contains comply with French standards and may therefore not apply to your situation. Make sure to complement this reading by visiting the May US/UK app and consulting the healthcare professionals who are supporting you.
