10 month old motor skills

Baby Development: Your 10-Month-Old

Written by Stephanie Watson

Now that your baby is 10 months old, you’ve probably been noticing a lot of big changes. And you may be amazed at how fast your baby is turning into an independent little person who gets around, plays, and communicates like a pro. You also should be getting a sense of your baby’s personality by now -- quiet or outgoing, calm or adventurous. And you no doubt have noticed that your baby already has a few favorite books, stuffed animals, songs, and games.

In this portion of WebMD’s month-by-month guide, you’ll discover what baby milestones you can expect your child to achieve when they are 10 months old.

Tenth Month Baby Milestones: Motor Skills

Your 10-month-old is enjoying the freedom of exploring in many different ways. Babies at this age can crawl, pull from a seated position to standing, squat while holding on or sit back down, and cruise around while holding onto the furniture or your hands. Walking is now just a couple of months away, so you can expect your baby to soon be on the go even more.

At 10 months, your baby’s coordination has improved a lot. Children at this age are pretty adept at picking up small objects in their pincer grasp. They can also spot items easily at this age and quickly get to them. Just make sure you keep anything small enough to pose a choking hazard, such as coins and other small items, out of their reach. If you haven't done so already, baby proofing the house is crucial now with your baby on the move and being able to grasp objects.

They're also figuring out how to fit smaller objects into larger ones, which makes stacking cups a lot of fun. And 10-month-olds have the skill to hold a toy in one hand while using the other hand for a different task.

Tenth Month Baby Milestones: Sleep

By 10 months, your baby may be down to a single one-hour nap during the day. but there's nothing to worry about if they are still taking 2 naps. If you’re going to skip a nap, it’s better to skip the morning one. An after-lunch nap will help baby stay awake through the afternoon and avoid pre-bedtime crankiness. Your baby should make up for the lost nap by sleeping for an extra hour or two at night, and sleeping through the night.

Tenth Month Baby Milestones: Eating

You can continue to expand your baby’s palate by offering a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, yogurt, and meats. Be sure to avoid choking hazards such as popcorn, raisins, nuts, hard candy, whole grapes, and hot dogs cut into circles.

Now that a few teeth have come in, introduce thicker consistencies and more table foods cut up into small pieces that you serve as finger foods.

Letting them feed themselves these finger foods allows them to practice their pincer grasp, and it helps them practice their coordination skills by picking the food up and putting it in their mouth.

If you haven’t done so already, try giving your baby a spoon and letting them feed themselves. Pick a utensil with a large, easy-to-grasp handle. The first few times your baby feeds themselves will be messy, but every mess can be cleaned, and eating independently is an important skill to learn. You may want to put a mat under their chair for easier clean-up and to protect your floors.

Some parents make their baby food by boiling fruits, vegetables, and meats and then grinding them or blending them for baby to eat.

Other parents prefer to buy organic baby foods instead of the traditional brands. These foods are more expensive, but are they worth the extra cost? There is some evidence that organic baby foods contain fewer pesticide residues than conventional baby foods. But they don’t have any more vitamins or other nutrients than the regular brands. Ultimately, the decision of whether to go organic depends on your own preference.

Tenth Month Baby Milestones: Communication

Babies at this age are mimics, and you may notice your baby copying just about everything you do, from brushing your hair to picking up the phone. Your baby will listen to the sound of your words and will watch you carefully to gauge your reactions to situations. If you cry at a sad movie, for example, you may see your baby’s face crumple up, too.

Ten-month-olds can understand and follow simple, one-step commands, such as “wave bye-bye” or "clap hands." They also can attach meanings to certain words. When you say “car” or “dog,” your baby may point at the object, and they should respond to the sound of their own name.

Tips for Your Baby’s Tenth Month:

Even though your baby isn’t talking yet, engage them in real conversations. For instance, respond to their babbles with “Really?” or “That’s so interesting!” Or carry on a conversation using a stuffed animal or puppet. You’ll encourage your baby to keep talking and learning new words.
Turn on the tunes. Any type of music will work, whether it’s pop, country, or show tunes. Your baby will love bopping and bouncing along to the rhythm.
Hide toys and help your little one look for them to practice object permanence-the idea that things continue to exist, even when they can’t see them.
At 10 months, your baby should be babbling, making eye contact, and responding to your words and actions. If you are worried that your baby isn’t communicating appropriately, call your pediatrician for an evaluation.

Developmental Milestones: 10-12 Month Baby

10- to 12-month-old babies are learning a lot and showing interest in their surroundings. These months include some exciting milestones, as babies can now use their hands for support and begin to pull themselves into a standing position. Some babies might even start taking a few steps on their own.

Doctors use certain milestones to tell if a baby is developing as expected. There is a wide range of what’s considered normal, so some babies gain skills earlier or later than others. Babies who were born prematurely often reach milestones later. Always talk with your doctor about your baby’s progress.

How Much Will My 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby Grow?

While all babies may grow at a different rate, the following indicates the average for boys and girls 10 to 12 months of age:

Weight: average gain of about 13 ounces each month, birthweight is doubled at approximately 4 to 5 months and tripled at one year
Height: average growth of just over 1/2 inch each month with most infants growing 10 inches in the first year.
Head size: average growth of about 1/2 inch each month

What Can My 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby Do at This Age?

As your baby continues to grow, you will notice new and exciting abilities that develop. While babies may progress at different rates, the following are some of the common milestones your child may reach in this age group:

Pulls up to a standing position
Can sit back down from standing position
Cruises or walks around holding onto furniture
May stand next to furniture without holding on
May walk holding on to your finger or hand
May begin to take steps and walk on own
Plays ball by receiving and returning a rolled ball
Able to pick up food and small objects with fingers
Can feed self finger foods
Drinks from cup with spout
Can turn pages in a book, often several at a time
Bangs objects together
Imitates scribble
New teeth continue to erupt; may have four to six teeth by one year old
Takes two naps a day and is able to sleep up to 12 hours at night without a feeding
Make wake up at night looking for parents

What Can My 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby Say?

Speech development is very exciting for parents as they watch their babies become social beings that can interact with others. While every baby develops speech at his or her own rate, the following are some of the common milestones in this age group:

Says da-da and ma-ma and knows who these persons are
Imitates sounds and some speech
May say things like “Uh oh”
Imitates animal sounds in response to questions (such as, “What does the cow say?”)
Simple gesture (such as shaking head “no”)

What Does My 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby Understand?

Babies at this age become much more aware of others and themselves. They are not yet confident that their parent will return when they leave. Some common milestones children may reach in this age group are:

Recognizes familiar objects and pictures in books, and may point to some objects when asked “Where is the … ?”
Follows a one step command with the parent having to show the child how to do it
Has preferences for people and toys, and may have a favorite toy or blanket
Is curious and wants to explore
Moves to music
Drops objects on purpose for others to pick up
Points and gestures for objects and actions
May begin to pretend simple activities, such as cleaning or drinking from cup

Feeding Your 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby

Your baby may be trying a large variety of new foods and may want to try what you are eating. Start any new food with a trial run. Introduce only one new food at time, then wait a few days to a week to look for any allergic reactions. Try to introduce new foods during times when your pediatrician’s office is open, in case of allergic reaction.

If your baby shows signs of severe allergy, such as severe swelling of the face, lips or tongue or trouble breathing, call 9-1-1.

When trying new solid foods with your 10- to -12-month-old, try to avoid these ingredients:

Do not give a baby honey until after their first birthday. It can contain spores that are harmless to adults but can cause botulism in babies.

Do not give cow’s milk to your baby until over 12 months old. It doesn’t have the nutrition that infants need from breast milk or formula.

When exploring new foods with your baby, try foods that offer new tastes and textures. At this age, you can begin to have your infant join the rest of the family at meals and develop a routine of 3 meals a day.

By the time babies are around 9 or 10 months old, they usually have the dexterity and coordination to pinch smaller pieces of food between their forefinger and thumb so they can try feeding themselves. To prevent choking, cook table foods a little longer, until very soft, and cut them into pieces that your baby can handle safely.

By age one, babies are ready to switch from formula to cow’s milk. If you’re breastfeeding, you can continue beyond your infant’s first birthday, if desired. If you decide to stop breastfeeding before your baby’s first birthday, you should feed your baby iron-fortified formula. If your baby is over 12 months, you can offer whole milk.

If your baby uses a sippy cup, let him or her keep working on it. After 12 months, you can serve whole milk in a cup, which will help with the transition from the bottle. Using a bottle after 1 year of life can predispose children to developing cavities.

How Does My 10-12-Month-Old Baby Interact With Others?

Babies at this age have a better understanding of their relationship with others, such as when they are near or far, coming or going. While every child’s personality is unique, some of the common behavioral traits your child may show include:

Fear and anxiety of strangers; may cling and clutch parents; cries when parent leaves
Waves bye-bye
Cries or shows emotions when told “no”

How Can I Help My 10- to 12-Month-Old Baby Overcome Separation Anxiety?

Consider the following as ways to foster the emotional security of your baby:

Walk away for short periods while your baby plays in a safe area to help teach him or her that you will come back each time.
Introduce your baby gradually to new people and things.
Look at picture books with your baby and talk about the pictures. Consider ordering a custom book with names and faces of loved ones to help baby remember others.

How Long Should My 10-12-Month-Old Baby Sleep?

Sleep problems are common in the second half of a baby’s first year. Some babies may experience separation anxiety and call out or cry in the middle of the night, then calm down when mom or dad enters the room. This is a normal stage of development. If this happens, as with other waking, give your baby some time to settle down. If needed, give brief reassurance to your little one without taking your baby out of the crib.

Most babies this age sleep 12–16 hours per day, including a stretch of 9–12 hours at night. Your baby will likely still take two naps per day. Some babies nap for 30 minutes, while others nap for up to 2 hours.

See our healthy sleep for babies guide for more information about sleep at this age.

How Can I Help My 10- to 12-Month Old Baby Learn New Skills?

Read stories to your baby every day.
When your baby asks for something by pointing, name the object as you give it to them.
Hold and cuddle your baby often.
Continue a bedtime routine of cuddling, rocking and soothing.
Give your baby finger foods and help them to use a spoon, but allow your baby to do it alone. Do not worry if your baby makes a mess, as experimentation is important for development.
Respond to your baby if he or she awakens and cries at night, but avoid turning on the light or picking up or holding your baby. Limit your interactions to soothing talk and patting, telling your baby it is time for sleep.
Give your child toys that move (such as balls or cars).

Reviewed by Dr. Gregory Kennedy, Southern Orange County Pediatric Associates, CHOC Primary Care – June 2021

games for the smallest hands

Reviewer Kovtun Tatiana Anatolievna

48773 views

September 15, 2021

From birth, children begin to explore the world - first through sounds, images and bodily contact with loved ones. And then the stage of sensory development begins. At this time, the child's ideas about the properties of the objects around him are being improved. And the more interesting things that differ in texture and texture will surround the baby, the more harmonious his development will be.

Mom, I'm ready!

After 6 months, the child already actively uses his hands - for example, he learns to take a spoon. By 8 months, he masters the pinched grip with two fingers. Mom can help the baby develop fine motor skills - and therefore contribute to the development of his speech. It's no secret that the nerve receptors in the fingers are associated with the areas of the brain responsible for speech.

Small finger massage

If it is too early for a baby to master the wisdom of finger gymnastics, a mother can give him a massage of his hands and fingers. And you can massage not with your hands, but with special massage small balls - “hedgehogs”. These are sold in orthopedic stores. Better yet, massage with walnuts. How is this massage done? Walk them all over the palm and along each finger, invite the baby to hold and roll nuts or massage hedgehogs in his hands.

Fine motor games

When to offer the baby games for the development of fine motor skills? On average, you can start mastering finger games from 8 months, but we recommend focusing on the characteristics of your child. Some children are ready to connect earlier, and some will be able to master the games only by the age of one. After all, it all depends on the individual pace of development of the child, and you can always get advice on this from a specialist.
At the first stage, all manipulations with fingers are performed by mom or dad, and the baby is just learning. Later, he will master the games and will do all the movements on his own.

Hedgehog

This is the simplest game, it is suitable even for toddlers. We clasp our hands with a lock and swing from side to side: “Hedgehog-hedgehog is prickly, where are your needles?”. At the last word, you need to help the baby spread his fingers - “needles”.

Game “Wake up the neighbors”

We pronounce the following text and help the child perform the appropriate movements:

“The morning has come - the sun has risen” (together with the baby, raise your hands up, spread your fingers).
"Hey, brother Fedya, wake up the neighbors" (shake your fist).
"Get up big, get up pointer" (alternately unbend each finger).
“Get up middle, get up orphan” (alternately unbend each finger).
“And you, Mitroshka. Hello, palm! (on the word "palm" shake all fingers).

It is done for each pen.

Game "Orange"

"We shared an orange" (twisting the fist).
“There are many of us, but he is one” (we show all the fingers, and then only one).
“This slice is for a hedgehog, this slice is for a siskin” (we bend a finger for each animal in turn).
“This slice is for kittens, this slice is for bunnies” (if mom makes, she can massage her fingers).
"This slice is for the beaver, and for the wolf - peel" (on the word "peel" you need to shake all the fingers of the brushes lowered down).

Looking for treasure

For fine motor skills, games with cereals are very useful. Take a large bowl and mix everything you can in it: beans, lentils, peas, millet. Send cones, acorns, chestnuts and shells there - naturally, washed and dried. And inside all this "porridge" you need to bury some kind of surprise - a small toy, a car or a jar of soap bubbles. The task of the baby is to dig for a long time with pens in a heterogeneous mixture in order to find a gift.

In parallel, you can count cones, chestnuts, sort beans by color.

Mom must remember that the baby should not be left unattended: he can choke or put the “treasure” in his nose or ear.

Draw with semolina

Take a baking sheet and generously sprinkle it with semolina or sugar. Show your child how you can draw with your fingers on such a “screen”. To help the young artist, you can give a brush, a funnel made of paper and a spoon to pour the cereal. Older children can repeat patterns or even letters after their mother, and little ones will just have to tinker with their croup.

Grain sorting

Pour beans (preferably red) and millet into one bowl. The task of the baby is to shift all the beans into a separate bowl. For older children, the task can be complicated by offering to carry out all the actions with sugar tongs, for example.

If you mix beans with semolina, then the child can be given a sieve, then the large motor skills of his pens will also develop.

Plasticine, pastel, marker

Masaru Ibuka, author of the bestselling book It's Too Late After 3, strongly recommends giving children crayons as early as possible. And this is very correct! Take triangular pencils, wax crayons or art pastels: to draw with them, you need to make all sorts of efforts. Let the child have a choice! And felt-tip pens can be put aside for another time, and not even because they dirty everything around, but because the kid does not need to make any effort to draw with them, because felt-tip pens easily leave a mark on paper.

Drawing with finger paints is a troublesome activity, but fascinating and useful for fine motor skills of the hands. The texture of the paints develops sensory skills, and touching the paper and trying to draw a pattern stimulate fine motor skills. For completeness, invite your child to draw on velvet or corrugated paper.

An excellent training of fine motor skills will also be a breakaway application - children at the age of 10-11 months can already quite cope with the task of tearing napkins or even cotton into pieces on their own (but only under the supervision of their mother and with her direct participation), and then with the help of their mother press them to a pre-prepared drawing (sheep, snowdrift, snowman, hare). The task of the mother is to guide the baby's hand and show how to press the paper to the sheet correctly, what effort and what parts of the pen need to be made.

Modeling from salt dough - this activity is also called "flour-salt" - and playing with clay perfectly complement the arsenal of techniques for developing fingers.

Salt dough has an undeniable plus: the baby will not eat it, even if he still pulls various “goodies” into his mouth - paints, crayons, and so on. However, it is better not to leave the baby alone with him. Mom can make the dough looser or denser - and depending on this, the child will need to put more or less effort into sculpting from it. You can roll out the dough with a rolling pin, cut out shapes with molds, sculpt a kolobok (mother's hand is always on the child's hand and shows the correct movement), make a cake, roll out sausages, and then turn everything into a shapeless lump again.

With clay, the game is even more interesting. From clay, you can sculpt pebbles and hide treasures under them, and then find them. On clay, you can draw with a stick and leave prints with buttons and stamps. The only negative: even children who love to splash in puddles are not always ready to dip their hands in clay - a feeling of disgust interferes. Do not force the baby to deal with this material, if he does not enjoy it - it is better to offer him plasticine.

Important

All the games indicated in the material are used in the method of Maria Montessori and are designed for children from 6–8 months old under the supervision of their mother. Texts for games can change, like finger gymnastics - it is in the power of the mother to make them more diverse and interesting, focusing on the interests of her baby. Compose, create and develop!

Reviewer Kovtun Tatiana Anatolievna

Scientific adviser to PROGRESS JSC, Ph. D.

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