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This stage is characterized by an independent streak in babies with increased use of their limbs and flexibility. Be prepared to encounter some challenges as they move towards perfection. Control your urge to be protective and give them the opportunity to explore the world. Keep your baby in a safe area where there are fewer chances of mishaps. You will notice big changes and definitely see a drastic change in the way your baby manoeuvres himself.
Growth of Baby
In terms of physical growth, your baby should almost be thrice of his birth weight. It is quite common for babies to be triple their birth size by one year. All babies are different when it comes to the pace of growth, and genes play a major role in size and growth of a baby. Food intake and the environment that a baby grows is a large contributing factor too. The best way to ascertain if your baby has grown considerably is by seeing if they still fit into their old clothes or not. It is more than likely that they outgrow the clothes that they wore a few weeks ago. You may also find that they seem to be occupying more space in the cot. You may be surprised when you hold them in your arms as they seem larger than before. The growth transformation happens slowly, but the visible signs spring up at this stage.
Baby Development
Your baby starts crawling and meanders in a unique way. Crawling is strongly linked to increased learning ability, while the movements of legs and arms are linked to the left and right sides of the brain. The child matures gradually in this process, and a walker is no longer necessary. Your ten-month-old can now get close to any place, and hence his safety becomes your primary concern. Below are some of the developmental phases that a baby goes through:
40 Week Old Baby Development
Your baby will now start comprehending simple words and phrases, so keep interacting. Avoid baby talk, it’s high time to introduce language. For, e.g., if he says “bah-bah”, respond by asking, “ Do you want the toy?”. Show the object when he utters a simple word. This helps them to relate words to things. Conversation is a great way to get them to learn to speak. Even if they speak gibberish, keep answering them. They will eventually learn the flow.
41 Week Old Baby Development
With agile fingers, a stronger pincer grasp ( grip of thumb and index finger), your baby will now be able to pick up objects without resting his wrist. Tiny things and objects will pique his interest and you need to make sure that there are no hazardous substances around. Serve cooked pieces of fruits, vegetables, or finger foods to encourage your child to hold things.
42 Week Old Baby Development
Your baby will no longer need you like he did a few months ago. By trying to stand, stoop, walk, or squat a child displays his ability to be increasingly independent. You may notice his eagerness to get into his clothes when you dress your child. At mealtimes, he may show intense concentration trying to hold his cup or spoon to eat. Babies find it very interesting to drop things for others to pick up. By this age, they master the art of grabbing things and throwing them. Be prepared to do some bending and running around while your baby’s independence becomes apparent.
43 Week Old Baby Development
Your baby will now enjoy the company of their peers and siblings. You will find that they are trying to fit in with the children of his age group by seeking out to play with them. It is a great time to develop his social skills, you must try and encourage a lot of healthy interaction with other kids. Although he is too young to understand the concept of a friend, these interactions will lay the foundation to learn how to behave amidst a group of children. He will learn things by observing and also enjoy his time spent with one of the kind.
Baby Health
With increased mobility, flexibility, and holding ability, your baby will be inclined to put things into his mouth. At ten months, it is impossible to keep a baby completely clean. When they go to a park, they will want to play in the mud and hold dirty things. Keep cleaning products like wipes or sanitizers handy when you go out. Always have a spare towel or cleaning cloth in your bag to wipe dirt.
Baby Milestones – 10 Months
Developmental milestones are achieved in cognitive, physical, social, and emotional aspects. Each category has specific accomplishments to ensure the well-rounded growth and development of the baby.
- Cognitive Milestones:
These include the mental agility, thinking prowess, and intelligence of a ten-month-old.
- Object permanence – Object permanence is the ability to recognize the existence of an object. At this stage, babies know that a hidden object does not disappear completely. So if they find their parents missing, they may not be as anxious as they used to be earlier.
- Curiosity and inquisitiveness – Your baby may be keen to look for objects out of their vision. If something slides away from their sight, they may strain to look for it.
- Interest in pictures and posters – Your baby will love looking at colourful things like pictures and illustrations. They would love to listen to stories with pictures and absorb information. An infant’s brain will now process the images, sounds, and pictures, which help in the coordination process.
- Word association – Your baby will now associate words and their relevance. They will be able to interpret basic words like “ yes”, “no”, or ‘hello”.
- Repeats gestures and actions – An infant will memorize actions and imitate them. They will even try and use the action to get a reaction.
- Addressing people – By this time, babies start identifying and addressing their mother and father by their name.
- Comprehending requests – By this time, babies also being to comprehend requests made by you, and if he is not of a rebel kind, it is more than likely that he will respond.
2. Physical Milestones:
These include the physical attributes and motor skills of a ten-month-old baby.
- Expert crawler – Your baby will now explore every nook and corner of the house by crawling deftly.
- Using pincer grasp – A 10-months-old baby will now be able to use his index finger and thumb to get a grip on things.
- Starts sitting – When your baby will be bored of staying flat on their tummy, he will start to roll and sit down. The back and abdomen muscles become stronger during this time.
- Try to stand – Using support, your baby will now make an effort to stand which will eventually lead to walking and trying to run.
- Attempt to walk – While standing with support, your baby may try to put a foot forward to see if he can walk. Eventually, he will also learn to cruise forward with support, taking one step at a time.
- Equipped with incisors – The incisors erupt from the eighth month, and by the tenth month, your baby will have incisors in place to tear and bite his food.
- Increased vision – Vision develops quickly, and your baby will now be able to coordinate his hands and legs owing to enhanced vision.
3. Social and Emotional Milestones:
Your baby will now be preparing for his social interactions and gathering emotional temperament.
- Bidding goodbye – Your ten-month-old now understands what “Bye” means and will wave his hand back at you.
- Apprehension to strangers – Your baby will now feel insecure or resist the company of strangers and refuse to be around them.
- Separation pangs – At ten months of age, babies tend to cling to their known ones and cry when separated from them.
- Reactions – You may find your baby reacts to strange sounds, noises, or even when you take away his toy.
These milestones just give an idea of what your baby can accomplish at this stage. Babies are different, and their skills vary according to their ability. Enjoy the phase and make sure to be on the lookout for any signs of concern.
Behaviour
Watch out for your baby’s responses when he is around other people. By this age, babies have a pattern of screening and staring with their eyes. They try to assimilate as much information as possible, and it is therefore imperative that they sleep well. A few hours of sleep during the day will give their body the much-needed rest and the brain to recharge itself. These experiences mould their personality and behaviour. You may find that your child shows less interest in playing with other kids. Do not worry. Babies tend to display a slight ego at this age and resist company. Keep a close watch and try to engage them to help them understand what kind of behaviour is appropriate.
10 Month Old Baby Activities
- Play games with your ten-month-old. Explore the environment around with them. Engage in games of emptying, filling up, stacking and identifying objects.
- Get a toy phone which makes sounds. Try to encourage your baby to hold the phone to their ear and speak. This will improve speech ability.
- Read books with your baby to integrate their five senses. Reading will help them coordinate what they see and absorb information
- Your baby will understand the concept of role-playing. Pull something from the cupboard to inspire pretend to play and encourage their imagination.
10-Month-Old Baby Care
A ten-month-old baby with a healthy growth chart will subsequently achieve the developmental milestones. Healthy nourishment, proper intake of food, adequate rest and sleep, and proper nurturing of skills helps babies get through each phase with considerable ease. It is best not to push them and encourage them to learn to do things on their own. Each baby is different and chooses a different pace to explore things. Keep monitoring their progress and if you feel there is a hunch, then consult a physician. All your baby needs at this stage is good care, undivided attention, and lots of love.
Feeding
Your baby may be concentrating more on energizing than eating. Don’t panic in such case, include a lot of variety in their foods. Be creative and stick to home-cooked meals. Milk should form an essential component alongside solid foods. By the age of one, babies restrict their range of foods, so if you introduce a varied range earlier, they will be used to it.
Sleeping
At ten months, babies tend to sleep only twice during the day. If they wake up early, they may fall asleep after breakfast. You will notice consistent signs of tiredness as you see them yawning or even falling off during playtimes. They want more cuddles and may protest to continue to stay awake. Stay calm and follow a routine to get into a sleep pattern during the day and night.
Tips for Parents
Here are some important tips that you should remember while taking care of your 10-month-old baby:
- With so many things to explore, your bundle of energy is focusing on adventures than anything else. Research on baby activities for ten-month-old and engage in them to vent their energy.
- Infant development at 10 months is characterized by behavioural changes, desire for discovery, some coherent words, and also blooming assertive personality. Enjoy the phase by cooperating and encouraging children.
- Growth charts are the best 10-month-old baby weight calculator to ascertain whether your baby is on the right track. Visit your paediatrician at timed intervals to keep a watch on your baby’s growth levels.
At ten months, your baby will be stepping into uncharted territory like standing up, walking, eating on their own, climbing, being assertive, and lots more. This is just the foundation phase of becoming a toddler, and you must enjoy and deal with it at its own pace.
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