What to Expect: Your Baby’s Journey at 10 Months

As your baby starts growing and developing every month, the rate at which his weight is increasing is considered an important sign of his overall health and development. To know whether your baby is growing at the pace it should, every month the pediatrician checks the weight, length and head size of the child.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has prepared an average chart of the weight and height of children from birth to 2 years of age. According to this, if a 10-month-old baby is a boy, then his average weight should be 9.8 kg and if it is a girl, then her average weight should be around 9 kg. If we talk about the height or length of the baby, if the 10-month-old baby is a baby boy, then his average height should be 73 cm and if it is a baby girl, then the average height should be around 71.5 cm.

Remember that this is just the average weight and height. If your baby's weight or length is less or more than this average, then there is no need to panic because it does not mean that your baby will remain overweight or underweight throughout life. If your baby is growing according to his normal growth chart and the pediatrician has not expressed any kind of concern, then do not compare your child's height and weight with other children.

(Read more - The Journey of Birth: How a Baby is Born)

By the time of 10 months, some babies may also weigh less than before around this time. This is because during this time the baby is growing rapidly, they are not eating enough solid food that you are giving them because they may be more interested in playing than eating or sometimes the baby loses weight due to illness.

Most of the 10 month old babies start crawling well on their hands and knees and moving around the house, but if your baby is not yet crawling or walking on his knees, do not worry. Some children never learn to crawl and they start walking straight away. Apart from this, by this time your child learns to sit confidently without any support, he can walk by holding the furniture kept in the house, which is called cruising.

While standing in a position, many children can try to pick up a toy and even try to climb the stairs. Therefore, now you need to be very aware about the safety of the child. Your 10-month-old child's coordination also starts improving a lot. At this age, children are very interested in holding small objects in their small fists or hands. The following physical developments are seen in a 10-month-old baby:

• Beginning to sit up without help from lying on his stomach
• Coming from a standing position to squatting
• Standing up from a sitting position holding an object or furniture
• Standing up without help
• Taking a few steps forward to walk/climb stairs
• Pointing to what he wants or reaching for it
• Learning to eat finger foods by himself
• Waving bye-bye or giving flying kisses
• Speaking throughout the day and clearly saying words like maa, papa.
• Piling up his toys, cups or bowls

(Read more - Baby development six months after birth)

• A 10 month old baby starts seeing and understanding colors better
• He also starts developing his likes and dislikes towards the taste of a particular thing and the structure of things
• A 10 month old baby becomes curious and tries to find out how a particular thing works
• Along with this, separation anxiety is also seen in a 10 month old baby
• New traits also start appearing in the child's personality
• He starts understanding the meaning of some words like pointing towards the shoes when saying bye-bye
• He starts understanding very simple sentences or requests with one word like go, sit, smile etc.
• Children of this age also love music a lot and start dancing as soon as they hear music

(Read more - Baby development in the first month after birth)

10 month old babies become very good mimics. You must have noticed that whatever you do, however you do it, the baby tries to copy it exactly the same way. Be it picking up a comb and combing your hair or picking up the phone. At this time your baby listens to your words very carefully and keeps a close eye on how you react in which situation. That is why you need to be very careful about your behavior. 

• For example - if you cry after watching a sad movie, you will see that sadness comes on your baby's face too. 
• If you raise your hand and wave bye-bye, the child also starts waving bye-bye in return
• Clapping when happy or nodding when agreeing with something you say etc.
• 10 month old babies start recognizing themselves by their name and also respond when their name is called.

(Read more -Baby development three months after birth)

It has been more than 4 months now that your 10 month old baby has been eating solid food, in such a situation, if you want, you can include different types of fruits, vegetables, cereals, curd and meat in your baby's daily diet, which will expand their taste and choice of food items. However, keep in mind that during this time do not give such small things to the baby which can get stuck in their throat like popcorn, raisins, dry fruits, candy or toffee, grapes etc.

Now that your baby has some teeth, you can feed him thicker or thicker things instead of making puree. Apart from this, you can give the child a finger food by cutting carrots or apples into long pieces. Give these finger foods to the child and let him eat them on his own. By doing this, the child gets the practice of holding things tightly in the hand and also helps in practicing coordination while picking up the food and putting it in the mouth. Also, if you want, you can give a spoon to the child so that he can learn to pick up and eat the food on his own.

(Read more - Understanding Formula Milk)

Along with solid food, breast milk or formula milk is also equally necessary for a 10-month-old baby for his full stomach and better development. Therefore, give your child 6 to 8 ounces of breast milk or formula milk 3 to 4 times a day and if we talk about solid food, then include 3 meals and 2 snacks in the child's diet. If the child is not hungry, do not force feed him. If the child is taking out food from his mouth, turning his head away from the food or closing his mouth when food is given to him, it means that his stomach is full. 

(Read more - Newborn Stretching: What It Means)

At this age, most 10 month old babies sleep for about 14 hours daily, but if some children sleep for 12 to 16 hours, then this is also completely normal. 10 month old babies can comfortably sleep for 11 to 12 hours a night without waking up even once for milk. Apart from this, they can take at least two naps of 1 or 2 hours each during the day. Very few babies take only one nap a day from the age of 10 months, so assume that most 10 month old babies sleep at least twice a day.

(Read more - Baby development in the first month after birth)

The development of a 10-month-old baby can be done through activities that encourage their physical, mental and emotional development. At this age, babies are increasingly trying to crawl, stand and take small steps, so give them safe and open space. Give them toys that help them catch, throw and increase their reflexes. Talk to them in simple words and gestures to encourage language skills. Storytelling and singing songs also improve their ability to listen and understand. Let them mingle with other family members for social development. Nutritious food and regular sleep are important for their overall development. Most importantly, spend time with the baby with patience and love.