The 10 month old baby

A 10-month-old baby’s personality should have manifested itself by now: quiet, restless, shy, or pushy. At the same time, he begins to demonstrate his personal tastes in music, books and toys. You will surely have noticed this in recent weeks.

What can he do

The favorite pastime is always the exploration of the surrounding world . Now he has the means to reach anything: he crawls, crawls, sits up, grabs a handhold and stands up…

It is almost time for him to walk on his own but he may already be good at keeping his balance in an upright position.

The coordination is very good, he picks up small objects easily (beware of the risk of suffocation ) and holds them firmly in his hand.

He understands the difference between small and large objects, so he slots or stacks them on top of each other, so games like this are sure to appeal to the child.

Furthermore, at 10 months, while holding a toy in one hand, he is able to do something else with the other.

How much sleep

The 10-month-old usually takes a nap during the day, but don’t worry if he takes two more. If for some reason you only want him to sleep once during the day, don’t skip the afternoon one. A nap after lunch will help keep your child awake for the rest of the afternoon. This will prevent him from going to bed too early or becoming irritable.

What does it eat

New foods, new varieties of fruit, cereals, yogurt and meats continue to be added to the child’s meals.

You can follow the  complete guide to weaning and complementary feeding .

Since he may have a few teeth at this time, you can cut foods into small pieces  and let him eat them with his little hands.

Try handing him a spoon. The first few times will struggle and even some mess: eating independently is an important skill to learn.

Many parents prefer to buy organic baby food instead of traditional brands. These foods are more expensive, but are they really worth the extra cost?

Organic is not always healthier than baby food which is usually subjected to very strict controls. Inform yourself well and then choose based on your acquired knowledge.

How it communicates

Children this age are great imitators . They copy everything you do, from washing your hair to picking up the phone.

The child listens to the sound of your words and watches you closely to understand your reaction to various situations.

The 10-month-old child is able to understand and execute simple commands such as: “say hello”, or “clap your hands”.

He may also be able to connect the meanings of some words. When you say “car” or “dog,” the child may point at the object.

Advice

Even if the child is not yet able to speak, try to strike up some sort of conversation with him . For example, show interest in what he can say even if it’s simple ba-ba or incomprehensible blabbering.

This will be an incentive to keep talking and to learn new words .

Let him listen to music, of any kind and you will see that he will move to the rhythm and read him stories .

Play with him by hiding toys and looking for them together. This will help him understand object permanence , the awareness that things continue to exist even though he cannot see it at the time.