Health Topics for Child Health and Development

UI Children's Hospital

UI Family Care Centers

Divisions Within the Department of Pediatrics

Iowa Registry for Congenital and Inherited Disorders

10-month-old child

More time is spent on social and personal growth during a baby's tenth month of life. Imitating others becomes a driving force for learning new skills and behaviors. A 10-month-old baby begins to sense himself as a person. People and things are identified from their surroundings.

Crying for help, discomfort, or to relieve internal pressure occurs less often. Instead, crying at this age more often reflects fear of strangers, new places and activities, or unhappiness at being separated from mother or other loved ones. Although all children are unique, new growth and development milestones will typically occur by the end of 10 months.

The typical 10-month-old's motor skills include:

• improving skills to crawl, climb, cruise, or walk (with help)
• climbing up and down chairs
• transferring an object from one hand to another
• sitting alone
• using hands and fingers to retrieve objects and
• taking things apart and trying to put them back together

The 10-month-old's language skills include:

• combining movement with speech like saying "no" and shaking head or waving and saying "bye-bye"
• repeating new words constantly and
• understanding and obeying simple words and commands

The 10-month-old's mental abilities include:

• imitating behaviors like rubbing self with soap
• continuing to explore and learn about objects (crumples paper, shakes a box, listens to a ticking watch)
• reaching behind himself for a toy without seeing it
• playing hide and seek and
• favoring one hand for manipulation and the other for carrying

The 10-month-old's social traits include:

• showing moods like sadness, happiness, and hurt
• showing preferences, liking music and identifying body parts
• crying if another child receives attention and
• showing love toward stuffed animal or doll

Give your baby extra love and attention. Cuddle and rock the child during the day and at bedtime. Play games like "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake." Try not to scold and never spank your baby. Use their interest in their surroundings to distract them from an object they should not touch. Adapt and poison-proof your home to allow them to explore safely.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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