Babbling, babbling, babbling – you’ll hear a lot of this from your baby as they get closer to saying their first meaningful words. Your baby might even say ‘dada’ or ‘mama’ and know what these words mean. If your baby is an early talker, they might be using 1-2 words already.
But if your baby isn’t talking yet, don’t worry – your baby makes noises to get your attention and uses body language to communicate with you and let you know what they want.
Your baby also understands when you say ‘no’ or wave goodbye. Your baby turns when they hear their name or another sound, like a doorbell. And your baby might look for familiar objects when you name them and even respond to ‘Come here’.
Over the past few months, your baby has learned to show emotions like caution and fear. You might see these emotions if your baby is worried about strangers or worried about being separated from you.
Your baby still enjoys playing peekaboo and banging things together, looking at pictures in a book and finding hidden toys.
Around this age, your baby can crawl and stand up with support – for example, by holding your hand or the furniture. Your baby might walk by holding on to your hands or some furniture, or they might even be walking on their own.
At this age your baby might also:
- follow a very simple instruction without you showing them what to do – for example, ‘Wave bye bye’
- poke things using their pointer finger
- pick up things using their thumb and pointer finger together
- hold a bottle or drink from a cup you hold for them
- try to hold a spoon when they’re eating by themselves.
You’ll be surprised at how far your baby can move, so always watch your baby and never leave them unattended on a sofa, change table or bed. Now might be a good time to think about making your home safe so your baby can move about without getting hurt.
Helping baby development at 9-10 months
Here are a few simple things you can do to help your baby’s development at this age:
- Talk to your baby: your baby is interested in conversation, so talking about everyday things helps them understand what words mean. The more talk the better!
- Listen and respond to your baby’s babbling: this builds language, communication and literacy skills, and it helps your baby feel ‘heard’, loved and valued. It’s important to respond by talking or making sounds in your own warm and loving way. Your baby enjoys hearing your voice go up and down and loves watching your facial expressions as you talk.
- Play together: sing songs, play peekaboo, ring bells, hide toys and make funny sounds or animal noises together. Surprise toys like a jack-in-the-box are fun from around 10 months. Playing together also helps your baby feel loved and secure.
- Read together: you can develop your baby’s imagination by reading, talking about the pictures in books and telling stories. These activities also help your baby to understand language and learn to read as they get older.
- Encourage moving: moving and exploring help your baby build muscle strength for more complex movements like pulling to stand and walking. If your baby is crawling, you could try getting down on the floor and crawling around with them or playing a game of chasey.
Sometimes your baby won’t want to do some of these things – for example, they might be too tired or hungry. Your baby will use special baby cues to let you know when they’ve had enough and what they need.
Parenting a 10-month-old
As a parent, you’re always learning. It’s OK to feel confident about what you know. And it’s also OK to admit you don’t know something and ask questions or get help.
When you’re focused on looking after a baby, you might forget or run out of time to look after yourself. But looking after yourself physically, mentally and emotionally helps your baby grow and thrive.
Sometimes you might feel frustrated, upset or overwhelmed. It’s OK to take some time out until you feel calmer. Put your baby in a safe place like a cot, or ask someone else to hold your baby for a while. Try going to another room to breathe deeply, or call a family member or friend to talk things through.
Never shake a baby. It can cause bleeding inside the brain and likely permanent brain damage.
It’s OK to ask for help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the demands of caring for your baby, call your local Parentline. You might also like to try our ideas for dealing with anger, anxiety and stress.
When to be concerned about baby development
See your child and family health nurse or GP if you have any concerns or notice that your 10-month-old has any of the following issues.
Seeing, hearing and communicating
Your baby:
- isn’t making eye contact with you, isn’t following moving objects with their eyes or has an eye that is turned in or out most of the time
- isn’t babbling
- isn’t turning their head towards sounds or voices
- doesn’t respond to your voice, smile and other facial expressions.
Behaviour
Your baby doesn’t smile or show whether they’re happy or sad.
Movement
Your baby:
- can’t sit on their own
- uses one hand a lot more than the other.
You should see a child health professional if you notice that your baby has lost skills that they had before.
You should also see your child and family health nurse or GP if you or your partner experiences the signs of postnatal depression in birthing mothers or postnatal depression in non-birthing parents. Symptoms of postnatal depression include feeling sad and crying for no obvious reason, feeling irritable, having difficulty coping and feeling very anxious.
Children grow and develop at different speeds. If you’re worried about whether your child’s development is ‘normal’, it might help to know that ‘normal’ varies a lot. But if you still feel that something isn’t quite right, see your child and family health nurse or GP.
Your 10-month-old will now be very active. You'll probably be chasing around after them as they crawl and pull themselves up onto furniture, and you'll be learning more about your baby's developing personality.
Your 10-month-old
The rapid growth of your baby’s first year will be slowing down now. They will have more than doubled their birth weight and, as they pull themselves upright, they’ll start to look more like a toddler than a baby.
Try not to compare your baby’s height or weight with that of other babies. As long as they are growing as expected according to their growth chart.
Some babies may lose a little weight around this time. This could be because they’re moving more, they have been sick, or they’re not eating enough of the solid foods you’re giving them. They might just be more interested in playing than eating! Try finger foods and keep distractions to a minimum during mealtimes.
Some 10-month-old babies can be getting quite chubby. You should never keep food from a 10-month-old baby, but you can make sure you’re giving them nutritious foods. Stick to foods from the 5 food groups: vegetables; fruit; grain foods (like bread, pasta and rice); dairy; and protein. Water is the best drink for babies, and avoid foods that have a lot of salt, saturated fat and sugar, and sweet drinks.
If you’re worried, talk to your child health nurse.
A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.
Read moreUnderstanding baby growth chartsMost 10-month-olds can crawl well on their hands and knees, but don’t worry if your baby is not crawling just yet. Some babies never learn to crawl; they just move straight on to walking. By now, your baby is probably sitting confidently and may be able to walk around while holding onto furniture (called ‘cruising’). They may try to pick up a toy from a standing position and climb the stairs, so be very aware of their safety now. At 10 months, your baby should also be able to sit and lean sideways without toppling over.
They will be very interested in conversations and you might hear your first words. They will be able to communicate with you and let you know what they want by using body language and facial expressions. They might even join in when you sing to them. There will still be a lot of babbling.
By 10 months, separation anxiety is often easing and it might be easier to leave your baby with strangers now. In fact, they may be getting very social, smiling at everyone they meet or hiding away shyly. Some 10-month-olds might develop new fears, such as the sound of the vacuum cleaner or the doorbell. Giving them a cuddle will let them know they’re safe.
Your baby will still be very interested in finding out how things work, looking for hidden objects and reaching out and grabbing things or throwing them. They can bounce to music, copy simple sounds, and pick up things easily with their thumb and forefinger.
How can I help my baby develop?
Your baby loves conversation so talk to them constantly. They won't be able to say proper words yet, but you can teach them language by repeating the correct words back to them.
Tell your baby everything you’re doing around the house, sing nursery rhymes and use actions with words, like waving bye-bye. Read together as much as you can and encourage their imagination with songs and stories.
It’s important to encourage your baby to move, even if they sometimes fall and hurt themselves. Make sure the house is safe so they can explore as much as possible.
Babies develop at different rates. At 10 months, talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if:
- they aren’t happy when they see people they know well
- they don’t make eye contact
- you or a close carer can’t comfort them
- they haven’t started to move at all
- they’re not sitting
- they don’t babble or make other sounds when someone talks to them
Where can I go for help?
If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.
Last reviewed: October 2020