What to Do With a Ten Month Old Baby

Is it beginning to feel like time is speeding up all of a sudden? Sure, those first few months might have felt like they were crawling along at the pace of a lethargic sloth, but as your baby approaches his first birthday, you may start to experience the opposite effect.

As he begins crawling around after every shiny object in sight, cruising along furniture – navigating places you never thought he'd be interested in reaching, you may start to feel like your life is a constant game of chase. And you may be wishing you baby-proofed your house already, like your pediatrician started telling you to do at the 6-month checkup. But of course, then, your baby wasn't moving at all so you figured you had plenty of time to take care of it… or was that just me? Kudos to you if you were ahead of the game.

Maybe you're already feeling nostalgic for that tiny baby phase, and you can't believe how quickly your child has grown and changed. Or maybe you look at older children and think, "I can't wait until my baby can just TELL ME WHAT HE WANTS" (Or both!). Regardless, each week brings new changes and just when you feel like you've got this parenting thing down, your baby surprises you with new behaviors and abilities. As he becomes more interactive, it's increasingly fun to find new ways to amuse each other and play together.

Your Baby's Development: From 10-12 Months

Not sure what to expect? Here are some common milestones to look for between 10-12 months:

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  Physical

  Cruising along using furniture

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  Language

  Increasingly uses gestures to communicate (shaking head "no", waving bye); starts to make 1 word approximations – while your child may point to all items and say "ba", you may notice him pointing to a toy and say "da" or a bottle and say "buh-buh"

• 

  Social & Emotional

  Starting to explore on his own using you as a secure base

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  Cognitive

  Actively explores around, under, inside, and outside everything

All of this movement means your baby has a whole new world to explore. He feels most confident exploring when you're nearby - you, as his primary caregiver, are known as the "secure base" he can head back to if he feels distressed. Over these few months, you'll also likely notice your house becoming significantly messier as your baby explores everything in any drawer he can reach. You can give him a safe place to do so - a drawer all for himself filled with his toys or child-safe objects. Your baby is also beginning to explore verbally. You may catch him beginning to point to objects of interest, or even trying to name them. Don't expect perfect articulation quite yet, he's only able to produce word-approximations at this age. It may take some time before you begin to understand your baby's language attempts, so look for those words or sounds he uses consistently, in the presence of an object or picture, and said with meaningful intent.

You can help your child explore even more of his abilities with our picks for 10-12 month activities.

10-12-Month-Old Baby Activities: Our Favorite Games

Coffee Chat

2 minutes

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  Grab an empty coffee can (or similar object) and make a single sound like "Pa!" or "Ba!" or "Ma!" into it. Act surprised when you hear the echo.

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  Watch your child's reaction, then offer her the can. Ask her to repeat the sound.

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  Cheer your child for any sound or attempt she makes. If she makes a different sound, you can copy her to see how she responds.

What This Helps With: consonant sounds, imitation, attention, motor control

Switch-a-Roo

2 minutes

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  Pick up a small toy and hide it in one fist. Make sure your child is watching as you hide it. This helps him make the connection that even though he can no longer see the toy, it still exists.

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  Ask "Where did the toy go"? and see if your child looks, gestures at or touches your hand.

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  Reveal it and praise him.

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  Hide it again in your hand and try to move it to your other hand while your child is watching. Show both fists to him and ask "Where's the toy now?"

What This Helps With: object permanence, problem solving, attention

Floor Mural

10 minutes

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  Tape sheets of paper to the floor to make a large drawing area that your child can sit on.

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  Place crayons, markers or chalk on the floor next to her and allow her to pick up whichever one she chooses. Keep an eye on her, she may attempt to eat whatever one she picks up.

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  Make some scribble marks on the paper while your child is watching, and encourage her to try as well. Praise any artistic creations she makes.

What This Helps With: hand-eye coordination, fine motor control, shapes and colors

For more activities and to get personalized tips from Playfully's child development experts, download the app today!

What to Do With a Ten Month Old Baby

Source: https://www.playfullyapp.com/2017/11/04/baby-activities-ways-to-play-with-your-10-12-month-old-that-boost-development/

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