Baby Development at 10 Months

Feelings may shift again. Some 10-month-olds are still wary of strangers, while others start warming up faster than they did a month or two ago. Separation can still be hard because memory is stronger. Short goodbyes, predictable returns, and familiar words can help without expecting your baby to manage the feeling alone.

Play is often about cause and effect. Your baby may love finding a toy hidden under a cup, opening and closing lids, emptying containers, putting blocks in a bowl, banging objects together, dropping food from the high chair, or throwing a soft toy. Repetition is the lesson; complicated toys are optional.

Books and music work especially well now. Look at pictures, name animals or body parts, sing repeated songs, clap, bounce to music, pause before the last word of a rhyme, and let your baby turn board-book pages out of order. Shared attention matters more than finishing a story neatly.

Fine motor practice is becoming very useful. The thumb-and-pointer grip can make finger foods easier, and your baby may point, poke, turn pages, stack with help, clap, wave, pass objects between hands, or try to feed you. Offer safe objects to pick up, post, stack, tap, and retrieve, but keep anything tiny off the floor.

Teeth may now be part of daily care. The Australian Dental Association says baby teeth often start to appear around 9 months, though 3 to 12 months can be normal, and recommends a first dental visit when the first teeth arrive. Brush new teeth gently with a toothbrush and water, and ask a dentist if no teeth have appeared by 12 months.