10-Month-Old Baby — Development Milestones, Growth, Feeding, And More

Your baby is 10 months old and, well, life is a blur. That little bundle of energy is almost a toddler now, and they’re starting to realize there’s a great big world out there to explore. This means you’re probably pretty tired. Perhaps well-caffeinated. But most definitely happy. Being exhausted has never felt so good!

At this age, development happens fast. Your little sweet thing is like a sponge, soaking up new things at a rate that wows you. But hey, parenting is a master class in worry. You’re likely in your head about things like milestones and whether your baby is missing any big ones that you’ve overlooked.

RELATED: Deciphering And Deciding On Baby’s First Foods — A Guide For Moms From Moms

So, to put your mind at ease, here’s some of what you can expect from your 10-month-old baby.

Your 10-Month-Old Baby’s Development & Growth Milestones

How much should a 10-month-old weigh?

Make no mistake; your little chicken nugget has put even more meat on their bones this month. According to the World Health Organization, the average weight for a 10-month old baby girl is 18.7 pounds and 20.2 pounds for boys. If you’ve been charting their progress, you may notice that comes out to an average gain of about 3 to 5 pounds per week. (Told ya they’ve added some extra chunk to that cute little badunk!).

Before you let your inner paranoia take over if your baby isn’t at the average weight for their age, stop. If your little one is gaining weight at a steady rate, they’re likely right where they need to be. This is true even if that rate seems slow. But if you’re worried or the disparity seems drastic, don’t be afraid to reach out to baby’s doctor.

How much and how often do you feed a 10-month-old baby?

Now that your baby is getting bigger and is on the move more, you may notice that their feeding patterns vary. This can also have a lot to do with the fact that they’re now eating solid foods, too. At this point, though, it’s important to make sure that breastmilk or formula remains baby’s primary source of nutrition. That means making sure they breastfeed or bottle-feed first at mealtime before any solids are offered up.

So, much breastmilk or formula does a 10-month-old baby need? Per Stanford Children’s Health, your little should be getting between 24 to 30 ounces per day — typically spread out between 3 to 4 nursing or bottle sessions. Adding in solids, you should be giving baby something to eat or drink around every 2 to 3 hours (so 5 or 6 times per day). That comes out to 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks.

What solids can a 10-month-old eat, and how about snacks?

Living with an infant rapidly headed towards toddlerhood can feel a lot like the game Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Most 10-month-old babies will gobble up any food you sit in front of them. However, it isn’t a free-for-all (that comes later when your teenagers eat you out of house and home). Stanford Children’s Health recommends integrating the following foods into baby’s menu: 5 to 8 tablespoons of dry, iron-fortified infant cereal mixed with formula or breastmilk; 2 to 4 tablespoons of mashed or strained cooked fruits, 2 times per day; 2 to 4 tablespoons of mashed, soft, bite-sized pieces of vegetables, 2 times per day; 2 to 3 tablespoons of finely chopped table meats, and fish without bones or mild cheese, 2 times per day.

If you want to give baby snacks, good options include arrowroot cookies, baby-friendly finger foods (who doesn’t love baby puffs?), toast, plain yogurt, crackers, cooked green beans, cottage cheese, pudding and, if you’re into the occasional sweet treat, ice cream. Baby can also have eggs. Studies suggest there is no increased risk of allergies if a child is introduced to eggs earlier than their first birthday.

How much should a 10-month-old be sleeping?

Baby is old enough and well-developed enough now that you may be asking yourself when you should put your 10-month-old to bed at night. And the truth is there’s no “right” time to put your baby to bed. It’s sort of up to you to steer that ship! Here’s the deal. A 10-month-old baby needs 12 to 15 total hours of sleep per day, according to the National Sleep Foundation. At this age, most babies are sleeping through the night and sleeping less during the day. It generally works out to around 9 to 12 hours of sleep at night and 30-minute to 2-hour naps, 1 to 4 times a day.

Knowing that, you can start to establish a solid bedtime schedule (if you haven’t already). Make bedtime consistent and enjoyable. In doing so, it will be something that baby looks forward to and, hopefully, doesn’t put up a fuss over. It helps to put your infant to bed when they are drowsy as opposed to waiting until they’re asleep. This encourages them to become “self-soothers,” which makes it more likely that they’ll put themselves back to sleep if they wake in the night.

Your 10-Month-Old Baby’s Physical, Social, And Cognitive Milestones

How many teeth should a 10-month-old baby have?

As with many aspects of a baby’s development, the emergence of teeth can be different from child to child. So, it’s practically impossible to give a hard-and-fast figure for exactly how your little one’s mouth will look at 10 months of age. But, here are a few fun facts about baby teeth to give you a general picture.

Your child’s primary or “baby” teeth may have already started to come in, or erupt, by now — on average, babies begin to get teeth between 6 to 12 months. Typically, the first tooth to come in is a middle front tooth on the lower jaw, also known as the central incisor. The second central incisor on the lower jaw follows, after which the 4 upper incisors usually come in. Once that first tooth comes in, baby typically gets 1 tooth per month.

If your 10-month-old baby has no teeth, you’re still within the range of normal teething behavior. Some babies don’t get their teeth in until after their first birthday. However, make sure to mention it to your doctor if it seems to be taking an unusually long time for your little one to sprout chompers.

Should my 10-month-old be sitting up and/or crawling?

Remember not too long ago when you were counting down the days until your little one rolled over? Well, now that can roll front, back, side-to-side, in circles — whatever! And that’s not all. Baby can probably sit up on their own without support, now maybe even for long spells without toppling over or getting tired. Since 9-months-old is the average age babies start crawling, your nugget might be zooming all over the place on all fours.

Remember, though, that’s the average, meaning some babies don’t start crawling until after 9 months of age. If your 10-month-old baby still isn’t crawling, don’t lose any (more) sleep over it. It’s entirely possible they’ll basically skip crawling and go straight to walking when they’re ready.

Can a 10-month-old baby walk?

Are you ready for this, Mama? It might be time for your snuggly little bug to take their first steps. Although most babies start walking around the 1-year mark, it’s possible your baby will start this month. Granted, it’s entirely normal if your little one is still scooting along on the floor or crawling all over the house.

Maybe your baby isn’t quite ready to walk yet. But they probably are experimenting with pulling themselves to a standing position, as well as holding onto furniture and other objects so they can “cruise” around.

Can a 10-month-old baby talk?

Life is so much fun with a 10-month-old baby, isn’t it? That’s at least partially due to the fact that they are comprehending so much more lately. In addition to understanding the words “no” and “bye-bye,” your baby might actually be saying words with meaning. Or, you know, talking! This typically starts with “mama” and “dada.” They’ve likely been babbling these for months but, until now, it was probably just sound experimentation. At 10 months of age, you may notice that they now understand that these sounds are words for their mommy and daddy. Additionally, your little might be saying one other short word, such as “hi,” “no,” or “go.”

Bear in mind, though, that many babies don’t start speaking with intention until around their first birthday. Keep nurturing baby’s budding language skills. You can do this by speaking to them, playing interactive games with repetitive lyrics like “pat-a-cake,” and reading baby lots o’ books.

Your 10-Month-Old Baby’s Health

Does a 10-month-old need a checkup?

Unless you’re on a delayed schedule or baby comes down with something, you’re off the hook as far as doctor’s visits go this month.

What immunizations does a 10-month-old get?

Same here — unless your child had previously missed a round of vaccinations or your doctor’s office operates on a delayed immunization schedule, your 10-month-old baby likely won’t have to bother with any pesky shots this month.

Written by Julie Sprankles.

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