Month 10
Key points
- Your 10-month-old may be cruising with confidence and responding to their name.
- Babbling speech becomes clearer and your baby may say a few words.
- Calcium-rich solid foods are important to support the development of strong bones and teeth.
At 10 months, your baby is becoming more adventurous, mobile and interactive. They may be crawling confidently, pulling themselves to stand, cruising along furniture or walls, or even attempting their first few steps. [1] If they’re not on the move yet, it won’t be long now. They might have dropped to two naps during the day with a more solid block of sleep overnight. [2] They’re likely to be ‘talking’ more clearly, letting you know what they like and dislike, and beginning to understand simple instructions like ‘No’ or ‘Come here’.
As your little one starts exploring their surroundings with growing independence, they also eat greater quantities of different foods to fuel their development and growth. Read on to learn more about the food and nutrition that support their overall well-being, plus physical and social milestones at 10 months.
Nutrition at 10 Months
At 10 months of age, breast milk or infant formula (or both) is still an important source of nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and healthy fats. Solid meals are now an important part of your baby’s routine, and on top of three small meals a day, your baby may also be eating one or two snacks, made up of the five main food groups: vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy and protein. Iron-rich foods (meat, legumes and fortified cereals) continue to be important as a baby’s store of iron runs down at about six months of age.
As your baby becomes more skilled at self-feeding, they’ll enjoy finger foods and small pieces of soft, chewable food. Be guided by them as to whether you offer a milk feed before or after solids; however, if they fill up on milk and don’t want their solids, or fall asleep before they can eat, offer solids first.
Your 10-month-old’s feeding schedule may look like this:
- Breakfast solids and a milk feed
- Morning tea and a drink of water
- Lunch solids and a milk feed
- Afternoon tea and a drink of water
- Dinner solids and a milk feed
If your baby is an early riser, you might give them an additional milk feed before breakfast. Similarly, your baby may need a milk feed overnight.
Why Calcium Is Important For Babies
Calcium-rich foods in your baby’s diet become more important as they are starting to eat more and reduce the amount of breastmilk or formula that they drink. Working alongside Vitamin D from the sun and their diet, calcium plays an important role in helping grow and maintain strong bones and teeth. It also supports nerve and muscle function.
As well as your baby’s usual milk, examples of calcium-rich foods that can be included in their daily diet for this age include full-fat cheese, plain full-fat yoghurt, broccoli, tofu, egg yolks and white beans (cannellini).
Calcium-Rich Meal Ideas
Here are some baby-friendly meal ideas that are nutritious and naturally rich in calcium:
- Breakfast: Full-fat natural yoghurtwith soft chopped fruit and a sprinkle of iron-fortified cereal
- Lunch: Mashed sweet potato with grated cheese and steamed spinach
- Snack: Mini soft tofu cubesor a spoonful of hummuswith soft-cooked veggie sticks
- Dinner: Salmon fish cake with mashed avocado and quinoa
Need more inspiration? Explore Alula’s tasty and nutritious recipes for babies aged nine to 12 months.
Weight and Height of a 10-Month-Old Baby
At about 10 months old, baby girls typically weigh around 8.5 kilos and measure about 71.5 cm, while boys may weigh around 9.2 kilos and reach 73.6 cm in height. These figures are averages – every baby is unique, and growth depends on many factors, including birth weight, genetics and feeding patterns
Baby’s Visual Milestones at 10 Months
At this age, your baby’s vision allows for greater depth perception and tracking skills. [3] They may be fascinated by faces, expressions and small moving objects. You might notice that your baby:
- Follows moving pets or objects with their eyes
- Turns toward sounds or their name
- Inspects details in books or illustrations
- Watches your facial expressions to gauge reactions
Motor Development at Month 10
Motor skills are advancing quickly and impact different areas of your baby’s life, from the way they interact with people and their surroundings to sitting when eating solid foods. Here are some other milestones you might have noticed:
- Sits back down from standing
- Stands next to furniture without holding on
- Walks holding on to your finger or hand
- Plays ball by receiving and returning a rolled ball
- Picks up food and small objects with fingers
- Drinks from a cup with a spout
- Bangs objects together
Encourage movement by creating a safe space for exploration and offering plenty of time for floor play.
Social Development of Your 10-Month-Old
Your baby’s social awareness and communication are growing by the day. Talking about what you are doing (getting dressed, feeding the dog, going for a walk) strengthens bonds with and nurtures language development in your baby. At this stage, they may:
- Say ‘Da-da’ and ‘Ma-ma’ and know who they are
- Imitate sounds and some speech (animal noises and ‘uh-oh’)
- Make simple gestures (shaking head ‘No’)
- Point to familiar objects and pictures in books
- Follows a one-step command with the parent having to show the child how to do it.
Don’t Forget!
It’s important to remember that every baby develops at their own rate. Regular checkups with your health nurse or GP will be able to ensure your baby is on track – but always get in touch with them sooner if you have any concerns. For extra resources, you can also head to Karitane or Tresillian online.
What’s Next?
At 11 months, your baby is gaining even more independence, both physically and socially. Learn about their development, nutritional needs, language skills and more!
We are here to support you on your journey
Making decisions around infant feeding can be challenging and we hope we can help you through this journey.
We want to make sure you are informed and supported.
Before and during breastfeeding, it is important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet and it is recommended to exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of age, as it provides ideal nutrition and promotes a healthy start in life.
We understand breastfeeding is not always possible, and when necessary, infant formula is the most suitable alternative to breastfeeding. Introducing partial bottle-feeding may interfere with breastfeeding your infant and it can be hard to reverse. Other considerations include the social and financial implications of feeding infant formula. We want to make sure your baby is as safe as possible, so please refer to the preparation and storage instructions for safe use of infant formula and be aware that any unnecessary or improper use of infant formula may cause health hazards for your baby.
Your choice, our support, always. With love.
If you require further information, consult your healthcare professional or learn more about the benefits of breast milk.
[1] https://choc.org/primary-care/ages-stages/10-to-12-months/
[2] https://www.tresillian.org.au/baby/routines/9-to-12-months/#a9to12montholdbabysleeproutine
[3] https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/baby-vision-development-first-year
