Development milestones 10 to 12 months

[mme_highlight] During this period, the baby becomes aware that the objects, even if hidden, continue existing. Children say their first word between 10 and 11 months on average. The child can stand with support and starts trying to stand alone, shows a pincer grasp skill to hold objects, can hold a spoon and crawls. [mme_highlight]

Between 10 and 12 months, babies continue with a rapid development- they become more and more physically active, spend a lot of time in an upright position and continue to improve their communication skills. They show interest in more complex games and love to read books with parents.

Cognitive development

During this period, the baby becomes aware that the objects, even if hidden, continue existing (e.g. if you show her/him a toy and then hide it, it is probably that the baby manages to find the toy). In the same way, if you leave the room, the baby will realize that you still exist. He/she understands how to use objects which parents use every day. During this period, babies imitate their parents (e.g. love to use the phone or hairbrush).

Motor development

The baby develops more subtle motor skills. Your baby will adapt the body when you dress him/her (e.g. she/he stretches arms when parents put on a sweater). By 10 months, all babies should be able to sit alone, while some children are also able to stand with the assistance of adults. Data from the World Health Organization is shown below.

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95% of children at the age of 10 months can stand with support of adult
99% of children have this skill at the age of 11.4 months

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During this period, baby becomes skilled at catching small items by using pincer grasp with fingers. In addition, baby uses its finger to point to the object that interests him/her. During this period, the child is improving motor activities such as holding a cup or a spoon (with a little help she/he is able to drink from a cup). Also, the baby improves “hand-eye” coordination.
Babies are very skilled in the crawling in this period. Some children in this period can also stand alone for a few seconds. The baby is more often on the legs, but she/he is still unsure and needs support to begin the first steps.

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90% of children at the age of 10.5 months can crawl;
97% crawl at 12 months;
50% of children begin crawling at age 10.8 months;
75% of children can stand alone at the age of 12 months;
10% of children begin to walk independently at the age of 10 months;
25% of children can walk at the age of 11 months;
50% of children can walk at the age of 12 months.

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Social/Emotional

Your 10 month old baby loves to play, but she/he is still focused on her/himself, so do not expect her/him to play with peers. She/ he loves to play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake. Also, stormy emotional reactions are usual during this period. Babies have tantrums and express their dissatisfaction sometimes in a violent way; it was found that up to 20 % of babies bang their head and boys do that three times more than girls.

Language/communication

Babbling increasingly begins to resemble a speech of adults. When babies babble they mimic intonation of adults. During this period, the baby recognizes her/his own name and the names of close relatives and he/ she also understands the meaning of the words “no” and “wave bye-bye”. In addition, some children point out using the finger when parents name certain objects.
Parents can expect their child to say the first real words such as “mama”, “dada” etc. He/she understands between 20 and 50 terms on average. Also, baby is able to understand and execute simple actions such as “come to mama” or “do not”.

According to The YouGov research, children say their first word between 10 and 11 months on average. On the other hand, 4% of children had not said their first word by 3rd year of life.

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Age of first word

34% of girls said their first word before 9th months of age
27% of boys said their first word before 9th months of age

Most common first word

“dadda” (15%) or “daddy” (13%)
“mama” (10%)

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What are the alarm signs parents should be aware of?

The baby doesn’t show desire to move, crawl or stand;
The baby is not interested in communication, does not respond to commands of parents or does not make eye contact;
The baby cannot sit at the age of 10 months;
The baby does not babble in a “conversation” with others;
Babbling doesn’t become more complex;
The baby does not show interest in new facilities.

What are the risk factors that can impair development?

During this period, the baby begins to move more, crawl or walk by holding to the furniture. Therefore, parents must ensure the safety of the environment and of the baby- keep her/him away from stairs and other places where falls can occur, remove small items that can cause shocking and items that can lead to poisoning. Never leave your baby alone.

What should parents do to encourage the development of baby at this age?

The baby at this age loves to explore. Encourage your baby to move- set a toy on the floor and encourage your baby to crawl to reach the toy. At this age, babies understand both verbal and non-verbal communication, so when you say the word “NO”, you must be serious, and never laugh at this point, because the baby will be confused. Talk to your baby and read stories as much as you can, because this will help building vocabulary. Play “hiding” games.

During this period, the baby recognizes the images and characters from the books and can even understand the plot of a simple story, so it is useful to spend some time with your child and read to him/her. It is useful to give your child a bunch of different toys and encourage him/her to play with them, as this contributes to the development of fine motor skills and improves “hand-eye” coordination.

It is interesting to observe your baby while she/he plays with the telephone. It is useful to talk to the baby using sentences like “Who are you calling?” or “Hello…” and thus encouraging the baby to continue the conversation. When the baby has humor tantrums, parents must remain calm and try to soothe the baby too.

Summary and Recommendations

Almost completing the first year of life, your child will show developmental progresses every day. Knowing what to expect makes it easier for you to recognize the progresses and help the child to achieve them.
Cognitive Development: The child looks for a hidden object and tries to imitate adults.
Motor Development: The child can stand with support and starts trying to stand alone, shows a pincer grasp skill to hold objects, can hold a spoon and crawls.
Social/Emotional Development: Humor tantrums are frequent; however, your baby loves playing play peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake and also listening to stories.
Language Development: Babbling resembles adult speech. Your child understands many words, including the meaning of “no”. Be serious when you say it. Your baby first words can be pronounced by 10 to 12 months.
Your child moves more and more, so parents must ensure safety of the environment where the baby stays, preventing falls, shocking, poisoning and drowning.
Each child has her/his own pace, but if you think your child is not developing adequately, seek for medical advice.

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References:

Child development: Infants (0-1 year old). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/documents/0-1YearOldsPositiveParenting.pdf. Accessed March 1, 2011.
Shelov SP, et al. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. 5th ed. New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books; 2009:249.
WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group. WHO Motor Development Study: Windows of achievement for six gross motor development milestones. Acta Paediatrica Supplement 2006;450:86-95.

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