Baby's First Year
Month 10 — Into Everything
Baby This Month
approximately 72–76cm and 9–10.5kg
There is nothing in your home that is safe. Your 10-month-old is curious about everything, increasingly mobile, and has zero concept of danger. They're pulling up to stand constantly, climbing low surfaces, opening cupboards and drawers, and examining small objects with intense focus. Cognitive development is accelerating rapidly: they can follow simple instructions, imitate actions they've seen, and start to understand that objects have names. First words are often right around the corner — some babies say a clear 'mama' or 'dada' with meaning this month.
Finger foods are the main event at mealtimes now, with family foods cut into small pieces replacing purées. By 10 months, most babies can manage soft pieces of cooked vegetables, ripe fruit, soft cheese, scrambled egg, pasta, and small pieces of well-cooked meat. Avoid whole grapes, raw carrot sticks, whole nuts, and large chunks of anything — choking hazards remain the main food-related concern. Whole cow's milk can start replacing formula or breast milk at 12 months, but not before.
Your baby dropping food from their highchair over and over again isn't bad behaviour — it's a physics experiment. They're testing gravity: does it always fall? Yes. Does it fall the same way? Usually. Does something happen when it hits the floor? Yes — you appear. That last part makes the experiment even more compelling. Your baby is a scientist. An extremely messy one.
Start reading board books where you ask your baby to point to things — 'where's the dog? where's the ball?' Even if they don't point yet, you're modelling the question-and-answer interaction and building their understanding that words refer to specific things. When they do start pointing, name everything they point at immediately. This pointing-and-naming loop is one of the fastest pathways to vocabulary growth in the first year.
Now is a good time to introduce more texture and variety. Soft cooked pasta, rice, small pieces of meat, and a wide range of vegetables expand their palate before the well-known toddler food refusal stage kicks in around 18 months.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Read full disclaimer
Baby-led mealtimes are messy — protect your floor, accept the chaos, and resist wiping their face between every bite. Letting them explore the food (and make a mess) is important for developing a positive relationship with eating.
Want checklists, mood tracking & more?
Sign up free →