Month 10

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 20 ¼ pounds and is 28 ¾ inches long

- the baby is now able to stand with little or no support

- the baby may develop irregular sleep patterns or problems because he is practicing to stand in the middle of the night

Mental Developments:

- the baby's understanding of words and commands is increasing

- the baby continues to imitate the words, noises and actions of others at an increasing rate

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby can now release an object he is holding in a gentle but awkward manner

- the baby's motor control is highly developed now. He is able to pick up very small objects between two fingers, can release held objects, and his coordination is very strong

Social Development:

- the baby is able to wave good-bye and knows when to do so

- the baby continues to show preferences for certain toys and objects

Week 41

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 20 ½ pounds and is 28 ¾ inches long

- the baby's coordination and motor skills improve; he can now walk while at the same time clasping his hands

Mental Developments:

- the baby furthers his knowledge of object permanence and will search for objects that have been hidden from him

- the baby's speech enters a phase commonly referred to as pseudo-conversation. His babbling resembles incoherent speech

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby's preferences for one of his hands and one side of his body will become more obvious

Social Development:

- the baby shows greater interest in games such as peek-a-boo, etc.

- the baby's range of moods and emotions is increasing and his ability to match these moods with the facial expressions and noises he has been imitating have also gotten greater

Week 42

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 20 ½ pounds and is 29 inches long

- the baby, who now spends much of his time standing, can seat himself from a standing position

- the baby should sleep through the night now and probably only needs one short nap during the day

Mental Developments:

- Once the baby has learned a word he will repeat it incessantly and use it to respond to anything said to him

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby's range of movements increases and he likes to make rhythmic movements

Social Development:

- the baby's self-awareness increases

Week 43

Physical Developments:

- the baby weighs 20 ¾ pounds and is 29 inches long

- the baby is able to lift himself to a standing position

- the baby is now an explorer. He will crawl and walk anywhere he can and thus requires great supervision

Mental Developments:

- the baby is able to reach and grab things that are beside or behind him without looking at the object to see where it is

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is now able to hold and carry two objects in one hand assuming that they are small enough

Social Development:

- the baby is eager to find and receive attention and friendship

- the baby will seek social approval for his actions by looking to see the reactions of his parents and those around him

- the baby should now be able to feed himself whole meals without help

The baby will have mastered standing up by now, either by himself if he is quite advanced, or with the aid of furniture to pull him up. The baby may be able to walk unaided, but is likely still using something for slight support while he walks. The baby probably sleeps for 14 hours a day - perhaps ten at night and two, two hour naps.

The baby's ability to produce sounds is increasing and his babble now resembles rough speech. He will have learned certain words by now and he will repeat them endlessly. The baby will also begin to show greater emotion and moods. He will also be showing a preference not only for certain toys and objects, but also for the use of one hand over the other, and people.

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