More time is spent on social and personal growth during a baby's tenth month of life. Imitating others becomes a driving force for learning new skills and behaviors. A 10-month-old baby begins to sense himself as a person. People and things are identified from their surroundings. Crying for help, discomfort, or to relieve internal pressure occurs less often. Instead, crying at this age, more often reflects fear of strangers, new places and activities, or unhappiness at being separated from mother or other loved ones. New growth and developmental milestones occur by the end of 10 months.

The 10-month-old's motor skills include:
* Improving skills to crawl, climb, cruise, or walk (with help).
* Climbing up and down chairs.
* Can actively transfer an object from one hand to another.
* Sitting alone.
* Mastering retrieval skills with hands and fingers.
* Taking things apart and attempting to put them back together.

The 10-month-old's language skills include:
* Combining movement with speech like saying "no" and shaking head or waving and saying "bye-bye."
* Repeating new words constantly.
* Understanding and obeying simple words and commands.

The 10-month-old's mental abilities include:
* Imitating behaviors like rubbing self with soap.
* Continuing exploring and learning about objects (crumples paper, shakes a box, listens to a ticking watch).
* Reaching behind himself for a toy without seeing it.
* Seeing a hidden object and then searching for it.
* Favoring one hand for manipulation and the other for carrying.

The 10-month-old's social traits include:
* Showing moods like sadness, happiness, hurt.
* Showing preferences, liking music, identifying body parts.
* Crying if another child receives attention.
* Helping dress self.
* Showing love toward stuffed animal or doll.

Give your baby extra love and attention. Cuddle and rock the child during the day and at bedtime. Play games like "peek-a-boo" and "pat-a-cake". Try not to scold and never spank you baby. Use their interest in their surroundings to distract them from an object they shouldn't touch. Adapt and poison-proof your home to allow them to explore.

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