My Baby at 10 Months

The last week has seen a transformation in my baby, she is becoming more and more like a toddler. She isn’t toddling yet, but she suddenly seems to understand a lot more about what is going on. She responds to my questions more and communicates more clearly when she wants something. We play games together and I am enjoying watching her play. She is also exploring more in play. It’s no longer just chewing on things and waving them around, she is now putting objects on top of each other and inside each other.

9 photographs of a baby girl aged 9 months includes eating, sitting in a pumpkin outfit, sitting in front of a mini piano, in a baby carrier and reclining on a white bed
Little aged 9 to 10 months


Feeding

Little can go long periods during the day without nursing, but that might be because she feeds most of the night. When I left her for the day she was fine with just water and food, choosing not to have milk from a sippy cup. She is also eating a good amount of food. She is able to chew fairly well which is helping her digestion. I think the biggest change in her eating this month is the improvement in her pincer grip which means she can easily pick up small pieces to eat them. She often prefers small foods (like peas) or food cut up into small pieces.

I tried introducing a spoon for the first time this month. I put food on the spoon and gave it to Little. She did really well at putting the spoon in her mouth and getting the food off. I need to let her practice more, including letting her learn to scoop, but I haven't felt like dealing with the likely level of mess recently.

Sleeping 

We still don’t sleep. Actually we have got more sleep this month than last, not because Little is sleeping any better (she is still sleeping horrendously) but because at her first wake up I normally take her in to bed with me. We lie down together with her latched on and I go to sleep. At some point she comes off and goes to sleep until she wakes up 1 or 2 hours later, starts to fuss, latches on again and we repeat the process. I’m getting at least an extra hours sleep a night when I co-sleep from the first wake up.

We’ve reached the point where we have accepted there is a problem with her sleep and we have to tackle it. It’s been bad for the last 6 months so it isn’t a phase. We have some plans of what we are going to try and fingers crossed it will improve next year.

Naps haven’t been so good either this month. This has mostly been due to a cough which wakes her up when she is asleep, but there has also been a development leap. Occasionally there is a decent nap in the cot (about 90 minutes), but other days there are a series of short ones as we go about our day.

Growth

Little weighs 9.49 kg so is nicely following a curve just above the 75th percentile, the Health Visitors are very happy about this (although to be fair our local ones seem very chilled and nice at the moment). Little measures about 74cm (around the 90th percentile). She is wearing 9 to 12 month clothes and still in size 4 nappies.

Activity

Little is a confident cruiser now, able to navigate round obstacles and not really needing much support. Her balance has improved a lot and her leg strength astounds us. She has stood independently for about 5 seconds, but doesn’t really have the balance yet. She’ll often go into a squat position and hover there before going down. I don’t know how she does it, it would be agony for me, plus I would fall over backwards. It’s funny how babies can do moves that adults can’t, yet they can’t do positions we find so easy (like standing).

Little has started to walk when supported e.g. if you hold your hands out to her. She probably hasn’t done more than about 6 steps before needing to sit, but she is growing in confidence. At one of our playgroups they have a walker (and carpets, 2 things we don’t have). Little enjoys pushing the walker along, occasionally going down on her knees then back up again.

We have had lots of clapping this week. It’s always nice to be applauded when you do something as challenging as pull a funny face or play peekaboo.

A photo posted by Kate Kirk (@essexkate) on

Communication
During the last week or two there has been an increase in the amount Little seems to understand. More often now when I talk to her I feel like she actually has some level of comprehension of what I am saying. While I love the sound of my own voice it’s nice to feel I’m having more of a conversation.

There has also been an improvement in Little’s ability to communicate with me. She makes it clearer when she wants (or doesn’t want) something both verbally and with hand movements. She has also been able to let me know where the pain is when she has got hurt by touching it.

“Mum mum mum” is getting clearer and Little often calls for me when she wakes or I leave the room. She still says “Dadada”, but mostly on weekends when G is around more. A lot more of the sounds out of her mouth sound like actual words now, this can be interesting at times like when we were sure she said “hubble, bubble”, or maybe it was “double, double” and she is trying to recite a bit of Shakespeare.


Despite the lack of sleep I have enjoyed her company a lot more the last few weeks and I can start to see more of the little girl she is becoming as she grows out of being my baby.

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