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Infant development: What happens from 10 to 12 months?

Your baby's budding curiosity will keep you on your toes in the next few months. Infant development milestones for a 10- to 12-month-old include crawling and improved hand-eye coordination.

By Mayo Clinic staff

Your baby continually scrambles out of sight. Nothing makes him or her happier than dropping a spoon from the highchair over and over again. And if you aren't stifling the urge to say "No!" chances are you've already said it many times in the last few hours. Welcome to life with a 10- to 12-month-old! At this age, infant development may seem to take on a life of its own.

What to expect

Keeping your baby's strengths and personality in mind, look for these infant development milestones for 10- to 12-month-olds.

  • Motor skills gain speed. Most babies this age can sit without help and pull themselves to a standing position. Your baby may use various forward movements to explore new territory. Creeping and crawling will give way to cruising along the furniture and eventually walking. By 12 months, your baby may take his or her first steps.
  • Hand-eye coordination improves. Most babies this age can feed themselves finger foods, grasping items between the thumb and forefinger. Your baby may delight in banging blocks together and stacking objects or nesting them inside one another.
  • Understanding dawns. As your baby's memory matures, he or she will be able to easily find hidden objects. Babies this age often point to the correct picture when you say what it is. Your baby will realize that you still exist even when you leave the room — which may lead to crying spells when you're out of sight. Imitation also reigns supreme. You may find your baby brushing his or her hair, pushing buttons on the remote control, or "talking" on the phone.
  • Language evolves. Most babies this age respond to simple verbal requests and understand words for familiar people and events. Your baby may become skilled at various gestures, such as shaking his or her head "no," pointing at something out of reach, or waving bye-bye. Your baby's babbling may take on new inflection. You may begin to hear words such as "dada" and "mama" and exclamations such as "uh-oh!"
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References
  1. Everyday ways to support your baby's and toddler's early learning. Zero to Three. http://www.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/early_learning_handout.pdf?docID=3081&AddInterest=1153. Accessed March 6, 2009.
  2. A child becomes a reader: Proven ideas from research for parents. National Institute for Literacy. http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/pdf/low_res_child_reader_B-K.pdf. Accessed March 6, 2009.
  3. Child development: Infants (0-1 year old). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/child/infants.htm. Accessed March 6, 2009.
  4. Parenting corner Q&A: Developmental milestones. American Academy of Pediatrics. http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK0_DevMile_12Mos.htm. Accessed March 6, 2009.
  5. Development through your child's eyes: 8 to 18 months. Zero to Three. http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_key_childdevt_devt918&AddInterest=1153. Accessed March 6, 2009.
  6. Shelov SP, et al. Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5. 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Bantam Books; 2004:231.

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June 17, 2009

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