Childhood Development: 10 to 12 Months - September 2026

Between the ages of 10 to 12 months old, your child is already approaching their first official year of life. They will soon say goodbye to their infancy and say hello to toddlerhood. Your baby is no longer so little anymore. They are starting to show their character and their independence. Soon, they will take their first baby steps (literally) towards being their own person. Here’s what you can expect as a parent now that your child has reached 10 to 12 months of age. Physical Development At 10 to 12 months old, your little one will continue to grow steadily. However, you may notice that they may gain weight a little less quickly than before. This is all a part of their natural progress as they age. By 12 months old, your child would have tripled their birthweight. They should now be between 8 to 10 kg and between 70 to 78 cm in height. Here are some other exciting physical milestones your baby is going through at this stage. Evolving Reflexes By the time your baby reaches the end of their first year, most of their primitive reflexes present have either disappeared or have evolved into voluntary movements. However, some reflexes continue to be present or develop further at this stage. For instance, their parachute reflex, which is involved in self protection, becomes more refined. When a baby is held upright and quickly tilted forward or to the side, they will extend their arms to protect themselves from falling. This reflex is also one of the few that survives into adulthood. At 10 to 12 months of age, your baby is already gearing up to take their first steps. They would have already learned to stand up on their own by now with support. This is thanks to primitive reflexes known as righting reflexes. These help babies maintain their head position in alignment with their body and adjust their posture when changing positions. Righting reflexes play a huge role in laying the groundwork for more complex movements from crawling to standing, and eventually to walking. Another important reflex is the landau reflex which will slowly evolve into helping a baby support their posture control and overall body coordination. All important skills for walking. Finally, the stepping reflex which reappears at this stage to assist with controlled and voluntary standing and walking. Crawling You know the saying ‘you must learn to crawl before you learn to walk’? Before your baby is ready to take their first steps, they will have to master their crawling until their legs are strong enough. Even if they’ve learned to stand, they will still result in crawling to move around. Between 10 to 12 months old, your baby’s crawling becomes more refined and faster. Your baby may even start experimenting with climbing; you may see them try to go up stairs or onto furniture. Your baby now has developed an improved sense of balance. They can now switch between sitting, crawling, and standing with ease. Cruising Before your baby learns to properly walk, they will do something called ‘cruising’. These are the proverbial baby steps that will come once your baby masters standing up. Cruising basically means walking sideways while holding onto something, like the edge of a chair or couch. Cruising is the last stage before they learn to walk unsupported on their own. It paves the way for their first steps into toddlerhood, figuratively and literally. However, don't be alarmed if your baby still hasn't learned to ‘cruise’ at this stage. By 12 months, many babies take their first unaided steps, though some may take longer. They typically walk with a wide stance and arms raised for balance. Babies who aren’t walking yet will still practice standing and shifting their weight. Fine Motor Skills Aside from walking, your child is also refining their fine motor skills. They are learning how to do more advanced things with their hands like grasping, pointing and many others. Your baby’s pincer grasp would have improved tremendously at this point, allowing them to pick up small objects like beans or coins with their forefinger and thumb. This is when you should be very careful about choking hazards. However, on the plus side, this milestone is an important precursor to crucial life skills later when they’re older and well into their adulthood such as self-feeding. In fact, your baby may even try experimenting with spoons and cups now, feeding themselves with some help from you. Your child’s hand-eye coordination will also greatly improve. They’re now able to competently pass objects between their hands; they’re probably already learning how to stack blocks by now. Your baby may also shake objects and purposefully drop them to see what would happen. Take care not to let them touch anything fragile like glass or ceramics. At this stage, many babies also are able to use pointing gestures to show interest or ask their parents for things. This early form of nonverbal communication is important for cognitive and language development, which we will discuss next. Cognitive Development Your baby’s sense of the world is growing now. Their vision is sharper and so is their mind. They are now able to grasp the concept of object permanence and they are also on their way to saying their first words. Just like in the previous article where they are beginning to form complex sentence-like sounds, your infant is now using those vocalisations to interact with you. The development of new intellectual skills skyrocket as your baby catches up with their physical milestones. The connection between walking and talking is irrefutable at this point. As your baby learns their first steps, so shall their speech and vocabulary grow, setting the stage for more advanced language skills. Improved Perception Babies between 10 to 12 months old can now fully understand that objects exist even when out of sight (object permanence). You’ll notice this when your little searches for hidden toys or remember where an object was last seen. Just like in the previous article, your baby is still experimenting with cause and effect. They’ll drop things repeatedly to see what happens. But now, they’re putting what they learn to use. You’ll notice that they’re using trial-and-error methods to solve simple problems such as figuring out how to retrieve a toy from under furniture. As part of their observational learning, babies learn to be copycats. They’ll imitate everyday actions of the people around them. They’re now learning how to clap, wave, or use objects in appropriate ways just by seeing others do it. Language Skills Between 10 to 12 months, your baby will already be able to understand and respond to basic instructions such as ‘Come here’. They now know that words are connected with actions. Around these ages, your child will also start saying their first real words like ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’. This marks an important transition from babbling to speech. Even when they babble, babies this age can make more diverse and speech-like sounds, with rhythm and intonation that mimic adult speech patterns. This is called ‘baby jargon’. They even understand things like turn-taking during conversations. Babies recognise and respond to their own name and common words like ‘no’, ‘milk’, or ‘dog’. They also start looking toward objects or people when named. Just like with physical milestones, emotional development also tends to overlap with emotional milestones, as we will soon find out below. Emotional Development Between 10 to 12 months, your baby is continuing to experience a wide range of emotions. They are also forming stronger bonds with you as a parent. They now understand the purpose and joy of social interactions. As they slowly achieve more cognitive and physical milestones, their social growth also catches up. Emotional Awareness You can now tell when your baby is experiencing certain emotions like frustration, excitement, affection, or fear. They may laugh when you make funny faces, pout when they’re upset, or smile when a familiar person comes to visit. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Your baby is now able to recognise the emotions of others too. You may see them mirroring the expressions of others. If another baby is crying nearby, your little one might also look concerned or even start to cry themselves. This shows their growing sense of empathy which is one of the most important aspects of their social and emotional development. Some good indications of empathy other than emotional mimicry is compassion. This includes offering a toy to a crying child. Stronger Attachment As your baby grows, their emotional bond with you only grows. They will continue to look to you for comfort and reassurance. They will likely be more affectionate at this stage, showing love through hugs and cuddles. They’ll even look to you for emotional cues when in a new or unfamiliar environment. This behaviour is known as social referencing. It is an important milestone that will help them navigate all their future social interactions until adulthood. For instance, if you are content and happy, they will be comfortable. But if you are anxious or distressed they may be fussy or even cry. Babies are more sensitive to the emotional atmosphere than you think. Your baby’s separation anxiety will still be present and will continue to grow even until kindergarten age. The First of Many Firsts Your baby has officially left their infant stage and will soon become a toddler. Depending on where they are between 10 to 12 months old, they would have achieved most of these milestones and are slowly but surely on the fast track to achieving more. Do not worry if they are a little behind their peers, some babies simply need a little nudge, especially when it comes to walking and talking. If you feel like they’re already growing up too fast; well, get used to it. They will soon start forming full sentences before you could even blink. This will be the first of many firsts, and your little one is only just getting started. Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice from Motherhood.sg. For any health-related concerns, it is advisable to consult with a qualified healthcare professional or medical practitioner. For more insightful stories and parenting advice, stay tuned to Motherhood.sg!

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