What to expect with a 10-11 month old baby

Your baby is starting to take much more of an interest in what’s going in the world around them and they want to join in!

Getting around

By now your baby is likely to be on the move – whether that’s by traditional crawling on all fours or by shuffling across the floor on their bums. You might even start to see your little one pulling themselves up on the furniture too. Along with this new-found mobility will come a greater curiosity about what’s around them – now they can get where they want. Don’t be surprised if you find the contents of your cupboards emptied out and all your carefully folded washing thrown out of the basket.

Time to play

With more control over their hand movements, this is a fun time for your baby. Get ready for lots of banging, clapping, waving, throwing and plenty of noise! Stacking bricks, shape sorters, activity cubes and musical toys are all great for honing your baby’s fine motor skills – as long as you know where the off button is on the noisier ones.

Talk, talk

Along with increased mobility and dexterity, you might notice your baby is babbling and pretend talking more and more. Whilst most of this will be still be gibberish, keep chatting back to them and making eye contact as this will encourage them to imitate what you’re saying and soon you’ll start to hear a few real words emerging.

Changing behavior

As your little one approaches their first birthday (gulp), you’ll see their personality begin to emerge. Expect lots of cheeky smiles and giggles but it’s also common to see some assertiveness develop. Try not to get too frustrated if your once placid angel is getting a bit stubborn or ignores you if you say ‘no’ – they’re just trying to figure out how things work, so try distraction techniques to get you through a sticky situation.

How are you feeling?

Where has your baby gone? As your little one approaches one, you might be feeling a bit nostalgic for the days when they were totally dependent on you. It can be hard to let go of those cozy times, especially if you’ve gone back to work, but as your baby’s personality develops, you’ll realize this is a magical age where you can really play and laugh together. Enjoy!