Baby's First Year - Age Appropriate Milestones for 10-12 Months

You are (hopefully) fully baby proofed and getting used to this baby on the move situation.  Your baby should be crawling and pulling to stand, and most babies typically take their first steps sometime within a month or so of their first birthdays.  Your baby is now learning to respond to simple verbal cues and loves to look at pictures in a book.   They are also able use their hands to manipulate (and get into) EVERYTHING in sight. 

Life is really flying by for you and your baby in their first year of life. 

It seems like this 10-12 month age bracket is such a huge growth time frame and as I remember, teething situations can make babies sleeping and moods a little tricky.  My best piece of advice is to bring yourself and baby outside for some fresh air and a new, fun environment to learn in (and distract from the teething pain.)

• This guideline has been developed through clinical experience and in combination with references Peabody Developmental Motor Scales 2 + The Beery VMI.  

• Reminder: Focus on your child’s strengths, not weaknesses.  Focus on if your child is making an overall forward progression instead of making sure your child makes EVERY milestone according to plan (you can easily drive yourself and your baby crazy.). Relax and enjoy these fleeting moments!

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS

Crawling Milestones

• 9-11 months: independent crawling

• 10-12 months: crawls on feet and hands (bear crawl)

Standing/Walking/Cruising

• 9-10 months: pulls to stand + steps sideways when supported

• 9-10 months: lowers to sit without falling (from a supported standing position)

• 10-12 months: walks with both hands held

• 11-13 months: walks with one hand held

• 11-13 months: stands independently for 1-3 seconds

• 11-14 months: begins to walk independently (2-3 steps)

• 11-14 months: stands independently while playing (hands free) 

• 13-15 months: walks independently (without support)

• 13-15 months:  squats down and back up again (controlled)

VISUAL MOTOR + VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS

• 0-10 months: looks closely at tiny object

• 10-11 months: pushes and rolls a ball

• 0-11 months: throws things just to see what will happen

• 0-12 months: enjoys looking at pictures in a book

• 10-12 months: imitating of an adult is established (i.e. will tap spoon, clap hands, put things in, scribble with a crayon etc after an adult demos)

FINE MOTOR + GRASP DEVELOPMENT

• 0-9 months: claps hands/brings objects together at midline to bang

• 0-10 months: points at objects with index finger

• 10-11 months: crawls while holding 1 object in hand (helps to strengthen arches of the hand

• 10-12 months: begins to grasp objects with thumb opposed to first 2 fingers with visible open space in the palm and arm off table (emerging tripod grasp/3 jaw chuck)

• 0-11 months: plays with musical instruments with hands such as banging drums or shaking rattles

• 0-11 months: tears paper

• 9-11 months: with intentional release established, baby can put 3-7 cubes into a cup or container

• 0-12 months: places and releases objects into another's hand upon request (i.e. "can I have the cup?")

• 0-12 months: opens and begins to turn pages of a book with hard pages

• 0-12 months: holds thick crayon with fisted grasp/cylindrical grasp, attempts to make a mark on paper

SELF HELP SKILLS

• 9-11 months: removes socks and shoes

• 12 months: helps to remove simple clothing items/holds out arms legs to help

• 12 months: can follow simple directions from an adult (sit down, come here, put in, give me the, etc) 

• 12 months: can hold cup and drink with some spillage

• 12 months: can bite through a soft texture (soft toast, cookie, etc)

Red Flags
Talk to your pediatrician if you have any concerns with the following:

• Noticeable flat spot on posterior (back) head or on either side

• Pelvis asymmetry in sitting and crawling (i.e. uneven sitting posture)

• Baby seems floppy or weak

• Baby seems tight or stiff

• Baby continues to scoot or use alternative locomotive pattern (such as hips rotated to one side or dragging one leg)

• Baby doesn't make eye contact

• Difficulty pulling to stand or standing independently by 12 months

• Not weight bearing evenly when walking (I.e shifting weight onto one leg and dragging the other)

• Difficulty grasping smaller items

• Babies hands or one hand has a weak grasp

• Baby always stands on tippy toes

• Baby never mimics or imitates actions of adult (clapping, etc)

• Baby doesn’t play appropriately with toys (Ie rake puzzle pieces out, push buttons, shake rattles, drop items into containers, etc)

• Coughing throughout a meal or when drinking

• Limited diet (prefers the same foods at every meal)

• Frequent gag response to new foods or non-preferred foods

• Excessive fluid intake but minimal food intake

**Dont worry if your baby shows signs of anything above ONE or even a few times! Only if a consistent pattern is noticed in a certain area should you feel the need to be concerned.  What I’m trying to say again here is, don’t make a mountain out of a molehill!

See also

Baby's First Year - Age Appropriate Milestones for 7-9 Months

Baby's First Year - Age Appropriate Milestones for 4-6 months

Baby's First Year - Age Appropriate Milestones for 0-3 Months