Ten months
By now your baby is probably becoming a regular chatterbox, jabbering (most gibberish) away as their speech and language skills develop. They are also beginning to understand more words and phrases, so now more than ever it's important to keep talking to them.
Doubtlessly you'll soon (or indeed you may already) find that you understand some words and gestures which your baby uses regularly.
Whilst the baby talk is undeniably cute, try not to reinforce it by repeating it back to them. Instead gently reinforce the correct pronunciation as this will help them develop their vocabulary.
Likewise, although you might feel silly, it's really good to have conversations with your baby - even though they may feel a little one sided. So, if they're jabbering away say something like ‘Really? Is that right?' - if nothing else you're bound to be rewarded with a lovely smile.
You can also help your baby's speech and vocabulary develop by giving a running commentary on whatever you happen to be doing at the time.
You'll probably also have noticed how much more dexterous your baby has become using their thumb and forefinger in what's known as a pincer grasp. This new skill means that your baby can now feed themselves. However do keep a close eye on them, as they will still have a tendency to 'taste test' everything and anything regardless of whether or not it's actually food!
Your baby is more mobile now than ever before - perhaps walking whilst holding on to furniture and standing up for a few seconds without support. Those magical first steps are not far away!
Play & Pretend
Learning to walk requires both strength and balance - help your child develop both by building a Cushion Mountain.
