Your baby: 10 months old

Is that baby standing?

Chances are, your baby will be able to pull to standing by 10 months, which means a whole lot more is within arm’s reach, and entire surfaces can be swept clean by one busy baby determined to rearrange, well, everything. Walking with your fingers in their hands may be another frequent activity, though it grows old pretty quickly for anyone over three feet tall.

Just as your baby’s physical skills are taking off, so are their mental leaps. After being masters of destruction and chaos for months, babies at this age are starting to put it all together and noticing sequences that govern the best way to accomplish tasks. This may be stacking blocks or looking and figuring things out before taking action. Putting their world together and noticing the order amid the chaos is a big development for babies, and there may be plenty of practice ahead: filling up a drawer or basket before emptying it out all over again.

Your baby may not have BFFs just yet, but getting out to meet and interact with other babies is important all the same. After the first few months, babies are ready to broaden their circle beyond close friends and family, and by the time they approach toddlerhood, they can get great joy out of friends and strangers alike. While they’re still too young to play together, 10-month-olds can engage in parallel play, watching, learning and interacting with others—as long as your baby has someone familiar to support them as they explore their social life.

At 10 months, babies know what they want to do, and almost nothing will stop them from trying. But though wise adults know their limits, babies rarely do, and this is the age (if not earlier) when the greatest tears may come from frustration as your baby tries and tries to do something and can’t. If they can’t do it because you won’t let them crawl into the dishwasher, up the stairs or into the kitty’s litter box, their rage may be directed at you. If they can’t do it because their own skills are not yet up to the task of putting on their own shoes, buckling their own seatbelt or putting the lid on the jar, their frustration may be with themselves. Cue the tears. Distraction is your best hope, and your ability to act fascinated and excited by something else, over here, will help—but this is a glimpse of the toddler tantrums and tears that beckon in the months ahead.

Name regret

Nope, not the regret of naming your baby Sophia or Jackson—along with a third of the babies in your playgroup—or Rex, like the new neighbour’s dog. This is the name regret that one mother felt when she changed her name for the sake of her kids so they’d have the same last name and everyone would know she was their mom.

One mama’s story: What was supposed to be blissful and natural was anything but: bleeding nipples, blocked ducts and infections. Though formula would have been fine, she fought through breastfeeding to meet her own high expectations until her baby self-weaned at 11 months. In retrospect, the pain and anguish could have been avoided and her baby would have been just fine.

Bath toy clean-up

Kids love them—the squirters and foamies they play with in the bathtub—but they can get pretty gross. Industrial-strength chemicals are obviously not a good idea for toys that will end up in your baby’s mouth, but here’s an easy hack for a safe way to clean those nooks and crannies.

Camping with your baby

For those dreaming of a little wilderness, the first camping trip with your baby can be a little intimidating—even for the experts—but a little compromise and a whole lot of planning can go a long way. From considering your campsite choices to prioritizing your packing list, these tips for camping with a baby offer the wisdom of those who have gone before.

Having trouble cleaning up the potty mouth? Worried your baby’s first word will have four letters? With adult language looser than ever, it can be awfully hard to rein in the curse words once your baby comes along. Take some advice from a dad who knows the struggle.

Read more: Your baby: 11 months old 6 tips for dealing with a determined baby