Parent guides · 10 months
Your eleventh month, day by day
Days 301 to 330: the almost-one list, first words, understanding no, things have uses, helping games, hidden toys, pat-a-cake, standing alone, first steps maybe, shoes, favoring a side, family food, the not-before-one list, the bottle wind-down, cups, whole milk ahead, nights, new fears, separation, the yes space at standing height, windows, tip-overs, the car seat, sun, fever, screens, the 12-month visit ahead, and eleven months, with one new thing to try every day.
Every note draws on the 7 to 12 months guide and cites its sources. Babies don’t keep calendars: read each day as “around now”, and let your pediatrician’s read of your baby beat any note.
← Your tenth month, day by day (days 271 to 300)Your twelfth month, day by day (days 331 to 365) →
Week 41: words and uses
The almost-one list, mama or dada, understanding no, things have uses, first helping games, the hidden toy, and pat-a-cake.
Day 301Month elevenTen months old today. The 12-month list read as what most babies do by a year, the two skills that aren't on it, corrected age, and the first birthday eight weeks off.Try: The almost-one list
Day 302"Mama," "dada," or something elseMost babies call a parent by a special name by 12 months, and few or no other clear words at the birthday is normal. Any sound used the same way each time counts. Start the word log.Try: The word log
Day 303Understanding "no"By 12 months most babies pause or stop at 'no.' Save it for things that matter, swap and redirect for the rest, expect it to be tested, and never hit. Today: the one real no.Try: The one real no
Day 304Things have usesHand over a cup, a spoon, a hairbrush, and be the audience when your baby copies you. Using things the right way is a 15-month skill; this is its first draft. The brush and the cup.Try: The brush and the cup
Day 305First helping gamesThe urge to help shows up before the first birthday. Hand me a sock, drop the block in the bin, thank you. Family jobs come at a year; this is the seed. The block in the bin.Try: The block in the bin
Day 306Looking for the hidden toyBy 10 months a baby keeps searching for a toy they saw you hide, and by a year most find it. The classic two-cup study, and the game that proves memory: the two-cup hide.Try: The two-cup hide
Day 307Forty-one weeks: pat-a-cake and games with youPlaying games with you, like pat-a-cake, is on the 12-month list, and copying gestures comes toward the end of the first year. Today, wait for the game they start and play it their way.Try: The game they start
Week 42: standing, steps, and plates
Standing alone, first steps maybe, shoes when it's time, favoring one side, family food, the not-before-one list, and the bottle wind-down.
Day 308Cruising to standing aloneStanding alone starts anywhere from 6.9 to 16.9 months and walking alone from 8.2 to 17.6. The moment between cruising and standing is letting go of the sofa for a second. Count it, no goal.Try: The let-go second
Day 309First steps, maybeMany babies take wobbly first steps around the first birthday; a few steps alone is a 15-month milestone. Walking is learned by thousands of steps and dozens of falls. The two-hands walk.Try: The two-hands walk
Day 310Shoes, when it's timeNo shoes until your baby walks outside. Then closed-toe, flexible, nonskid, with room to grow; no wedges or special arches; a pair lasts 2 to 3 months, so check the fit monthly. The shoe fit check.Try: The shoe fit check
Day 311Favoring one sideScooting, slithering, and crawling all count, as long as each arm and leg gets used. A side that's always favored is a note for the pediatrician, and early intervention is free. The both-sides watch.Try: The both-sides watch
Day 312Three meals and family foodFinely chopped, soft, and the same as what you're eating: three meals and snacks at the family table, fullness cues ending the meal, refused foods coming back. The family plate, no separate dinner.Try: The family plate
Day 313The not-before-one list, one more timeHot dogs, whole grapes, nuts, popcorn, chunks of anything; honey; cow's milk as a drink; juice. Two-thirds of choking deaths are babies under 1. Half-inch pieces, eyes on the baby. The grape cut.Try: The grape cut
Day 314Forty-two weeks: the bottle wind-down beginsBottles end between 12 and 18 months, so the first one goes now: keep the mealtime bottles, drop a nap or bedtime one, add cuddles and a story. Never a bottle in bed. The first bottle to go.Try: The first bottle to go
Week 43: cups, milk, nights, and fears
Open, straw, or sippy, whole milk at twelve months, night feeds, nights and naps, new fears, separation still peaking, and the yes space at standing height.
Day 315Cups: open, straw, or sippyOpen, straw, or a sippy without a valve all work, and a cup you hold is on the 12-month list. Water up to 4 to 8 ounces a day, milk still the main drink. The three-cup trial, one at each meal.Try: The three-cup trial
Day 316Whole milk at twelve monthsAround the first birthday most babies switch to whole cow's milk, not before; after, about 16 ounces a day and never more than 24. Breastfeeding goes on as long as you both want. The milk plan.Try: The milk plan
Day 317Night feeds at ten monthsMany babies this age don't need to eat at night; some still do. Attention at every waking can teach waking. Growth first; the pediatrician decides with you. The water-not-milk night, or the question.Try: The water-not-milk night
Day 318Nights and naps at eleven months12 to 16 hours a day, usually 9 to 12 at night plus two naps. Separation anxiety wakes; reassure quietly and leave. Write the naps and bedtime on paper and look for the shape. The nap-to-bedtime map.Try: The nap-to-bedtime map
Day 319New fearsThe dark, thunder, the vacuum: new fears are common now and arrive with separation anxiety. Name the feeling, stay close, don't force the thing. The vacuum from your arms, from across the room.Try: The vacuum from your arms
Day 320Separation, still peakingTen months old is inside the 10-to-18-month peak. The ritual is the whole method: the same words, back when you said, extra time at drop-off. The goodbye, same words, from every adult who leaves.Try: The goodbye, same words
Day 321Forty-three weeks: the yes space, standing heightA standing baby reaches a shelf higher than a crawling one. The yes space moves up with them: the low cabinet, the swap, and the few rules every caregiver keeps. The standing-reach sweep.Try: The standing-reach sweep
Week 44 and eleven months
Windows and cords, tip-overs, the car seat, sun and outside, fever, screens, the 12-month visit ahead, what changed, and eleven months.
Day 322Windows, gates, cordsA screen won't stop a fall: window guards or windows opened from the top. Wall-mounted gates, no accordion style. Cordless coverings, and cords 3 feet from the crib. The window check.Try: The window check
Day 323Tip-overs, standing babyDressers, bookcases, and TV stands are what a standing baby pulls up on. CPSC's numbers, the STURDY Act, and why anchoring still matters. The pull-up test: push every piece, anchor what moves.Try: The pull-up test
Day 324Car seat, month elevenRear-facing until the seat's top weight or height. Infant seats fit up to 22 to 35 pounds and 26 to 35 inches depending on the model; a convertible seat comes next, rear-facing. The outgrown check.Try: The outgrown check
Day 325Sun and outside, month elevenSunscreen on uncovered skin from 6 months, SPF 15 or higher, mineral, every 90 minutes to 2 hours, shade first. Outside at floor level is where cruising goes next. The outside hour.Try: The outside hour
Day 326Fever at ten monthsA thermometer, not a hand on the forehead. The within-24-hours rules, the 104°F line, what to do in a febrile seizure, and why any head injury under 1 means a call. The fever card: three rules.Try: The fever card
Day 327Screens, the last month before oneThe WHO recommends no screen time under 1; the AAP calls TV and apps a bad idea before 18 months, video chat excepted, and says background TV cuts your talk. The TV-off evening: count the turns.Try: The TV-off evening
Day 328Forty-fourth week: the 12-month visit aheadAn anemia check and, depending on risk, lead; MMR, chickenpox, and hepatitis A at or soon after the birthday, on a schedule that differed in 2026, so ask which. The birthday-visit list, in writing.Try: The birthday-visit list
Day 329What eleven months changedStanding, maybe a step with a hand held, pinching, pointing, a sound that means something, and a pause at "no": eleven months in one look, with the birthday ahead. Eleven-month photo and letter.Try: Eleven-month photo and letter
Day 330Eleven monthsThe 12-month list as most babies, around now or soon. The 7-to-12-month guide for this stretch, the 1-year guide as the next home, and the first-word video, whatever the word is. Eleven months, done.Try: The first-word video