10 Week Old Baby |Development, Sleep And Weight

Baby’s first three months can fly by – unlike the last month of pregnancy!

Having quality advice and support at week 10 is crucial. It’s also important to take time to enjoy each stage of development in the early days.

Here are a few tidbits to make life easier and to help you decide whether you need to seek medical attention or see a doctor to assess your baby’s sleep, feeding or development.

Your 10 week old baby

Your 10 week old baby is heading towards the first three months mark. He has come a very long way since the day he suddenly found himself outside the womb.

He is gaining weight nicely and has probably gone up at least one size of clothes since birth. He enjoys being held upright against your body, so he can look around and watch the world. He also loves to lie on his back and kick his legs, waving his arms about and generally burning up lots of energy, while practicing his gross motor movement.

Your 10 week old baby might have worked out how to bring his hands to his mouth to suck on them, and he’s getting closer to his goal of actually swiping the toys hanging in front of him.

You are almost through one of the most intense stages and can look forward to a period of calm – at least for a while.

Your growing baby at 10 weeks of age

What type of fruit is your 10 week old baby?

That might sound strange, but Dr William Sears describes a baby’s natural body shape as apple, pear, or banana. Along with all the other genetic factors we inherit, our metabolism type can also be inherited.

Long and lean babies — Sears calls them ‘banana babies’ — burn off calories faster than the plumper ‘apple babies’ and ‘pear babies.’ Banana babies are likely to grow more quickly in height than weight, meaning they are often taller but lighter than anticipated. Babies with slower metabolic rates – apples and pears – can gain weight more quickly than they grow in height.

If you look around at your baby’s family, you will see different body types – tall and thin, short and stout etc. You can expect your baby to settle into his own pre-determined growth pattern, which is unique to him and his genetic recipe.

When you talk with other parents you meet about growth charts and weight gains, remember you can’t compare bananas with apples or pears; each type is exactly as it is meant to be.

Playtime for a 10 week old baby

Your 10 week old baby is really starting to have fun with playtime now, so it’s a good time to take stock of his toys and set up some play stations for him around your home.

If, like most babies, your 10 week old has received an alarming array of pastel colored teddy bears and other soft toys, you might be disappointed that he shows little interest in them. Their time will come but, at the moment, they have little to offer him visually and are probably too big to offer much in the way of tactile stimulation.

If you don’t have the space to have them all out on display, choose a few with special meaning to leave out and pack the rest away to avoid gathering dust.

Your 10 week old baby will prefer bright toys that he can gaze at and try to reach; soon he’ll be able to hold and chew them.

Rattles, teething rings and things to hang over his stroller, play gyms and mats will all grab his short attention – especially when you get down on the floor with him and engage him in play. Fill small baskets or boxes with a collection of suitable toys and household items and have places to play in all the rooms where you spend time each day.

Don’t forget: your baby’s favourite toy will always be you!

Talk to him about whatever you are doing. It might feel silly but you are building his language skills and stimulating his brain. Tell him whose laundry you are folding now, why you prefer brown rice over white, and what color flowers you are planting. Sing him simple songs and nursery rhymes; if you can’t remember the words, Google them or find a good book like Merrily Merrily – still produced by the Australian Breastfeeding Association and a key text for educators in Australia.

Tummy time at week 10

Most babies prefer lying on their back, so tummy time can be a challenge to fit into their play. He might want only a few minutes on his belly to start off with; you can work up to 5 minutes, a few times a day. Many babies enjoy longer periods of tummy time as they get older and into a routine.

You might wonder why there is so much focus on getting babies to play on their tummies, especially if they are happier not doing so.

If your baby spends most of his time on his back, there is a risk he might develop Flat Head Syndrome which, while it sounds a bit silly, is actually a serious condition also known as ‘positional plagiocephaly’.

Researchers have found as many as 47% of two month old babies have a flat spot on the head.

Read more about flat head syndrome in our article Flat Head Syndrome – 6 Tips To Prevent Flat Head.

Baby’s development at 10 weeks

Baby’s eyesight is now coming into focus; he will really start to stare at you and follow you around with his eyes. Currently, he might only see up to about 30cm in front of him. Red will be the first color he sees and by 5 months of old, he will be able to see all colors.

Baby’s brain is fully functional at birth and still developing. From birth, he can process and register touch. The part of the brain that deals with hearing is extremely active and you will notice how he follows your voice.

What age do babies roll over?

It’s unlikely your baby will be rolling over at 10 weeks; this is too early. Most babies will start wanting to roll over around the 4 to 5 month mark.

At 10 weeks old, your baby doesn’t have the strength or the motor skills to roll from back to tummy.

Initially, he will rock from side to side, eventually rolling right over.

Babywearing at 10 weeks of age

Wear your baby as often as you can: the upright position offers the same benefits as tummy time and reduces the time he spends lying on his back. Do your grocery shopping, fold your laundry, tidy the kitchen, and vacuum or mop your floors.

All the movements you make will stimulate his vestibular system, which is important for balance and gross motor skill development. He will often drop off to sleep, as he is comfortable being close to you.

Read about more in our article Baby Wearing | 10 benefits f Wearing Your Baby.

Settling and sleeping for a 10 week old baby

Junk Sleep is a term you might come across in some of those books that insist your baby requires a strict day and night schedule. They say feeding should be done with regimented precision at strict points across the day and night, and they talk about sleeping as something that is regulated by parents.

All sleep, the authors insist, must be planned, so your baby is in his own cot, in his own darkened room (with blackout blinds in place to prevent any daylight intruding) for all naps in the day and all sleeps at night. Any variation on this protocol is deemed to be ‘junk sleep’ – as bad for our babies as junk food is.

There is no evidence-based research to support these claims, however; neither are there examples of damage created by varying from such a strict timetable.

In fact, it appears that babies are wired to sleep wherever and whenever they need to – in their mother’s arms, at her breast, or while moving in the car or pram.

You can read more about junk sleep in our article Does Your Baby Junk Sleep? 4 Surprising Facts About Baby Sleep.

Baby’s weight at 10 weeks

He is growing like a bean in the first few weeks and having regular growth spurts. At 10 weeks, he will weigh around 11 pounds (5.1 kg) to 12 pounds (5.6 kg).

Formula fed babies

If you’ve started to use a bottle and teat for formula feeding, you might be wondering whether there is a teat available that is more like a human nipple.

The aisles in the supermarket and baby store are filled with promises, but how do you know which is right for you?

Find out more about this in our article Choosing A Teat Most Like The Breast – 4 Surprising Facts.