**Core Concept:** The skeletal system in infants consists primarily of cartilage, which gradually ossifies (converts to bone) over time. Carpal bones are part of the wrist joint, and their number helps determine developmental stage.

**Why the Correct Answer is Right:** In infants, the carpal bones are not yet ossified and appear as cartilaginous structures on X-ray. The correct answer represents the typical number of cartilaginous carpal bones in an infant's wrist:

**Correct Answer: C. 8**

There are 8 carpal bones in an infant's wrist, grouped into two rows:
1. Scaphoid bone (ununited)
2. Proximal row: lunate, triquetral, pisiform
3. Distal row: trapezium, trapezoid, capitate, hamate

**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect:**

**A. 10:** This is the number of carpal bones in an adult, where they have ossified.

**B. 7:** This is the number of carpal bones in a child, where the scaphoid has fused with the lunate.

**D. 11:** This is the number of carpal bones in a fetus, where the scaphoid has not fused yet.

**Clinical Pearl:** The number of carpal bones in an infant can be used as a rough estimate of the age of the child. As the carpal bones ossify (fuse with each other), the number of visible carpal bones decreases:

- 8 (infant) → 7 (child) → 10 (adult)

By understanding these developmental stages, clinicians can infer the age of a patient presenting with wrist pain.