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The first year of any baby’s life is full of excitement and constant change. Let’s take a look at exactly what is going on at the 6-month mark. These are things your 6-month-old is currently experiencing or going to be experiencing soon.
Please remember all babies develop at their own pace. They should be doing a lot of the things on this list, but if they are not doing a few do not stress out. Just try guiding them and introducing new skills whenever possible.
Social and Emotional Milestones
You may notice your baby is starting to watch and engage in the world around them. They may stare at people and study what they are doing. Here are some quick things to look for:
-recognizing people in their life
-knowing the difference between a stranger and someone they know
-enjoying play time with you
-enjoys time looking in the mirror
-lots of happiness and laughing
Spend this time talking to your baby. They love forming a stronger connection with you. Stranger danger could be kicking in now or in the near future. They will prefer to stay in the arms of people they know, rather than get passed around to family and friends they are not accustomed to.
Take the opportunity to give them mirror time. You could hold them up in the bathroom each night. They may enjoy looking at themselves if you have a mirror in your car that you use to see them while driving. You can also find toys that have baby-safe mirrors. They are plastic style. Montessori style parenting often includes keeping a low mirror in the baby’s room where they play.
Your baby will likely enjoy playing the simple game of peek-a-boo with you.
Language and Communication Milestones at 6 Months
You may have recently noticed your baby getting more opinionated. You can better tell when they want something and what it is that they want. An example of this would be them clearly expressing that they want to eat more when you close up your shirt or take away the bottle.
Some things you can be watching for include:
-recognizing their name and looking in the direction it is called from
-babbling
-making sounds back when you talk to them
-blowing “raspberries” (basically trying to figure out making sounds and sticking out their tongue)
-grabs toys they want
-close lips to express they are done eating
When it comes to language and communication development you simply need to talk to your baby. Point out objects in the house as you are going through daily activities. Say your baby’s name to familiarize them with it.
Narrate your day.
It is never too early to start welcoming and encouraging language development. Down the road, right around the 18-month mark one of the biggest frustrations and causes of meltdowns is due to your toddler trying to communicate something that you do not understand. The more language development we can do early, the more potential you have for strong communication skills and fewer meltdowns.
Brain Development at 6 Months
Brain development involves learning, thinking, and problem-solving.
Your baby is a sponge soaking up everything around them. You will notice them staring at and watching various things throughout the day.
Things to watch for include:
-staring at various things
-watching processes or actions in front of them
-trying to grab objects they want
-passing items from hand to hand
-bringing objects to their mouth
-exploring objects in their mouth
Again keep talking to your baby.
Also, provide them with varying toys throughout the day. Keep their brain stimulated this way.
You could even give them household items to explore such as baby-safe measuring cups or even a plastic bowl. Just make sure everything is safe or watch them very closely.
Movement and Physical Development Milestones
Your baby should be starting to move. It may not be perfectly beautiful rolling or real crawling yet, but somehow you put them down in one spot and a few minutes later they wiggle themselves a foot in the other direction and have completely turned themselves around.
Some physical things to expect include:
-rolling in both directions
-able to sit without a support
-engages their legs when you hold them in a standing position
-pushes up, raising their chest, when on their belly
-learning to make various sounds with their mouth
-bringing their hand to mouth
-bringing an object to mouth
-switching object from one hand to another
-your baby may be experiencing teething at this time (one to two teeth)
Keep toys nearby and make sure to switch them out frequently. Place them on the ground beside them to encourage them to roll to get them.
Make them interesting with different textures, colors, and styles. Place a baby-safe mirror beside them so they can take a look at themselves and explore.
Give your baby lots of floor time. I don’t recommend using seats, even from the beginning. If you have been using seats a lot start getting away from them. Avoid the swing, bouncer, and bumboo seats. Give them the freedom to move on the ground. Plus if your baby is rolling those seats are going to start to become unsafe.
I cover this move in Instead of Buying a Baby Swing Give Your Baby the Freedom to Move. This article is all about avoiding placing your baby in seats.
Place your baby in a seated position on the ground. Try to let them do so unassisted. You may need to first keep a hand on them and work towards independence.
I actually didn’t realize my baby could do this. My husband gave it a shot and she was in fact ready to do this.
Food and Nutrition
I would first like to remind you I am not a nutritionist or doctor. This is simply general information from a mom and should not be taken as expert advice.
You may already be introducing solid foods or planning to do so soon.
Things to watch for and start doing include:
-baby showing interest when you are eating
-baby opens their mouth when food is present
-introduce single-ingredient foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and pears
If you haven’t done so yet you should consider introducing solids to your baby.
It is important to start with single-ingredient foods. This will help you identify any food allergies.
Do not immediately change your nursing routine. In the beginning, your baby is likely not getting all that much food down. A lot of it ends up on their face.
When you feed your baby solids watch for when they are done. Sometimes a baby will start spitting out the food or even keeping their lips locked closed. If they start turning away or showing a lack of interest it may be time to stop.
To read more about this check out Everything You Need to Know About Introducing Solid Food to Your Baby.
Sleep at 6 Months
Every family is on a unique sleep journey. Your baby may still get up twice a night, or you may have sleep trained them at 12 weeks.
Some general guidelines and things to expect include:
-sleeping through the night for about 11-13 hours
-dropping the third nap
-going down without needing to be rocked to sleep
-2.5 to 4 hours of nap time sleep
-2 to 3 hours of awake time between sleep times
-teething could be a sleep disruption
-rolling over in bed could be a sleep disruption
I always feel that sleep is very personal. The main thing is to encourage your baby to get enough sleep. An overtired baby is not a happy baby.
Sleep may be a bit bumpy due to rolling, teething, and potentially dropping the third nap.
Do your best to stay on your routine. This does not mean staying with the same times, but rather the same actions.
For example, bedtime may typically be 8 pm, but you decide to drop the third nap and realize moving bedtime up to 7:30 pm may be helpful. The time is not the routine, but rather make sure you are going through the same bedtime process of lotion, jammies, reading, and whatever else you may include.
Is Your Baby Falling Behind on Their Milestones?
All babies are different. They are likely not hitting exactly every milestone listed above. Some milestones you can encourage such as sitting up independently, however others like teeth coming in are out of your control.
These milestones are general guidelines.
A lot of them are about giving them a supportive environment to achieve them on their own. For example, I don’t often set my baby up or try to get them to roll. Instead, I give them lots of floor time to figure it out on their own.
Now if you are carrying your baby all day they are not being given the opportunity to learn new skills.
Provide them with the right environment and often they will get it on their own and in their own time.
Some things to look out for and discuss with your doctor include noticing your 6-month-old:
-doesn’t show affection towards parents or daily caregivers
-doesn’t respond to sounds near them
-doesn’t laugh
-can’t bring objects to their mouth
-doesn’t make any vowel sounds
-seems too floppy or too stiff
-can’t roll over at all
-has no interest in grabbing objects around them
Baby Proof Your Home
It is time to start getting your home safe and sound. Your baby will be on the move before you know it.
Pay attention to any cords or strings. Cover electrical outlets and lock up cabinets that house dangerous items.
If you have older children it may be time to put away toys that have small pieces.
You also need to start being more aware of where your baby is in the home. They are not going to be exactly where you left them. You can’t leave them on the bed or near the top of the stairs while you are completing a task.
Get ready to have a mobile baby on your hands before you know it!
Conclusion
All babies develop at their unique pace and time. Keep note of what they are doing, especially if you think they are falling behind. Bring up any concerns with your pediatrician.
Do not get overly stressed if a few of these milestones are still out of their reach.
Make sure you are providing them with the right environment to encourage them to keep moving forward developmentally.
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