It’s the month of your little one’s half-birthday! So, naturally, it is a time when they achieve many baby milestones. Your baby’s personality is growing just as fast as its body, if not faster. Prepare to know more about who your child is with every second you spend with them – and prepare to babyproof your house, because very soon, you will have a zooming baby on your hands!

If you are wondering what baby milestones you ought to look out for this month, this article sheds some light on that very topic, along with some tips on how you can encourage their growth, and when you need to be worried if they are not achieving certain milestones.

Important Development Milestones For 6 Months Old Babies

Your bundle of joy will be developing by leaps and bounds by the sixth month – it seems like every other day is a new discovery! But how can you make sure your baby is on the right track with regard to their growth and development? Here are some of the most important baby milestones to look out for this month:

• One of the major milestones your baby is likely to experience this month is the ability to sit up without support. By the fifth month, the baby would probably have learned to sit without support. By the midpoint of the sixth month, most babies are able to sit unsupported, though it may take some practice before they are fully adept at it¹
• At around this time, the little one might begin growing their first tooth, or even their first couple of teeth. Most babies begin teething at around the 6-month mark. Some signs that your baby is teething include gnawing/chewing on things constantly, sore or red gums, and excess drooling or dribbling²
• This is around the time when your baby’s recognition abilities increase considerably. They know who is familiar and who is a stranger. They may reach out to you, perceiving you as someone they know and are comfortable with. They can differentiate between the different people in their life. They may also be incredibly uncomfortable with being left with strangers. This is called Stranger Anxiety³
• Your baby’s depth perception and vision will have developed greatly. They will now be able to see as much as several feet away, as opposed to the few inches at birth. They will also no longer get cross-eyed when focusing on objects. They will begin to be able to recognize different colors and different shades of the same color⁴

Related Reading: Why Do Some Babies Crawl Backward?

Development Milestones For 6 Months Baby

The baby’s sixth month also marks a few developmentsthat provide the foundation for other, later baby milestones. Here are a few of them, each significant in and of itself:

• By the sixth month, your baby will probably have developed a healthy curiosity about the world around them. They want to know more about their surroundings, their toys, their clothes, the food they eat, the people around them, and a lot more. They reach for the things around them and try to get to the ones that are out of reach. They may then study the object by passing it between their hands and putting it in their mouth⁵
• In a similar vein to the last point, babies this age love looking in the mirror! Although they may not realize that the person in the mirror is a reflection of themselves, they will still giggle and smile at their own reflection. They will probably only fully recognize their reflection as an image of themselves around the age of 15-36 months⁶
• At around this age, your baby may be able to blow raspberries – that is, sticking their tongue out and blowing. This, accompanied by behaviors like drooling, babbling, and cooing, are signs of language development. The baby is learning to make sounds with their mouth and lips⁷
• Babies usually start learning to crawl between the ages of 6-10 months. However, the basis for that skill is established at around 6 months. At six months, your little one will at least be able to get on their hands and knees and rock back and forth. This motion lays the groundwork for them later learn to crawl. So this is a good time to ensure that your home is baby-proof and all hazardous items are kept safely out of reach

Related Reading: Tummy Time Milestones By Month

Feeding Milestones

In terms of feeding baby milestones, there is a lot to look forward to this month:

• This is the perfect time to introduce babies to nutritious solid foods. They still require breastmilk or formula as their main diet. However, you can begin introducing them to different solids (soft, pureed) by feeding them 1-2 tablespoons a day at first and working up to 3-9 tablespoons a day. Don’t be discouraged if the baby shows disinterest or dislike at first – simply try again later
• There are not many restrictions on the food items you can feed your child, as long as they are soft or pureed to avoid a choking hazard. It is recommended you try a new food item every 3-5 days to identify allergies, if any. However, you should refrain from feeding the baby honey or cow’s milk for the first year
• At around this time, the baby may close their lips or turn away to indicate they do not want the food or are not hungry.

Related Reading: Common Skin Problems In Infants In the First Year Of Life

Sleep Milestones For 6 Months Old Baby

Sleep is an area in which your baby will develop rapidly, especially around this time. Here are a few baby milestones related to sleep:

• Gone are the sleepless nights for both you and your baby (for the most part, at least). By this point, your baby will be able to sleep through the night – about 11 hours – giving you some well-deserved shut-eye
• They will also reduce the number of naps they take from three to two around this time. In total, they should receive around 3-4 hours of sleep during the day. This figure is by no means absolute. Some babies require less sleep and some require more
• However, though their sleep schedules should improve, you may notice your little one still wakes up at random points during the night. There could be many reasons for this. Perhaps it is because they are teething, or maybe it is because they have separation anxiety. They could even wake up simply because they want to practice some new skill you are learning.

Related Reading: When Can A Baby Sleep With A Pillow?

Speech Milestones

While your baby may not be speaking in full sentences, they are still able to communicate with you by the sixth month. Here are some baby milestones regarding speech and language development:

• By this age, the baby should be capable of recognizing their own name and responding to it⁸
• By now being an expert in babbling and making vowel and consonant sounds, the baby will be able to use them to communicate their feelings. They may make sounds to signify likes and dislikes, wants, and to differentiate between emotions, i.e. make different sounds to exhibit different feelings
• Some babies may even say rudimentary words, like “mama”, “dada” or “no”. However, you will probably have to wait for the first words until they are closer to their first birthday.
• In the meantime, your baby may show their willingness to have conversations with a wide range of sounds and gestures. They may also try to imitate the words you say. This is an important part of language development

Related Reading: 8 Ways To Encourage A Toddler To Talk

Physical Milestones

Babies at the age of 6 months will also show much development in terms of physical baby milestones. These are usually a precursor to some of the bigger, more noticeable ones, such as being able to crawl.

• By the sixth month, the baby will have more than doubled their weight at birth and grown a significant amount lengthwise. At this point, their growth rate starts to slow down, though it by no means stops. The baby may not be growing as fast as it did for the first six months of its life, but it will still grow fast
• By this point, the baby will be adept at rolling over in both directions – tummy to back, and back to tummy
• As mentioned above, one of the most important milestones is that they will be able to sit without support
• Additionally, the baby will also be able to get on their hands and knees. They will then start practicing a rocking motion, which will later allow them to discover that they can use the motion to crawl
• When the baby is held vertically to some surface (the floor, a table, the bed), they will be able to push down on it with their feet. That is, though they are not ready to take their first steps just yet, their legs will be able to bear some weight
• When lying on their tummy, the baby will be able to push themselves up with their arms⁹

How To Keep A 6 Month Old Baby Busy

As your baby grows, it becomes ever more important to ensure they are fully engaged in ways that most benefit their development. However, it can still be tiresome to figure out what to do with a 6-month-old baby all day, and you need to keep things exciting so that neither of you gets bored. So here are a few 6-month baby activities:

• Some of the most fun things to do with a 6-month-old inside are activities designed to enhance your baby’s development. Buy them a few roly-poly toys, as well as balls, cars, and trains that move and light up or make music. These encourage the baby to crawl. Colorfully illustrated board books and stacking games also aid in their cognitive development
• If you are looking for things to do with a 6-month-old outside, you don’t even need to buy expensive toys or play elaborate games. Simply taking them for a walk and pointing out all the different sights and things in your surroundings to your baby will be interesting to them. Point out the different vehicles, flowers, and animals you see along the way and sound out their names to the little on
• A brilliant way to get the baby active (and even squeeze in a quick workout for yourself) is to simply put on some music and dance with your baby! Just make sure not to put the volume too loud and not shake the baby
• Holding conversations with your little one is very important for the development of their language and social skills. So talk to your baby! When you are playing with them, describe the activity to them. When you eat, explain the food items and their tastes. They may even babble back to you!

Related Reading: 12 Home Remedies To Ease Your Baby’s Vaccination Pain

When To See A Doctor(Brief)

Every baby is different. Some may reach baby milestones faster than other kids, whereas others may take a little more time. This is largely something you need not worry about. However, there are some signs that your baby is not developing as they should, and this should be reported to their doctor in order to find out the cause¹⁰

• The baby is not able to roll over in both directions
• The baby does not make vowel sounds, babble, or respond to nearby sounds and other stimuli
• The baby shows no affection or familiarity with close family, parents, or caregivers
• The baby shows a hand preference. Although they will eventually develop a preference for a hand, it is not supposed to happen until much later¹¹
• It is difficult for the baby to get things into their mouth
• The baby does not try to reach for things that are nearby

Conclusion

The sixth month of your child’s life is a significant one. It has been half a year since they were born and they have grown and developed significantly. This is a month where many baby milestones are reached, as well as a time when the groundwork for many future developments is laid.

For the most part, a little difference in the timeline here and there is no big deal. However, if the baby is displaying signs of some developmental delay or other cause for concern, ensure you share the details with the pediatrician. With such young babies, it is always better to be safe than sorry.