What should a baby be able to do at 6 months?
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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What should a baby be able to do at 6 months? During the first few months of life, your child recovered at a rate of about 70-90 grams per month. A child of six months was supposed to gain at least twice the weight of that at birth. At six months, your baby’s growth will slow to 50 grams per month. Your child’s growth will also increase more slowly, by 1-2 cm each month. But mental and emotional development is gaining momentum.
Motor skills
To prepare for this, children try to support themselves with their hands, but over time they can begin to let go of their hands and sit without support.
Your 6-month-old baby may roll from back to belly and vice versa. Some children can move on the floor using this method. Or they can crawl forward or backward - slide on the stomach on the floor. You may even notice that your child goes up on all fours and tries to crawl back and forth.
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Baby's sleep at 6 months
Most babies have been sleeping for six to eight hours at six months. When children at this age have trouble falling asleep independently, some parents use a method developed by pediatrician Richard Ferber. The method of Ferber involves putting the baby in the crib while he is still awake. This method works well for many families, but you can experiment with different sleep methods before you find the one that works best for you.
Now that your baby can roll over on its own, do not worry if you put him to sleep on his back and he wakes up on his tummy. The risk of abnormal breathing in a dream is significantly lower at six months than it was in the first few months of life.
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Vision
When your child is 6 months old, you may notice that the color of your baby's eye has changed since his birth. A change in eye color can go through several stages before settling on the final color for about six months. If your child still has blue eyes, most likely they will remain so forever.
A child at 6 months is already well distinguished between his and others and learns close relatives. At the sight of mom and dad, he can happily smile and even laugh.
Nutrition
If you haven’t transferred your child to solid food yet, your pediatrician will most likely recommend you to do so at six months of your baby’s life. Start with iron-fortified cereals. Mix them with milk or milk mixture. As the child adapts to solid food, fruits and vegetables with their complex formula must be introduced gradually. Wait a few days each time you try to add something new to your baby’s diet to make sure your child is not allergic to this product.
If your child does not like the new food, wait a few days and then try again. Infants are impermanent creatures, and their taste may vary from day to day.
Add foods to your baby's diet one by one to be able to monitor any of his reactions, such as rashes, diarrhea, or vomiting. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is no evidence that the introduction of products such as eggs and fish after 4-6 months of age, increases the risk of developing food allergies.
Wait before giving your child honey at least until the age of 12 months, because it can cause allergies. Cow's milk also does not need to be given until the baby is at least 1 year old. This also applies to cow milk products, such as yogurt or soft cheese.
Communication of the child in 6 months with parents
A child at 6 months already often has an emotional reaction to your actions or just the appearance: a smile, laughter and babble like (“ma-ma”, “ba-ba”). To help your child learn a language, read to him stories and tales every night before bed.
Children at this age are already beginning to recognize people and things around. Your child has already begun to feel comfortable with his friends - mom, dad, grandparents, as well as his favorite toys. You can see the first signs of fear when your child sees new people or finds himself in new situations.
What a baby must be able to do at 6 months depends on its individual characteristics. Do not worry if your baby has something wrong. At this age, development is very fast, and very soon he will surprise you with his new skills.