As your baby hits their 6-month-old baby development milestones, there is, indeed, much to celebrate! They are now at the halfway point to their first birthday.
How Your Baby Is Growing
By six months, most babies will have doubled their birth weight! Boys will usually weigh around 13 to 23 pounds, and measure 24 to 29 inches. Meanwhile, girls maybe a pound lighter and an inch shorter.
It may seem like the growth rate has slowed down a bit, but that will change very soon as month 6 is often the time that most babies get introduced to solid food.
6-Month-Old Baby Development Milestones
As babies become increasingly aware of controlling their bodies, six-month olds will be more physically active. As one of the 6-month-old baby development milestones, your baby by now will be better able to support their weight so they can roll over onto their back or stomach, and sit up even without support. Some babies may even start crawling, or rock back and forth while on all fours. A lot of babies also enjoy standing while being supported, and they may bounce up and down. This bouncing motion helps to strengthen the leg muscles in preparation for walking.
Motor skills
Fine motor skills will start improving as well, as babies begin to lose the grasp reflex they had as infants and become more conscious about the world. They will reach for objects that are out of reach and grasp the ones nearby. They may also learn how to pass objects from one hand to the other.
Vision
This newfound interest in touching and holding objects also ties in with eyesight development and better recognition of their environment. Their vision reaches 20/60 to 20/40, so babies will look around more, follow the movement, and attempt to copy the actions they see. They also start to recognize familiar faces and learn to distinguish people. They may either respond with fear and crying when faced with strangers.
Baby Talk
One of the more exciting 6-month-old baby development milestones that your baby will hit is their increased awareness and want to communicate. Their increased cognition includes being able to locate and recognize sounds and responding to them with vocalizations. Baby babbling usually involves monosyllabic vowel sounds (“ah” and “eh”) as well as consonant sounds (“m” or “b”). They may also have specific sounds to express emotions like happiness.
Feeding & Nutrition
Breast milk and formula are still the main sources for nutrition, so you may continue to follow the same nursing schedule and food intake. You can slowly start to introduce solid foods to your baby, but remember that they are still adjusting and can take only a few spoonfuls at a time.
Before introducing solid foods, first, check the physical indicators. Your baby is ready if they can keep their head steady, sit upright with support, and swallow.
Babies may initially reject the new food or dribble it out. Continue to give the same food a few more times before moving on to a new one. This helps to familiarize taste buds, as well as easily identify allergens in case of a bad reaction.
Food Allergy
The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages introducing commonly allergenic foods like nuts (made into a soft butter) to help prevent the development of food allergies. If your family has a strong history of food allergies, consult your pediatrician to check if your child is at high risk for allergies.
Offer pureed or mashed foods that are easy to swallow. Make sure to remove any seeds and other possible choking hazards. Babies often like sweet food, but avoid giving them anything with added sugar or salt. Giving fruit juice and cow’s milk is also discouraged until the baby reaches their first year.
