At six months, the baby has the first "round" date - already six months behind. The little one can celebrate his little anniversary sitting at the table in a highchair. If a child at 6 months does not sit or crawl, then what to do? Maybe it's too early for him?
Baby development at 6 months
Physical development at 6 months
A six month old baby is very different from a newborn. What a long way in his development he went, how many skills he acquired! Now he is not a helpless baby who only lies and looks at his parents. He now knows how to do a lot himself.
Motor skills at 6 months:
- sits independently, without support;
- rolls over from belly to back;
- moves, rearranging the arms, tries to crawl, sometimes even get up;
- takes toys in both hands and plays with them independently, examines them.
An active baby can no longer be left alone unattended. If earlier, at 4-5 months, you could still put it in the middle of the bed and walk away for a couple of minutes, now you need an eye and an eye for the little one - he is improving his motor skills rapidly. Today he still could not budge, and tomorrow he crawled to the edge of the bed and nearly fell.
Attempts to crawl most often begin with sliding on the floor on the stomach towards the back, the child pushes off the floor with his hands and pushes back as far as his hands can.
The fingers are becoming more and more obedient, it is already possible to pick up cubes, transfer them from one hand to another.
Neuropsychological indicators of a child at 6 months:
- carefully examines the surrounding objects and people;
- turns to sound, voice;
- reacts to his name;
- learns to eat from a spoon, removes food with his lips;
- begins to speak: babbles, pronounces individual syllables.
Now, if a stranger, a stranger, takes the baby in his arms, most often the baby expresses his discontent quite unequivocally - he begins to whimper and ask back to his mother for the arms. It is at this age that the baby requires close attention to himself and tries not to let go of his parents.
Often the first baby teeth appear at this time, which means it's time to introduce complementary foods. You should start with microscopic portions - one sixth of a teaspoon of fruit puree or milk porridge. When teething, all toys are drawn into the mouth, so it is best to remove all soft, fragile toys from the baby's reach. Leave rubberized, durable, which is impossible to bite through.
Why doesn't the child sit at six months
Despite the fact that the norms of the physical development of children at six months state that a child at this age should sit without support, not all children can do this. Pediatricians believe that the child does not owe anything, everything has its time. If a child does not sit at six months, then his time has not come yet. There are so calm, phlegmatic children who, by their temperament, are in no hurry.
Sometimes the reason lies in the overweight of the baby, due to which he simply cannot sit down. Most often, inability to sit is associated with sluggish muscles when the child is not physically developed enough. In such a situation, it is necessary to consult an orthopedist and neurologist for advice. After assessing the degree of lag, doctors will be able to prescribe strengthening procedures: a course of massage and physiotherapy.
Strengthening exercises
Assisted crawling
Babies begin to crawl in their own way. Some pull up on the arms and crawl forward on their stomachs, others push off with their hands and crawl back. All this can be called "crawling", the initial stage. Children try to carry out such movements at 4-5 months, lying on their stomachs. Later, as the muscles of the back and arms strengthen, the abdomen is lifted off the floor, the weight is transferred to the arms, and an exciting journey begins on all fours.
The importance of crawling in development:
- independent movement of the baby and training of the muscles of the back, arms, press, neck;
- correct posture is formed, therefore crawling is an important stage in physical development on the way to independent walking;
- the activity and cognitive ability of the child is significantly increased;
- harmonious development of the brain, the left and right hemispheres work together for proper coordination.
It is from the sixth month that the period of "crawling" begins - attempts to get on all fours, reach for the desired toy, crawl to the side or back.
Important! Crawling is more important than sitting. Sitting, the child gets tired quickly and cannot change the position of the body on his own.
It is necessary to develop and strengthen muscles gradually, starting from birth. In the period of 1-2 months, the baby should learn to keep his head well, if this has not happened, it is necessary to contact a neurologist for help. At the age of 3 months, regularly engage in strengthening gymnastics that trains the muscles of the back and neck, exercises on a ball - fitball have proven themselves very well. At 4 months, the grip skill is trained - to offer toys, foam dumbbells and any other objects that a child's pen can easily grasp. At 5 months, you need to learn to roll over on your side and spin around yourself. Usually they take a child lying on their back by one handle and help him roll over, slightly sipping to the side.
To answer the question why a child does not crawl at 6 months, it is necessary to correctly assess his physical readiness for this. If the baby does not have a developmental lag, he needs to be stimulated to crawl. Put your favorite toy at a short distance from him, let him try to reach it. To help, you can create support for his feet with your hands, so it will be easier for him to push off. A very good way is based on imitation: lie down next to the baby on the floor and show how to crawl correctly. If the child does not crawl at 6 months, you can invite guests to the house with a small child who already knows how to crawl. The kid will be shown a crawling master class.
How to help crawl
How to teach a child to sit
You cannot force to sit. If the baby is unable to sit on his own, then the muscles have not yet grown stronger. Forced loading will only harm and ensure future spinal problems. If the baby sat down on his own before reaching six months, then he is ready, and it will not harm him. The time of his sitting will have to be limited - it is allowed up to 1 hour a day.
If a boy and a girl at 6 months do not sit by themselves, it is absolutely impossible:
- sit in soft pillows;
- move around in a sitting stroller;
- to be worn in carriers and slings in a sitting position;
- sit on your hands (allowed only in the reclining position on your knees).
Boys and girls can be taught to sit at the same age, the information that girls' internal female organs are formed incorrectly due to early planting is a myth.
A healthy child will independently learn to sit and stand, parents need only help him a little in this, says pediatrician E. Komarovsky.
Exercise is very helpful, which you can do yourself at home, you don't need to go anywhere on purpose:
- The baby lies on a flat surface on his back. Mom holds out her index fingers, and he tries to sit down to catch them. In this position, he should stay for 5-7 seconds, then lie down on his back again. Repeat up to 10 times in one session.
- The child lies on his stomach. It is necessary to lift the child, hold it with one hand under the breast, with the other under the legs. His legs should rest on his mother's chest, buttocks and back are tense. Stay in this position for 5 seconds.
How to properly teach a child to sit down
Neurologist's advice
At a routine examination by a neurologist at six months, the doctor will assess the physical skills of the baby. In fact, examinations of a neurologist must be carried out regularly: at 1 month, at 3, then at six months. An experienced specialist examines the infant at each appointment for possible abnormalities that could lead to impaired sitting and crawling skills.
You should pay close attention if:
- by the age of 3 months, the child cannot hold his head for 1 minute;
- by the age of 5 months, he cannot lift the body, leaning on the forearm, poorly turns from the abdomen to the back;
- at 5 months, poorly holding his head if raised by the hands from a position lying on his back;
- grasping skills are absent at 5 months.
If there is a slight deviation from the norm, the lag is no more than 2 weeks, then you should not worry. These are, most likely, individual characteristics of development. In case of a regular "lag" from the conventional norm, a thorough examination should be carried out. At the same time, the mother should draw the doctor's attention to the course of pregnancy and the process of childbirth itself, whether a KS was performed, or the birth was natural, the presence of birth injuries, prematurity, etc.
In any case, parents should have information about the sequence in which their child's development should take place. You should carefully observe the baby, do not miss alarming symptoms, such as one-sided manipulations - movements with only one arm or leg, while the other is pressed to the body and moves slightly. Or the child does not like to lie on his stomach, which is accompanied by prolonged crying.
Important! To avoid bad consequences, you should come to the examinations on time.
Regular exercises at home with a ball, evening swims in a large bath (you can add sea salt or pine extract there) will have a beneficial effect on the muscles of the baby and help him learn all the necessary skills. Walkers and other devices for the "development" of the baby is better not even to acquire. Why create a significant vertical load, which, due to the child's own weight, negatively affects the muscles and ligaments, incorrectly forms the foot?
Free movement is the best workout
The best way to train your baby is to give him more space to move, not to keep him in a crib or playpen: lay a blanket on the floor and let him loose.
