At 6 months, the baby becomes more active and seeks to learn about the world around him. It is necessary to help him develop skills, then the child will master all the necessary skills that will be useful to him in the future.
The baby is lying on its stomach
Baby skills at 6 months
The child acquires more and more abilities at 6 months. What a child should be able to do excites young mothers, even if this is not the first baby.
A six month old baby does a lot on his own. He can even sleep soundly without waking up all night. Poor sleep can be the cause of growing teeth. It is at 6 months that this event occurs for the first time in the life of babies. At this age, children hold their heads perfectly and begin to roll over on their stomachs without the help of their parents. This is a badly needed skill. It is from this position that a small child will crawl, will try to get up, first on all fours, then on his feet.
Additional Information. Some children crawl only on their bellies, others skip this stage in development and immediately begin to walk. It is believed that if a baby can get on all fours, it means that he is developing harmoniously and correctly. If the child does not master this skill by 8-9 months, then you need to consult with a therapist, a neurologist.
At 6 months, babies turn on their side in both directions, learn to roll over on their stomach. It is necessary to control so that the child turns out to turn right and left. If there are problems with turning to one side, help the baby, put toys in this direction, complete the movement together. The baby can move forward or backward without lifting the abdomen off the floor. Spins in place, turning in different directions. With the support of parents, she stands on her feet for a short time. When she sees close people, she pulls her hands to them, asking for attention and close contact.
At this age, children receive complementary foods, so parents begin to spoon feed them. Babies should master this skill in the same way as drinking from a sippy cup or mug.
Child eating from a spoon
Development of boys at 6 months
One of the main indicators of the development of a baby is height and weight. They are assessed every month when they visit the pediatrician. According to the WHO, boys should weigh between 6.4 and 9.8 kilograms. Height is 63.3-71.9 centimeters. The main thing is that these indicators are in harmony with each other. That is, if the baby has a lot of weight, then he can be normal with high growth. From birth, a child gains about three kilograms and grows by 15 centimeters. For children under one year old, it is normal to look plump and well-fed.
Boys usually develop more slowly than girls. When a boy turns 6 months old, he turns over in both directions and lies on his stomach himself. If the child has not yet mastered this skill, you need to help him. Boys usually do not know how to sit and crawl by six months. After consulting a pediatrician, you can stimulate the baby to take active steps in this direction.
Important! You can sit down if the skeletal system is formed and there will be no excessive pressure on the spine. The pediatrician will help to understand this. Often no stimulation is needed in this skill; later the child will learn to sit on his own. If the pediatrician sees developmental abnormalities, he will refer you to massage. After a course, which usually lasts 10 days, the child will learn new movements. Boys also begin to crawl later. Some move independently on their stomachs, but usually begin to use this skill at the age of 7-8 months.
Girls development at 6 months
Six-month-old girls weigh 5.7-9.3 kilograms, with an increase of 61.2-70.3 centimeters. Pediatricians always pay attention if there is a deviation from the WHO data.
Girls usually learn new skills earlier than boys. They begin to sit down already at the sixth month. When a girl turns 6 months old, she usually knows how to sit and begins to crawl. Almost everyone gets on all fours, moves in this position. It means that they will soon begin to crawl. If the girl is not sitting, then you do not need to sit her down. It is believed that the later the girl begins to do this, the better. Early planting affects the structure of the uterus. But this has not been proven, therefore, if the baby sat down on her own, there is no need to disturb her, there is nothing wrong with that. She and her body are ready for such a step.
Baby sitting
Skills of a six month old baby
There are some criteria for assessing the development of an infant. Not all children learn certain skills at the same time. Every child is different. If the lack of skills is alarming, it is better to contact a pediatrician to control the situation. Children under one year old are easy to learn, at this age a lot can be corrected and adjusted. Therefore, there is no need to wait until the last, it is better to play it safe. Pay attention not only to the physical development of the baby, but also to the neuropsychic, emotional, speech, hearing and vision.
Physical development of a six month old baby
At the age of 6 months, the baby sits with the help of parents or on its own, turns over from back to side, stomach and back. If the child is given a hand and a finger, he will be able to rise from a prone position. Parents do not have to put in effort, the baby will cope with this exercise himself. Tries to crawl, can move in a bell-like manner.
By this age, the tone in the muscles of the legs and arms, which was previously considered the norm, disappears. If this does not happen, you need to undergo a massage course. The movements become smooth and measured, the child takes the necessary toy, transfers it from one hand to another with a precise movement. Holds his head well and turns in the direction he needs. Can stand by holding hands. With the support of the armpits, it pushes off the floor, can jump. The most active stand on their own feet using the support.
Neuropsychic development
A six-month-old infant reacts to the tone of the people who interact with him. With a gentle and calm conversation, he smiles, frowns, if they shout at him, they swear. Can get angry, tense, if something cannot be reached, done. That is, the child actively expresses joy, dislike, and discontent. Screams or laughs, depending on the situation.
A kid at this age makes sounds, the child's speech is called babbling. He needs to become more meaningful. The kid speaks louder or softer, he can switch to a whisper. Pronounces sounds quickly and slowly. Parents can distinguish between what the child wants: to eat, sleep, or to be picked up.
Baby laughs
Psycho-emotional development at 6 months
When a child is six months old, he recognizes close people, is frightened by strangers. Can turn away from them, pull hands to parents and even cry. The child has a favorite toy, to which he is accustomed, looking for it, demanding it. Can find with a glance the object of which they are talking, indicate it, understands the meaning of speech.
Begins to realize that he can affect objects, for example, that the toy will fall if he throws it, or will ring if he shakes it. The kid follows the parents' emotions, duplicates them, they are reflected in his behavior and on his face. Can frown, be sad, smile broadly. Understands the connection between his behavior and the reaction of his parents. For example, that crying leads to the fact that the mother appears and soothes.
Baby's vision, hearing and speech
The kid is interested in the sounds that make objects, toys, rattles. He shakes them, turns them over, examines them, tastes them. Children love to knock on objects, beat them against each other. A 6 month old baby pays attention to sounds that are heard around. Determines the direction from where they spread. Perceives the quietest, whispers or rustling.
The babbling of children is improving. In addition to reproducing vowels, simple syllables can be repeated. Komarovsky means that at the age of 6 months, a child must imitate the sounds of animals, cats, dogs, cows.
Games with a six month old baby
At this age, tactile sensations are important for a child. You can suggest touching different textures and surfaces. So, for example, smooth, rough, slippery. There are books that have different tactile elements on their pages. They recreate the earth's surface, mountains, sea or emit various animals, wool, skin. You can make these toys yourself. Lids from cans with baby food will come in handy. Stick various cereals and other small objects inside, the main thing is that they differ from each other.
Tactile toys
You can use balls of different sizes and made from excellent materials, spiky, soft, fluffy, plastic. At six months, the child will be interested in sorting them out, a variety of tactile sensations contribute to the development of speech skills. You can give the baby hot and cold water to touch, so that he understands the difference. The main thing is that the temperature does not exceed 50 degrees - the baby's skin may suffer. Or offer to touch a piece of ice. Explain what it is and watch the child's reaction. Childhood allows you to use the surrounding objects, many of them will surprise and delight the baby.
Note! The six-month-old continues to taste everything. There is no need to prohibit it - this is one of the ways for him to get to know the world around him, hence, development. It is necessary to monitor the quality and safety of toys, check whether everything can be chewed without a threat to life and health.
It is necessary to acquaint the baby with new shapes and colors. Show different toys or objects. It is better to use bright colors, objects are large, to attract the child's attention. Explain the name of any children's toy where the item is used. Give everything to touch. This is important for babies.
A simple game can be used to make the baby recognize the variety of sounds. You need to take plastic bottles and fill them with water of different volumes. Then knock on them, each will make its own sound. Letting the kid try to play is fun and educational.
It is important to constantly talk with the baby, to pronounce all your actions. This should be done slowly and clearly so that you have time to react. A six-month-old child should see how the lips move when pronouncing sounds. This prompts him to try to reproduce what he heard. Therefore, you can sing vowel sounds, simple syllables, to encourage the baby to repeat them. Rhythmic words and sounds are well remembered by children and are easy to pronounce.
Problems in the development of the child
In some cases, it is better to consult a pediatrician. If necessary, he will refer you to another specialist, usually a neurologist, or he will recommend a course of strengthening massage.
Baby massage
Pediatrician consultation is needed if:
- The baby does not push off the floor when the parents hold him under the armpits;
- Holds his head uncertainly. You can check this by lifting the baby by the arms if he is lying on his back. Then tilt it back and forth, keeping your head straight. At 6 months. the child can hold her to the breast;
- Cannot transfer an object from one hand to another. It is important that at the same time the baby does not use anything else, for example, does not put an object on the floor, in order to then take it with the other hand. The transfer must take place immediately;
- Does not react to the appearance of parents, does not smile, does not pull hands;
- Does not make sounds, does not gurgle;
- Does not change the intonation of the voice, does not pronounce some sounds louder, others quieter;
- Doesn't track moving objects. You can move the toy in front of the child's eyes, from right to left, or drop it in front of his eyes so that it disappears from the field of vision. The child should watch her and bend over to the side where she disappeared;
- Does not perceive sounds occurring nearby, does not turn his head, does not get scared.
There is no definite answer to the question of what a child should be able to do at 6 months. Each baby develops differently, some faster, some slower. There are factors indicating deviations that you need to know. By the age of 6 months, almost everything can be cured and corrected. Therefore, if the child is not acquiring skills, it is better to see a doctor.
