Baby development at 6 months

A six-month-old baby is very different from a newborn baby, both physically and emotionally. What did the toddler learn by the age of 6 months, what skills does it make happy parents every day, and how can adults stimulate the development of a baby at this age?

Physiological changes

By the age of 6 months, the muscles of the back and shoulders have already strengthened so much that the baby can sit without any outside support. Sitting, the baby keeps balance and freely controls his hands. Muscle development is also important to start crawling.
The child rolls freely in any direction and is very mobile, which requires increased attention from adults.
The vision of 6-month-old children is fully developed and functions like that of an adult. The child easily follows objects that move, as well as the looks of other people.
Many children at this age have their first teeth erupted. They appear on the lower jaw. In this regard, the secretion of saliva in a six-month-old child increases.

Physical development

For the sixth month of life, the toddler gains about 650 grams, and the growth of the baby becomes another 2 centimeters larger. By this age, the weight of the crumbs becomes twice the indicator, which was determined immediately after the birth of the baby. For the sixth month, the rib cage increases by 1-1.5 centimeters, and the head circumference by 0.5-1 centimeters.

Each child develops at its own pace, however, in order to understand whether the baby is growing normally, the boundaries of the norm were determined, as well as the average indicators of the physical development of children of a certain age. Knowing about them, parents can identify if there are any problems with the growth of the baby and if the child needs additional advice from a pediatrician. We presented the main indicators for 6-month-old children in the table:

You can use the calculator to calculate norms for your child... The calculator is based on the standards for height and weight from the World Health Organization (WHO).

What can the kid do?

A six-month-old baby has already learned to sit without support. However, many children of this age are not yet able to sit on their own. In the kitchen, the baby can already sit in a special chair, watching her mother prepare dinner.

Another very useful skill of a six-month-old baby is crawling. Some babies actively move on their bellies on their tummy, helping themselves with their feet, while others get on all fours.

Equally important skills of a 6 month old baby:

The baby also begins to stand up, grabbing onto some solid support with his hands. If an adult takes the baby by both hands and pulls it towards him a little, he will see how the baby will stand on straight legs. Moreover, holding the little one by the chest, you can see how the baby begins to step over his legs.
The child controls his hands perfectly. If the baby is interested in any object, the baby will reach out with his hands to him. The child will easily pick up the toy that has fallen out of the hand. Having held the object in one hand, the little one can deftly shift it into the other handle.
The child can already link his actions and the result, for example, if you pull the hand, the toy with the bell will ring, and if you throw it out of the crib, it will fall to the floor.
The crumb is still studying objects, trying to "gut". This is an absolutely normal way for half-year-olds to learn about the world, which should not be perceived as a bad habit.
The child already knows his name perfectly and responds with a smile and animation. The kid listens carefully to the speech of an adult. If you tell him about any familiar large object, the baby will immediately find him with his eyes.
The speech of a 6 month old baby changes. The crumb connects sounds into syllables, but so far they do not carry any semantic meaning. The number of syllables spoken is increasing every day. Such speech is called babble.
Toddler 6 months old refers to strangers with caution and very wary. At the same time, six-month-old babies are more supportive of other children. They observe them and often copy their actions. With loved ones, the baby can show tenderness, for example, snuggle up to his mother.
Six-month-olds can already peel food off a spoon with their lips.

How to assess the development of a baby at 6 months, see the video tips for moms on the Supermoms channel.

Don't worry if your 6-month-old hasn't yet learned to babble, sit unsupported, reach for an object, stand up, distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people, or eat solid food - all of these skills may come a little later.

But there are skills, the lack of which in the baby should alert. These include:

Flips from the abdomen to the back and back.
Raising the upper body while lying on the tummy.
Ability to sit with support.
Turn your head to view the world around you.
Humming.
Learning toys with hands (baby knocks, shakes, feels).
Study of different objects with the mouth.

About what a baby should be able to do at 6 months, see the video by Larisa Sviridova.

Development activities

Allow your baby to spend a lot of time on the floor. Place various toys around the crumbs so that the baby wants to crawl up to them.
When the child is sitting on the floor, sit opposite and roll the ball from you to the baby and back.
To develop coordination, dad can roll the baby on his shoulders, and mom can sit the baby on her leg and swing slowly and then quickly.
Purchase small boxes to store your baby's toys. The baby will enthusiastically delve into them, sorting out toys.
Massage the fingers of the crumbs daily for 2-3 minutes. Stretch each finger in turn, and also sip it lightly.
Let your child play with different sized molds or boxes. The baby will also like toys in which the figures can move in a spiral, tweeters, nesting dolls.
Offer a third child holding two toys. At first, the baby will want to grab it, not letting go of the existing toys, but then he will understand that one of the toys will have to be put.
Make several bags for the baby, in which there will be different fillers - buttons, beans, millet, smooth stones and others.
For the best development of the baby's speech, constantly communicate with the baby when he makes sounds. Respond to your baby by repeating his babbling, and also voice all your actions. At the same time, say "mom" about yourself so that the baby begins to correlate this word with you ("now mom will give you a bell"). In the same way, teach your baby to connect the word "dad" with the father.
Show your baby books with colorful pictures. At the same time, talk about what is drawn in them. It's great if such books contain short rhymes with repeated phrases.
Walking with your baby in the park, show your baby leaves, trees, grass. If you go with a 6-month-old baby to the store, do not miss the opportunity to show your baby fruits, vegetables, dishes and many other items, voicing their names.
Tie a balloon to the stroller and watch the baby pull on the string.
The baby is still interested in such games as "cuckoo", "sweetheart" and "magpie-crow".
Diversify your baby's bathing experience by using different toys. Let boats, plastic dishes, rubber toys float next to the bathing baby.
Invite families with children to visit so that the baby learns to communicate with another child.

Play with your child the games shown in the TV show "Mom's School" on the TSV channel.

Care

Daily procedures for caring for a baby of six months continue to be:

Hygiene procedures - washing, washing, cutting nails, combing, cleaning the ears and nose. To them is added tooth brushing, even if the first tooth has not yet appeared. The crumbs are advised to clean the oral cavity with a special rubber brush.
Hardening procedures. At the age of 6 months, this is air and sun bathing, walking on a wet towel, and rubbing off.
Bathing. The bath will not only help your baby relax before bedtime, but will also bring a lot of positive emotions.
Massage and gymnastics. Stroking, rubbing, passive and active exercises help the baby's body to become stronger.

Don't forget about the safety of a six month old baby. The kid can turn over at any time, so it is unacceptable to leave him on the dais unattended. A child who has begun to crawl is able to reach detergents, sockets and other dangerous things.

You can get acquainted with the technique of restorative massage by watching the video of Nikolai Nikonov, a leading doctor and massage therapist in Russia.

Daily regime

Having a daily routine is very important for the development of the child's nervous system. A baby at the age of six months needs about 15-16 hours of sleep per day. For about 9-10 hours, the child sleeps at night, and the rest of the time is divided into 3 daytime naps, the duration of which is up to 1.5-2 hours. Try to put the baby at the same time every day, and you should not wake up a 6-month-old baby in the morning.

Walks at 6 months of age still run twice a day, subject to weather conditions. Long walks are possible in good weather, and if there is a strong wind outside, a downpour or the air temperature dropped below -10, you should refrain from walking. During walks, the baby now not only sleeps, but also explores the world around him with interest.

Breastfeeding at six months of age changes slightly. Sucking at night shifts to the last hours before waking up. At the same time, in the first half of the day, the crumb is applied to the chest less often, and in the afternoon, the application becomes more frequent.

A six-month-old child, who previously received only breast milk, begins to introduce complementary foods, choosing vegetables in the form of mashed potatoes or porridge for him. The next type of food for a 6-month-old baby will be fruit. A new dish is offered in small portions in the morning, observing the state and reaction of the baby's body.

Bottle-fed children eat 5 times a day. The total amount of food for a baby 6 months old is calculated by dividing the weight of the baby by 8. On average, a child of this age eats 1000-1100 ml of food per day. This volume is divided by the number of feedings, so the approximate portion of food for one meal of a six-month-old baby will be 200-220 ml. The complementary food menu for artificial children includes vegetables, cereals, fruits, butter and vegetable oil.

Typical day

Days with six month old babies are interesting and entertaining. And although the regime for each of the six-month-old toddlers is individual and depends on the biological rhythms of the baby, we offer an approximate version of the daily regime for a 6-month-old baby:

Do not forget that the baby first of all needs the love and support of the parents.

Frequent problems

Discomfort from erupting teeth. In babies, the gums swell and itch, which interferes with the baby and makes the baby's behavior capricious. In some toddlers, the appearance of teeth is accompanied by fever, loose stools and other negative symptoms.
Frequent waking up at night. A better night's sleep will be helped by bathing before bedding and feeding after bed. Also make sure that there is at least 4 hours between the third day of sleep and falling asleep at night.
Injuries. A six-month-old baby is very active, so it is important for parents to prevent any risks of injury, which are enough at this age. The crumb can roll over on the bed and fall off it, not hold onto the furniture when it gets up, crawl and bury itself in the sharp edge of furniture or the handle of a dresser. It is also important not to forget about the risk of pinching your fingers when opening drawers of cabinets, taste detergents, get into the trash can, choke on small parts of the toy.

Teach your toddler the Little Leonardo lessons shown in the video by Olga Teplyakova, an expert in intellectual development.