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Congratulations! Your baby is now a six-month-old! This mark is a milestone, not only for your baby, but even for you as well. Time flies indeed, and you’re now halfway through the infancy phase of your baby.
As you cross through this bridge, you’re going to expect a lot of changes to be coming in your life as well. More milestones will be coming in, and having more expectations from your children is reasonable as well.
That said, here’s a list of expectations that are normal for your six-month-old:
1. Your Baby Will Go Through A Growth Spurt
Babies don’t follow or read calendars. So, your baby might come in as different. But, for most infants, when they reach the six-month point, they hit a growth spurt. This means that the demand for milk will be higher than usual. Plus, they may also be quite fussy.
After this growth spurt, however, the growth rate will no longer be as fast as the first six months. The typical weight of your six-month-old should be double that of his weight upon birth. As for the height, it will be slower on this point, at only around half an inch every month.
You can learn more at schlafcoaching baby about the growth milestones of your baby in this period.
2. Your Baby’s Five Senses Will Continue To Improve
One of the developmental expectations that you should have with your baby at this point is that his five senses will continue to improve. This is the beginning of your child’s discovery of the great big world. Curiosity starts to kick in, and your baby also begins to learn more about himself, which keeps him amazed.
Senses that manifest a 6 month old baby development include:
- The sense of sight is improving, such that your baby starts to perceive depth and distances. Even when you’re across the room, he begins to recognize your presence.
- The sense of touch is leaning towards discovering more textures. Hence, this is also the best time for you to start introducing more sensory play activities to your baby.
- The teeth continue to erupt. For some babies, this is also the time when the first teeth start to grow. It’s normal, therefore, for your baby to put just about anything in their mouth.
- The hearing sense is also improving. Your baby will start to react more to any sudden noise. Your baby will also learn to have an inclination more towards your voice. Also, they’ll begin to distinguish a man’s voice from that of a woman’s.
3. Your Baby Starts To Develop Motor Skills
At this point, your baby starts to have motor skills. While this is an inherent part of development, it’s also something that you have to encourage as parents.
Now’s the time for you to set up that play fence and play mat. Secure the edges with soft materials, so that your baby’s head will be safe from bumps. But, you’ve got to give them more freedom to move around. At this time, babies start to sit upright. Hence, the go signal as well to begin taking in solid food. You’ll also notice that your baby starts to twist and turn or roll on their stomachs more.
4. Your Baby Will Be Noisier
Yes, this is the time that you may have been waiting for! Not only does your baby start to coo, but he also begins to be noisier. Your household will be a lot more fun from this point on.
With language, your baby will start to be able to say some basic consonants. But of course, these are still babbling sounds. “Dadada” “baba baba” “papa” and “ta ta ta” will be very common. If you do something that seems funny to the baby, they’ll also finally be able to respond with a good giggle! Finally, more laughter and giggles to balance out the noise from when your baby cries.
5. Your Baby Will Now Be Easier To Sleep Train
This is the best period to start sleep training your baby. Sleep training means putting your baby in their crib during their designated bedtime. But, you put them down awake. This encourages a little bit of independence in your baby, in a way that they’ll slowly learn to put themselves to bed. If they cry, wait it out a little bit longer before you pick them up. Doing this also encourages your baby to self-soothe.
By the time you know it, your baby will start sleeping independently, and soundly as well. Win-win both for you, and for the baby.
Conclusion
When your baby starts to reach the six-month mark, he begins to develop more of his personality. Although he cannot communicate verbally yet, he starts to get expressive. This is seen through his expressions and his body signals. They also begin to eat more solid food, so now’s the time for you to explore!
With growth spurts and all these other expectations as mentioned above, you’re sure to have an even more enjoyable, albeit challenging, ride with your baby.
