Now the fun begins- Many
things start coming together which makes your baby very active and playful. To
begin with, she is alert for long periods of time now. She has started to
separate her body from the rest of the world, which makes toys and objects that
much more interesting. There is better control of the body and most six month
olds can grab an object that is in reach. Many begin to sit, though they may be
wobbly at first. Some begin to move forwards or backwards, as opposed to just
going in circles. All of these things combine to increase your baby’s world.
She will grab at everything, look at anything with interest and continue to
explore object with her mouth whenever possible. It is a very exciting time for
baby and for parents because there is so much to do.
MILESTONES (Milestones are
averages and, at best, rough guidelines. Half of babies will achieve milestones
earlier than noted and half will reach them later. As babies get older, they
become more diverse in their development and milestones become less reliable. )
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How your six month old moves:
1.
By this time most babies can
push themselves around in a circle when they are on their tummy. Many start to
move in a straight line, forward or backwards. For many reasons, backwards is
often easier at first but the baby will work at going forwards because of an
interest in an object or person that is in view.
2.
Can roll from back to tummy
and tummy to back and can roll completely over but may not realize that he
could get to another place this way.
3.
Needs very little support to
sit. You will know that he is solid in sitting when he manipulates a toy with
both hands while sitting.
4.
Usually not able to get to
sitting from tummy or from back.
5.
Has free voluntary control
of head movement when in sitting.
6.
She will take most of her
weight when you hold her in standing but does not have balance to stand
independently.
How your 6 month old uses hands:
1.
Reach and grasp are very
accurate.
2.
Can reach with one hand
3.
Begins to move an object
from one hand to the other.
4.
Can rotate the wrist, which
means that he can turn and twist objects to look at them from different angles.
Your 6 month old’s senses
1.
Still using the mouth as a
primary sensory organ to check texture
and size of objects.
2.
Eye-hand coordination
continues to improve and he can reach straight for an object that he sees.
3.
Is now interested in more
complex pictures and designs to look at.
4.
By sitting, he is working on
balance through his vestibular system and proprioceptive sense. (the vestibular
sense is how you know if you are right side up or upside down and responsible
for the feeling of dizziness. The proprioceptive sense is how you can feel your
own body with your eyes closed. It is how you know if your arm is straight or
bent. These senses begin to play a greater role from here on and motor skills
become more complex.)
Thinking and learning
1.
Awake and alert for most of
the daytime hours. Attentive for long periods. Can play for more than an hour.
2.
Begins to deal with more
than one object at a time. He will hold one and look at another.
3.
Looks at objects from all
sides, turns things over in her hands.
4.
Seems aware of self as
separate from objects and other people.
5.
Becomes interested in containers
and in objects in general.
6 month old language skills:
1.
React to changes in volume.
2.
May start to hum or coo with
music. Will stop crying when he hears music.
3.
May start to imitate facial
expressions.
4.
Starts to add consonant
sounds to vowel sounds in vocalizing. You may hear “ga” or ‘da” May begin to
combine two together. “gaga” and “dada”
5.
Begin to babble in turn.
Babble with excitement.
6.
Uses a variety or sounds to
express happiness and unhappiness
7.
Starts playing with
intonation and volume and pitch while babbling.
8.
Giggles and laughter.
9.
Reacts to his name, usually
by turning towards caller.
Social skills at 6 months
1.
Prefers to play with people
2.
Likes games like peek-a-boo
and I gotcha”
3.
Shows more interest in other
children than in adults
4.
Begins to imitate facial
expressions
5.
Baby may ignore you (your
voice) if he is involved in play. This is a first step in the development of
independence.
6.
May show interest in your
food. A sign that baby may be ready to begin eating food. It is recommended
that you wait until at least 6 months. Some babies are not interested until a
little later.
7.
Will start to express likes
and dislikes.
ACTIVITIES FOR 6 MONTH OLDS
Motor
1.
If you have a “Boppy Pillow”
( a crescent shaped pillow designed to hold baby while early breastfeeding),
You can use it to provide support for your baby while she is beginning to sit.
Place the pillow around your sitting baby and you can sit face to face with
her. The pillow provides some support to
help and, if she falls she will land on the soft pillow. (see picture)
2.
When baby is sitting place
objects, such as colored blocks or rattles, in close reach so they can be
obtained easily. When baby is on tummy, place objects a short distance away so
baby needs to wiggle a little to get them. If they are too far away, they may
get discouraged.
3.
Playing with a crumpled
piece of paper together is fun because it changes shape and makes noise.
4.
Offer a variety of objects
small enough to be held in the hand but large enough that they cannot swallowed
for practice at manipulation. Toys that make noise when shaken or turned are a
plus.
5.
Going outside for walks or
to different places to see a variety of things is interesting for baby. Make
sure she is protected from the sun. Use a hat and be liberal with sunscreen
when outside.
Sensory,
thinking and learning
1.
Time to start looking
through different picture books with large pictures. Cloth books or heavy
plastic books may be better because these may go in the mouth and paper books
will tear. Baby may want to grab at the
pictures. This is how he learns the difference between 2 and 3 dimensional
objects.
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| Square, circle and triangle bean bags |
3.
Play “Here it goes;” Take a
toy and show it to baby. Say “here it goes” and hide it behind your back . A
few seconds later say “here it comes” and bring it out again.
4.
The smell game. Offer a
short sniff of different spices or food smells. Watch baby’s reactions. He will
begin to show preferences, likes and dislikes.
Language
and Social
1.
Now you can start turn
taking games like Peek-a-boo.
2.
Use sounds you have heard
from your baby and try to get him to imitate them. Instead of imitating him,
you start the game and wait for his response.
3.
Make funny faces at the
mirror with your baby.
4.
Talk your way through any
activity you do with your baby. Use short sentences to describe what you are
doing, especially during bath to talk about body parts as you wash them.
5.
Use music. Start singing to
your baby. Songs with lots of repetition are good. Also, you can dance around
with your baby while playing music.
6.
“Pat-a-cake” can be started
while baby is sitting. You will need to hold your hands over your baby’s and
clap them while you say the poem. A simple version is “pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake,
baker man, Bake me a cake as fast as you can (clap during the first two lines), Roll it (make a rolling motion
with baby’s hands) and turn it (turn hands up and down) and THROW IT IN THE PAN
(fling baby’s arms up in the air.).
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