Learn about the developmental milestones of 6-month-old babies

Babies develop very quickly and by the time they are 6 months old, you will notice that your baby has many changes physically and intellectually. With each passing day, you discover something new about your child.

In this article, aFamilyToday Health introduces you to some 6-month-old children's developmental milestones.

Milestone chart for 6 months old baby

The following chart helps you understand developmental milestones that have been reached and will continue to be reached during your baby's development:

Developmental milestones of the baby Development milestones in the near future

Better grip - all fingers can be used to hold objects Use your index and thumb to hold objects

Be able to sit without support Will try to get into a sitting position

Eat selected fruits and vegetables (with a soft, slippery texture, easy to swallow) A wide variety of fruits and vegetables can be eaten

Improved color perception Baby can distinguish more colors and depth of perception in a better way

Sleep better and sleep longer at night Your baby's sleep gets longer and less awake to feed

You can reach out your hand, stretch out for objects or pull your parents' shirt to get things

When lying down, the baby can roll left or right Scroll left or right, baby can turn left or right while sitting

Can play out simple consonants and vowels Will create more complex sound

Be able to recognize familiar faces Try to communicate by emitting sounds and gestures with familiar people

Some major developmental milestones of 6-month-old babies

Children 6 months old will usually reach the following major developmental milestones:

1. Cognitive development milestones

Cognitive development is related to a baby's overall brain development, including a child's intelligence and thinking ability. Children 6 months old will usually:

More curious: Your baby will become a "tiny explorer" and want to discover everything around. Children will touch, hold and feel the things that they are attracted to.

Sound imitation: By the time your baby is 6 months old, he or she will develop better sound interpretation skills and will imitate the sounds they hear.

Responding to when called out: 6-month-old babies can already remember the sound of their names and respond when they hear their parents or relatives call out.

Basic sound pronunciation: Children will speak common vowels and consonants such as u, a, shore, ơ… Your baby can respond with these sounds when you talk to them.

2. Physical development milestones

By 6 months, your baby will be able to achieve the following rough physical and motor development milestones:

Better hand-eye coordination: Your baby will have better and precise hand movements because their vision is better than before. Children know how to hold and observe objects carefully.

Improve depth perception and color vision: Your baby's vision from birth to this point has been greatly improved. By 6 months, babies not only have the ability to distinguish between many colors, but also be able to estimate distances and observe objects.

Use all fingers to grasp: Children know how to control all their fingers to hold small objects.

Sitting without any support: At 6 months of age, the baby's back muscles have developed strongly so they can sit and control the whole body while sitting. However, the calf cannot change from a crawling position, lying down to a sitting position.

3. Communication skills

Here are some communication skills that 6-month-olds will gain:

Babies respond when you call their names.

Babies know how to make sounds that show nuances that indicate they are happy or dissatisfied.

Babies respond to different sounds by making sounds.

Your baby will start babbling and will try to make different sounds while playing with a parent or sibling.

4. Sleep

When you are 6 months old, your baby's sleep also has many remarkable milestones:

Your baby's sleep will be longer and uninterrupted at night (sleep through the night / sleep all night ).

Your baby's nighttime sleep is between 6 and 8 hours so your baby may not wake up to feed at night.

While sleeping, babies can roll back and forth when they want to turn.

5. Senses

Here are some of the sensory development milestones that 6-month-olds will achieve:

Babies often love to touch and feel different textures. They will love to touch food, toys, water and many other objects to feel them.

Your baby's vision is developing better so he may be attracted to larger, brighter, and more impressive objects.

Your baby will feel comforted by touching, patting and talking to him in soothing tones.

Your baby will hold an object or toy with both hands, try it and bring it towards the mouth.

6. Social and emotional development milestones

Here are some of the social and emotional development milestones that 6-month-old babies will achieve:

Recognize acquaintances: Your baby will recognize and also feel comfortable in the arms of acquaintances or people they meet on a regular basis. On the other hand, the baby can be fussy, irritable ... when in contact with strangers.

Enjoy playing: Your baby will show interest and will also enjoy playing with their parents, siblings or caregivers.

Various expressions: At this stage, your baby will develop many different expressions. You may find that your baby knows how to make different faces to indicate that he is hungry, sleepy, irritable or in pain.

Responding to emotions: You will see your baby react to familiar people. Babies can make happy / sad faces according to different situations.

When to worry?

Each baby is a separate individual, so the baby will develop according to a separate channel, maybe earlier or later than other babies. However, if your baby has one of the following signs, you should pay attention:

Babies can not sit even with support: With 6-month-old babies, their back muscles have developed relatively well so they can sit without support. If your baby is unable to sit even with support, this could be a warning sign that he or she is physically retarded.

Babies do not make sounds or respond to sounds: At this age, they don't know how to talk, but they know how to make sounds and also respond to sounds. If your baby is not making sounds and reacting to sounds, this could be a sign that your baby has some problems with the vocal cords or has a hearing problem.

Babies do not recognize familiar faces: If your baby does not recognize an acquaintance, it may mean there may be some vision problems or cognitive development problems.

Babies who are inactive or have poor motor skills: When they are 6 months old, most babies like to play with toys and relatives. If your child is not active or does not appear to like playing… maybe he is falling into a state of delay.

The secret to helping 6-month-old babies reach important developmental milestones

As a parent, you can provide support to stimulate your baby's growth and development by following some simple tips:

Tummy: It is important to let your baby lie on his or her stomach for 10 - 15 minutes a day. This helps to strengthen and tone the baby's muscles and makes him more agile. But note that while your baby is lying on his stomach, you must always keep an eye on your baby.

Engage your baby in conversation and play time with your baby: By talking and playing with your baby, you are stimulating his listening skills.

Outdoor activities and reading: Take your baby for a walk around the neighborhood, park ... to help stimulate your baby's eyesight. You can also read and show your baby colorful children's books.

Social interaction: It is very important that babies meet and see many different people, new faces. This will help your baby develop better communication and social skills.

Many babies can hit all of the above milestones before they reach 6 months of age. Therefore, you should observe your baby so that you can detect any delay in your baby. If your child has a problem that worries you, take him or her to the pediatrician for prompt diagnosis and intervention.