Your 6-Month-Old: Milestones & Development

Vera Malushi, PT, DPT, lends us her expertise as a pediatric physical therapist to recommend developmentally-appropriate ways to play with your 6-month-old. She is the founder of Milestones Pediatric Physical Therapy and shares a wealth of knowledge and tips on her Instagram page @milestones_pediatric_pt.

Your baby is halfway to their first birthday, and you’re probably wishing time would slow down a little! Just a few short months ago, you might have been wishing the days away, but now it seems like 6 months have gone by in the blink of an eye. Your little one has been busy growing and making astounding cognitive leaps, and they’re much more alert to the world around them than they were just a couple of weeks ago. Here’s everything that your baby is up to at 6 months old, and what you can expect to come this month:

Physical development & movement

You’ll have noticed that your baby is sitting better with support recently, and it’s not long until they’ll be able to sit unassisted! All that core strength they’re building while working on this skill will give way to crawling, so keep at it with plenty of floor play on your Toki mat.

Your little one can probably bear weight on their legs when held upright, and some babies who are more interested in standing may try to skip crawling entirely and go straight to cruising! Since crawling is so beneficial for your baby’s brain development, engage in play that encourages pivoting and crawling. For more information on how to encourage your baby to crawl, you can read our blog post here.

Your baby’s first tooth may make an appearance this month, so soak in all the gummy smiles while you still can! Babies typically get their first teeth around 6 months, although they can erupt even sooner or much later (some don’t get teeth until after their first birthday!). If your little one has swollen gums, is drooling more than usual, and is tugging on their ears, these may be signs that those pearly whites aren’t far away. 

Language

Your baby’s personality is starting to shine and they’re expressing likes and dislikes with sounds. When something makes them happy, they laugh and babble excitedly, and when they’re not pleased, they channel their inner banshee to produce some ear-piercing shrieks. Still, the fact that they’re expressing joy and displeasure has given you the opportunity to get to know them better, and they’re happiest when in your arms (that new sense of stranger danger means no more passing the baby off to someone else). 

6 months is a great time to start teaching simple sign language! Before a feed, say “milk” and do the sign for “milk.” You can also teach them the signs for “eat,” “more,” “all done,” “mommy,” and “daddy.” Soon, they’ll be able to connect making these hand movements to expressing their wants and needs, and may begin signing on their own around 8-12 months of age. This reduces frustration and opens the door to a new world of communication!

Feeding

If you haven’t yet started your baby on solids, you will this month! Feeding experts recommend introducing solid food at 6 months of age, and now that your little one is able to sit upright in their high chair, it’s a perfect time to start. Although your baby may nurse a little less or drink less from the bottle as they begin to eat real food, most of their nutrition should still come from breastmilk or formula. If your baby can’t seem to get the hang of chewing or swallowing at first, just remember that starting solid foods is a gradual process! And, don’t forget to steer clear of honey until they’re at least 1 year of age.

How to play with your 6-month-old

“In month 6, likely you have a rolly polly pivoting baby. Place baby on their belly in the middle of your large Toki play mat. Place toys out of reach in a circle around the baby and watch them move. This activity encourages early stages of army crawling via pivoting, reaching, rolling, and weight shifting. If baby is too quick at getting to things, try placing items even further away.”
Dr. Vera Malushi, PT, DPT