How is a baby's development at 6 months?

Many parents feel that when their child turns 6 months old, a new era begins, which is so exciting mainly because of the joint communication and joint play. At this time, the baby can connect with his environment much better and consciously wants to make himself understood by adults. He waits for a response to his signals. Conversation is already a need for him, in which he wants to involve people. 

He is awake more and his sleep has probably become more balanced. It is true that the teething period may be coming, which can cause some problems. Feeding him new foods will bring new experiences and challenges, but he is very curious, so he is happy to try a variety of baby vegetables. 

His movements are so routine that you have to monitor him more actively, because he changes his location very quickly. That's why it's important to offer him a completely safe environment. Every little thing catches his eye on the floor, be careful with small objects, because he puts them in his mouth with the first move! He can reach into the socket, tear off the leaves of houseplants and even swallow them. Make your home baby-friendly for him, so you can know he's safe every day! 

At 6 months, he notices details and depth.

He can already clearly see his surroundings, movements, and small details . He feels the tiny holes on objects, puts his finger in them, and also happily examines the small bumps on toys with his mouth. It's interesting when he realizes that another toy can fit into a bowl.

He recognizes objects, perceives distance and depth , so more and more things in the apartment attract his attention. To make him feel free, put harmless objects within reach so that his curiosity can be awakened and he can reach them. However, be careful, because he does not yet have a proper sense of depth and can easily fall off the bed, for example. During this period, it is best for him to move around on the floor and give him low objects (small pillows, special baby tools) with which he can feel depth. 

Searching for the source of sounds

He turns towards objects or people to the side of him when he hears them. He doesn't pay attention to the back yet because his balance isn't developed enough for that. He doesn't just search, he makes noise! ​​He loves this game, knocking almost anything together to see what sound it makes. 

Let's talk to him! He is already paying attention to us, and even recognizes his own name in the text. He knows when to wait and when to respond. He tries to imitate the sound coming from an adult. 

When can hearing be a problem?

If your baby doesn't wait while you're talking, but often interrupts, it could be a sign that he or she doesn't hear when it's his or her turn. Chronic ear infections can also cause permanent or temporary hearing loss. 

Babble is the beginning of communication

The previous babbling is replaced by babbling , which means sounds and sound connections that are more recognizable to us. He consciously tries to form the sounds of our native language and puts them together into syllables (papapa, ketete). In fact, he often greets his parents this way. Meanwhile, he is happy, with a big, ear-to-ear smile. However, he is not always so cheerful...he also shows negative emotions. It is important that we communicate with him in all situations, this way he feels that we are listening, that reciprocity works between us, and that he feels safe. He also receives support when he is in a bad mood or wants some of his needs to be met.

His movement development is progressing at a rapid pace.

When the baby lies on his back, he moves his limbs evenly. His legs are slightly bent. He is already consciously moving his arms, legs and fingers, which are capable of increasingly fine movements. When he reaches for a toy and reaches it, he easily transfers it to the other hand . This way he can now hold two objects at the same time. And he loves to bang them together because of the sound.

Lying on his stomach is really routine, his back, shoulder and arm muscles have become sufficiently strong. He supports himself with both hands on his palms, and even lifts his chest high , especially when he wants to reach for a toy with his other hand. He can turn in both directions: from stomach to back and from back to stomach.

A 6-month-old baby can already hold his head like an adult. It is worth paying attention to head position because it reveals information about his development and nervous system, as by the age of six months, his head position becomes final and complete. Therefore, we can learn more about it than about other movements, crawling, and turning, which develop at a different pace. 

Complementary feeding develops new types of movements in the muscles around the child's mouth. He learns to bite, chew , accept a spoon, and drink from a cup. He is more and more adept at transferring food with his tongue, and less and less gets on his face or clothes. He is happy to pinch together the tiny morsels of food placed in front of him with his fingers and put them in his mouth, thus becoming more independent.

Around the age of 6 months, you need to pay close attention to making sure that crawling and climbing are not left out, and that the appropriate movement phases are performed in the correct order. If it seems that there may be a problem with this, for example, the baby does not like to lie on its stomach, then you should contact a baby movement development specialist who can provide special help with personalized gymnastics exercises after a preliminary assessment. This can prevent the child from having learning difficulties later on. Do not look for movement development videos on the internet, because the exercise sequence must be personalized by a specialist!

Source: ProfiSzülő Ági Ónodi , Early Childhood Program

A 6-month-old baby is becoming more socially developed

The 6-month-old baby is already understanding more and more of what his parents are saying. He listens to them, communicates with them, smiles at them and speaks to them. He enjoys playing together and reinforces this with sounds. The father plays a key role in the child's emotional development. You can read about why in our previous article. Let's play together with the child, and let the father play with him separately, because parents tend to deal with the child in different ways.

Come up with games that develop his attention to the object. For example, if you ask him for a toy and say "please" and then give it back to him and say "here you go," he will soon realize that he can give the object away without losing it because he will get it back immediately. 

6-month-old baby is learning with joy

With the arrival of complementary foods, the little one gains new experiences with previously unknown tastes and with eating itself. He learns how to cooperate when his mother feeds him: he watches the spoon, opens his mouth, and is interested in the food. 

Bathing is also routine, he already knows the processes and looks forward to them, loves them, and generally behaves calmly. 

Object permanence is a process that has already begun, but is still ongoing. Peek-a-boo is one of the most popular hide-and-seek games that helps babies learn that objects exist even when they can't see them. 

Let's also give our children tools that we select for them at home! Don't just introduce them to toys that can be bought in stores. 

Source: Early Childhood Program

Let the child be an active participant in his/her care 

This will help him develop his independence. We can now give him soft, solid foods (such as small cooked vegetable bites) under supervision, which he can pick up with his fingers and put in his mouth as he pleases. He will recognize and look forward to eating, just like changing his diaper or bathing.

He cooperates with his mother, raising his legs when getting dressed. 

One of the most beautiful parts of the 6-month period is the child's turning to his environment, talking together, and verbal and nonverbal communication.