Not sure what your six month old baby should be doing or what developmental
milestones to expect. Well, don't worry.
I'm going to cover that all in this video.
And you also have access to a free PDF document, which is down below,
which covers the developmental milestones from zero to 12 months of age.
So make sure you click on that and then you'll be able to refer to it throughout
your child's first year of life. For
the best information on baby development and parenting advice,
which will make your life as parents easier and give your baby the best start to
life.
Make sure you subscribe to my channel and click on that bell to be notified,
when I release a new video every Monday. Hi, if your new to my channel,
my name's Emma.
I'm a paediatric occupational therapist who has had the pleasure of working with
parents of newborn children all the way up to school age for the last 10 years.
I'm also mum to two gorgeous children.
If at any point you're concerned about your child's development,
make sure you take them to their doctor or the pediatrician who can complete a
developmental check. So what can you expect from your six month old baby?
At six months of age,
your bub now has the core strength to bring their hands to their feet and their
feet to their mouth.
They also enjoy doing strong alternating kicks when they're lying on their back.
When lying on their tummy,
a six month old Bub will be able to lift their head and their chest off the
ground with their arms extended.
And they may even be able to reach out whilst one arm is extended to grab a toy
with the other.
You may notice your baby's now able to move backwards when they're on their
tummy or starting to pivot,
which is basically they'll use their arms to move to one side,
to grab a toy or to the other side.
They may even start to rock in a backward and forward motion when they're in the
crawling position.
A six month old can roll in both directions so they can roll from their tummy to
their back and their back to their tummy. They can now sit independently,
but they may use their hands to help stabilize themselves in sitting.
When supported in standing. So you're holding them at their chest.
They may be able to take weight through their legs and they will actively start
bouncing. A
six month old can now reach out with one arm and grab a toy using their thumb
fingers and palm, which is called a radial palmer grasp.
They can now pick up and hold a toy in both hands at the same time.
And they're able to transfer one toy to the other hand,
which is a very cool skill.
They also use a raking motion to grab small toys,
which is their whole hand kind of like that position. Six months,
olds love to bang toys against a surface.
And also now start to put all toys or any item in
their mouth. So you do need to be careful of choking hazards at this age.
Six month olds will suck a toy, then look at it, then suck it again.
It's important to remember that sucking/mouthing toys is totally
appropriate and it is how your baby learns.
Six month old babies love to interact with others and have a variety of sounds
to gain your attention. Whether it be squealing, babbling,
cooing, or blowing raspberries. At this age,
they may start to use consonant sounds when babbling.
So that is ba ba ba ga ga ga.
Six month olds will react to sudden loud noises and they also start to take
turns, talking to people. So when you're talking,
they will be quiet and watch you. And then when you're quiet,
they will start to talk back using babble.
Your six month old baby will also start to respond to their name.
In regards to cognitive, social and emotional development.
A six month old baby loves to play with others, especially parents. At this age,
they start to become aware of strangers and are wary about going and sitting or
being held by others.
At this age they're generally happy if they're not tired or hungry and can be
calmed by rocking or a soothing touch from a parent or caregiver.
They tend to enjoy various types of movement and music.
And they love looking at themselves in a mirror.
They are extremely curious and loved to place everything in their mouths.
So do be careful for choking hazards. Again, I'm going to cover,
what's expected at six months of age in regards to sleep.
This is because although sleep isn't a developmental milestone in itself.
It's extremely important to help children achieve their developmental milestones
because they aren't too tired.
So a six month old generally sleeps anywhere from 13 and a half hours to
15 hours over a 24 hour period. At this age,
they have a regular bedtime and may sleep anywhere between five to eight
hours in the first half of the night before needing a night feed.
And they may have anywhere between one to two night feeds.
They may sleep anywhere between 10 to 12 hours
overnight.
They generally have three naps a day and will be awake for two to two and a
half hours between naps. So that's it,
mums and dads we've now covered what six month old developmental milestones you
should be expecting from your bub.
Make sure you click on that PDF document below to get what developmental
milestones you can expect from 0 to 12 months of age,
which you can then place on your fridge and have it easily accessible to check
throughout your child's first year of life. If you've liked this video,
hit that like button and subscribe and share this video with any other mums and
dads. Tune in next week,
as I share more tips and tricks to make your life as parents easier.