Your Baby’s Progress - Month 6
What’s Going on This Month?
Your Baby
- Your baby may do the following: stay up when placed in a sitting position, sit up on his own, crawl and stand.
- Your baby also likes to interact with people.
- He may mouth, shake, bang and/or drop toys.
- Turns head and eyes toward sounds and familiar voices.
- He likes to play with his image in a mirror and is quite sociable as long as he feels safe and secure.
Caring for Your Baby
- Take your baby for this month’s well-baby checkup to make sure he is growing properly.
- Your baby should get shots for the DTaP, Hib, polio, hep B and pneumococcal conjugate (PCV), and Rotavirus vaccines.
- Ask your doctor or nurse about getting a flu shot. You should also ask whether your child should be tested for lead.
- Most babies gain about one pound a month between now and their 1st birthday.
- You may notice your baby’s first teeth. As the teeth come in, your baby may become fussy or have a slight temperature.
- When he starts teething, offer him a cold teething ring, foods like pretzel logs with salt rubbed off or teething biscuits.
- Wipe your baby’s teeth and gums with a soft cloth or gauze after each feeding.
Nutrition
- Ask your baby’s doctor or nurse about starting strained or mashed vegetables such as squash, carrots, green beans or peas. Do not add salt or sugar.
- Watch for any allergic reactions (vomiting, coughing, wheezing, diarrhea, stomach pain or skin rashes) to food by feeding your baby only one new food at a time. Wait a week before starting another.
- Let your baby start drinking from a cup. Remember that babies still need breast milk or iron fortified formula until they are 1 year old.
- Talk to your baby's doctor or nurse before you start feeding your baby any new foods.
- At about six months, ask your baby's doctor or nurse about the best time to start solid (strained or mashed) food and juice for your baby, which foods to give your baby first and which foods to avoid. Start your baby on one new food at a time.
- Begin spoon-feeding when your baby is able to hold his head up to take food. Start with single-grain, iron-fortified infant cereals such as rice, oatmeal or barley.
- Use a small spoon for feeding.
Growth and Development
- Talk to your baby and try to get your baby to imitate sounds you make.
- Put a favorite toy out of reach and let your baby try to get it.
- Let your baby pick up objects from the floor, but make sure they are safe objects for your baby to have.
- Play games like "pat-a-cake."
- Look at picture books with your baby and talk about the pictures you see.
This page last updated on 3/17/08.