At 6 months of child development. Six-month-old baby: developmental features, games and exercises. Physical development of a six-month-old boy

The proportions of the child’s body begin to visibly change, gradually approaching the usual proportions of an adult.

Physical development

What are the child’s anthropometric indicators by the end of the sixth month of life? The baby's weight increases by approximately 600–650 grams, and height by 2.5–3 centimeters. At this stage, the length in centimeters of the circumference of the head and chest is usually compared. It is possible that the chest circumference is now greater than the head circumference. The fact is that the proportions of the child’s body begin to visibly change, gradually approaching the usual proportions of an adult.

Indicators of a child from 6 to 7 months

Growth chart and

And a weight chart

Height

66.60-67.95 cm

7.975-8.770 kg

Head circumference

Chest circumference

Physical activity gradually increases

Lying on his stomach, the child stops leaning on his forearms. Raising his chest and arms, moving his legs, he makes rocking movements on his stomach, reminiscent of the movements of a swimmer. The baby tries to crawl, actively turns over from back to side, onto his stomach and back to his back; sits with little support. The child's increased activity makes you now concerned about the baby's safety if he is alone in the room, without adult supervision. Do not leave your baby alone on a sofa or bed without a side, from which he may fall if he rolls over.

Supported under the armpits, the baby rests on the support with the tips of his toes, holds his head straight, and turns it from side to side. In a sitting position, the child holds his head confidently and turns it away when adults try to wipe his nose. Hand movements become more confident and coordinated, palm gripping of an object with the entire surface of the palm and an outstretched thumb is formed.

Finger movements are improved: the baby can hold toys different sizes equally successful with both right and left hands, knocking with them, throwing them, playing with several toys at the same time.

The child receives considerable pleasure from changing body position. This stimulates his vestibular apparatus. He likes it when you hold him in your arms, lift him into the air, lower him down, swing him, cuddle him, squat, spin around the room.

This game is recommended for the development of the baby’s vestibular apparatus, in which the whole family (mother, baby and father) participates. Take a blanket and place your child's back on it. Lift the blanket by the ends and gently swing it from side to side, and then slowly lower it to the floor. Repeat the swings. If the baby doesn't like it, take him in your arms and calm him down. If your baby enjoys such rocking, change directions: swing up and down and from side to side. Don't forget to talk to your child and talk about how he feels from rocking on the blanket.

Mental development

The child's behavior becomes more meaningful. The baby clearly shows his displeasure and joy to his parents. He can scream and get irritated if he is not given a toy, and vice versa, babble and smile happily when his parents come up and play with him.

Now parents can determine with greater confidence how the baby is feeling - when the child is happy, excited, calm, they can name the reasons for these states.

Babbling at this age acquires a tonal coloring, can be measured or fast, quiet or loud, have different meanings: “I want to be in your arms, take me”, “pay attention to me, look at me, I’m here”, “put away this, I don’t like this.” Noticing the approach of adults and children, the child begins to babble more actively and louder, trying to attract their attention.

The baby's visual and auditory analyzers continue to develop

The child holds objects and toys in his hands for a long time, feels, examines and studies. Trying to get information about the properties of materials, he puts toys in his mouth, licks and bites them. The child experimentally explores which toys make sounds and enjoys shaking or knocking them. The baby listens to the surrounding everyday sounds, turns his head to the source of the sound, for example, when he hears the sound of a door opening or the steps of an approaching mother. The child turns his head and reacts even to very quiet sounds: the rustling of paper, the clanking of scissors, the gentle whisper of his mother.

The baby closely monitors the movements and actions of adults

He carefully looks into the faces of his parents who are talking to him, begins to understand their facial expressions, reacting differently to the smiling, angry or surprised face of an adult. He joins in this game with pleasure, copying his mother’s facial expression and trying to imitate the sounds she makes.

What games and exercises with the baby are useful at this stage?

The baby wants to receive new tactile experiences. Let him touch different surfaces: warm and cold, soft and hard, smooth and rough. These can be not only toys, but also household items: spoons, cups, terry towels, silk robes. Tell him about the sensations he experiences.

Take a piece of ice from the refrigerator and touch its handle or cheek. Observe how the child reacts. Bring it to the fan. Give a warm blast of air and then turn off the fan. After a few seconds, repeat all over again.

Instead of a fan, create a breeze using a sheet of paper or a handkerchief. Wave it in front of the baby's face so that a stream of air hits it.

Fill several fabric bags with different cereals and tie them tightly so that the cereal does not accidentally spill. Make the bags of different sizes, but such that the child can hold them. Place them with other toys and your baby will explore them too. Instead of bags, you can use any scraps of fabric that you have around the house. Fill them just like the bags with cereal and tie them with a knot.

Little man needs new visual experience

He can already look with interest not only at close objects, but also at distant objects. Tell your child about the object that he is looking at but cannot reach. If possible, give it to your baby or bring it closer so that you can see it better.

Give your baby toys of different colors, plain and colorful, light and dark tones. You will notice that brightly colored toys attract my attention more. Take two or three toys of the same color and one toy that is very different from the rest - a contrasting color. Place them next to your child and observe his actions. After some time, repeat the experiment with toys of a different color.

How to encourage your baby to “talk”?

When the baby pronounces not only individual sounds, but also some sound combinations: “ygi”, “ghy”, “uh-huh” and others, listen to them and repeat after him. When the child pronounces the next sounds, repeat them again after him. Soon you will be able to play the “conversation” game one at a time. Always talk to your baby when you hold him in your arms, when you feed him, when you dress him, when you put him to bed.

Talk about what you do. Speak to little ones in short sentences and in simple words, repeat the words. Sing vowel sounds and chains of repeated syllables (ge-ge-ge, dey-dey-dey, ma-ma-ma, ba-ba-ba). Make sounds by puffing out your cheeks and rounding your lips.

Don’t forget to change your intonation, make it expressive and bright. Leave pauses in your speech, then the baby will have time to say something. Play conversation with your baby until he gets tired and bored. If he stops taking turns talking, stop this activity and give your baby toys.

Six months is the first serious milestone, the first “anniversary” in a child’s life, because in the second half of the year a helpless baby turns into a small whirlwind that begins to actively explore the world around us, first on all fours, and then on two legs. At 6 months, the baby sits up independently for the first time, begins to eat “adult” food and learns to manipulate with both hands. At this age, it is already possible to begin developmental activities with the child, but for this you need to know what a child should be able to do at 6 months and what aspects of his development should be paid attention to.

Physical development of a child at 6 months

In the sixth month of life, the child gains approximately 500-600 grams in weight, his height increases by 1.5 - 2 cm, on average children at this age weigh from 7 to 9 kg, and their height is 65-70 cm.

In the sixth month of life, the child already knows how to confidently roll over from back to stomach and back and is constantly improving his skills, managing to roll from place to place and even fall from the bed or sofa; now the baby can be left alone only in his crib or playpen.

Many children by the end of the sixth month already know how to sit up on their own, and those who cannot do this yet sit down, holding on and pulling themselves up onto something with their hands. But at this age, the child’s spine cannot yet withstand the weight of his body for a long time, so you should not sit the child down for more than 15-20 minutes at a time, or use a walker, a sitting swing or a vertical “kangaroo.”

At 6 months, the child begins to actively use both hands; now he can hold, twist and twirl toys not with one hand, but with two, and also transfer them from hand to hand.

At the same age, children, lying on their stomachs, raise their upper torso, leaning on one hand, and with the other they try to reach or grab something. By the end of the 6th month, some children can stand, holding onto support, or begin to crawl. Those children who are not yet able to crawl begin to master other ways of moving in space - they turn over from side to side, push off from vertical surfaces with their legs, pull themselves up with their arms, or spin around their axis. It is very important to give the child enough freedom for such physical activity - this will help strengthen the muscles of the back, arms and legs and the child will begin to crawl and walk earlier. To do this, you need to lay the baby out on a blanket on the floor or on the bed every day, several times a day, undress him and give him the opportunity to move around for his own pleasure.

By six months, most children The first teeth begin to emerge During this period, the child may become capricious, lethargic, and refuse food and toys. It is quite easy to notice the growth of teeth - the child’s gums turn red, swell, he pulls any objects into his mouth, holds a finger in his mouth or chews on a pacifier, and he also drools.

Neuropsychic development

At the age of 6 months you can already start classes early development child. The baby can already focus his gaze on small objects, for example, on pictures in books, distinguishes well the emotions of others and joyfully copies the sounds and movements of adults. At this age, he begins to identify himself - he turns his head if he hears his name, rejoices when he is praised or begins to cry if he hears an angry voice.

At 6 months, the baby already recognizes his toys, loves to play “peek-a-boo” and listen to various nursery rhymes accompanied by simple movements; at this age, the child actively develops speech - he pronounces various syllables, vowels, sings and “talks” even when he remains one.

So six months is an excellent time for the first developmental activities, now that the child is sitting down, his hands are freed up and various toys for the development of fine motor skills will be very useful during this period. The main thing is not to give him small objects or toys that can easily be broken, as children continue to explore the world “by taste” and will definitely try to chew on a new toy. Most of all, children at this age like toys consisting of large parts, on a string or elastic band, which can be moved and pulled, as well as a variety of pyramids, Easter eggs and other toys that are inserted into one another or strung on a rod. It is no less useful for a child’s development to give him as many different textured materials as possible to the touch, these can be special soft toys, sewn from different fabrics and stuffed with different fillings, or homemade balls, stripes and other toys with sand, rice, peas, beans and so on.

By 6 months, the difference in the character and pace of development of the child becomes noticeable; calm children at this age are more busy mastering their hands, little “energizers” prefer physical activity and can sing all day long. Starting from 6 months, assessing a child’s development becomes more difficult, since skills are acquired gradually and depend only on the pace of individual development. For example, children begin to crawl from 6-7 months to a year, and some do not crawl at all, but walk straight away, and all this is a variant of the norm. Therefore, parents should not be upset if their baby does not do what his peers can already do, the main thing is that his development meets standard norms. So at 6 months a child should be able to do this.

Your baby is now 6 months old. Congratulations! This is the first anniversary in your baby's life. A very touching and incredibly interesting period of new discoveries is coming. During this time, your child has gone from a helpless baby to a strong baby who is trying to be independent, persistently requires increased attention and delights you with new skills every day. To help your baby develop correctly and actively, exploring the world, you need to know what a child should be able to do at 6 months.

How much should a baby weigh at 6 months?

During the sixth month of life, the baby should gain approximately 600 - 650 grams. and grow by 2.5 - 3 cm.

The average statistical indicators of height and weight gain for a child at 6 months of life are shown in the table below.

It is worth noting that each child develops individually, and the indicators of his physical development are primarily influenced by heredity and the quality of nutrition. Therefore, there is no need to worry if your baby’s height and weight do not fit within the above norms. It is generally accepted that at 6 months a child should weigh twice as much as his birth weight, and his height by this time will increase by 15 - 17 cm.

What should a 6 month old baby be able to do?

By six months, the child begins to fully feel his body, his movements from chaotic gradually become clear and purposeful. The mental and emotional development of the baby is rapidly gaining momentum. Let's list the skills that a child acquires at 6 months:

• behavior becomes more meaningful;
• knows his name and responds to it;
• rolls over from back to stomach and back;
• pulls himself up by your arms from a lying position;
• tries to crawl;
• transfers toys from one hand to another;
• can be played independently for a short time (10-15 minutes);
• sits with support;
• listens to surrounding everyday sounds;
• closely monitors the actions of adults;
• examines toys and improvised objects by touch and taste;
• recognizes relatives by voice;
• babbling improves.

Is it possible to seat a child at 6 months?

The question of when can a child be imprisoned is of interest to all parents, without exception. Many people think that this is the first step, which symbolizes the child’s unique maturity and independence. From a sitting position, it’s so interesting to watch what mom is doing; you can reach for a bright toy yourself and touch your own toes.

Every mother waits for this moment with pleasant excitement. It seems to her that now it will be much easier to occupy the baby with toys, leaving him alone for a while. But is there a need to rush in this matter and is your child ready for this? Let's figure it out together.

The period when the baby begins to sit is individual for each child. It depends primarily on the degree of development of the muscular and skeletal systems. Modern pediatricians believe that the average child at 6 months is able to sit with the support of an adult, and at 7 - 8 months he can easily sit up from a position “on all fours” or “lying down.” Possible deviations a month and a half are also considered normal.

There is no need to specifically place a child before this age. By such actions you can only harm an immature organism. If the muscles are not strengthened, then the bones and spine are subjected to severe stress, which in the future will lead to curvature of the spine. Be patient! At one point, your baby will give you a signal that he is ready to explore the world in a more upright position.

In order to prepare for the period when the child can be seated, preventive massage and special gymnastics are used.

Massage and gymnastics at 6 months

Everyone knows that preventive massage and gymnastic exercises have a beneficial effect on the child’s body. When carried out regularly, these classes contribute to:

• strengthening muscles;
• development of the baby’s motor skills;
• improve blood circulation;
• strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• have a positive effect on the development of the nervous system.

It is recommended to carry out exercises at the same time of day, 30 minutes before feeding or 40-60 minutes after it, in a well-ventilated room with an air temperature of 22-24 °C. It is not advisable to do gymnastics and massage before bedtime to avoid overstimulation of the baby’s nervous system. During the massage, you can play children's songs or pleasant, quiet music. This way you will turn useful activities into a game, for which your baby will thank you with a smile and good mood during the procedures. You are already familiar with many massage elements from the previous months of your baby’s life, but it is still worth paying attention once again to the correct execution of each exercise.

It should be remembered that if you have any questions about massage and gymnastics at home, you should consult a specialist.

Daily routine and nutrition of a 6-month-old baby

By this age, the baby has already developed a unique daily routine, which largely depends on the habits and daily routine of the parents. How long should a baby sleep at 6 months? How long to stay awake? When to go for a walk? An approximate schedule is presented in the table.

Six months is the time for introducing complementary foods. It is worth noting that complementary feeding does not replace breastfeeding, but only complements it, gradually preparing the child’s body for adult food. A six-month-old baby still needs breast milk, since at this age he receives about 70 percent of his energy from breast milk.

The timing and sequence of introducing complementary foods depends on:

• individual characteristics;
• type of feeding;
• baby's health status.

Before deciding to introduce complementary foods, you should always consult your doctor. He is the one who will help you decide which foods should be introduced into your child’s diet first. If you are underweight or have a tendency to loose stools, experts recommend starting complementary feeding with dairy-free cereals, but if your baby is bothered by constipation (and his weight is within the normal range) - with one-ingredient vegetable puree.

• New foods do not need to be introduced if the baby is sick or has a rash.
• Complementary foods should be given in the first half of the day before breastfeeding or formula feeding.
• Pediatricians advise starting with half a teaspoon and gradually (over 5-7 days) increase the serving size to the daily norm.
• A new dish can be offered no earlier than after 2 weeks of eating the first one.
• Despite the mother's desire and impulse to feed the baby something new and tasty, we must remember that breast milk is the main and most beneficial form of nutrition for a 6-month-old baby.

In order for the baby to develop harmoniously and correctly, all care recommendations should be followed.

It is advisable to carry out the bathing procedure at the same time every day. It is strictly forbidden to leave a child unattended in the bathroom, even if there is a small amount of water there. All hygiene procedures are recommended to be carried out after the baby is dried, warmed and wrapped in order to avoid possible hypothermia and colds.

Ear cleaning should be done no more than once a week using special children's ear sticks with a limiter. You cannot use regular ear sticks. The baby may suddenly turn around and you may accidentally damage the ear.

The baby's nails need to be cut as they grow. To do this, use special children's scissors with rounded ends. Experts advise cutting the nails on the handles rounded, and on the legs straight, to prevent the possibility of ingrown nails.

You can’t ignore scalp care. By this age, crusts may appear on the baby's head. They can be easily removed using regular baby oil, which can be applied to the head (for 15-20 minutes) before bathing. After this procedure they are easy to comb out.

The child's hair needs to be combed every day with a special soft brush. If the baby's bangs have grown long and are getting into the eyes, they can be pinned or cut. Many people believe that it is not advisable to cut children under one year old. These are all superstitions; there is no scientific evidence of the harm of this procedure. Therefore, if your baby is bothered by overgrown hairs, you can cut them without remorse.

Preparing for vaccination

Vaccination is a very important and necessary step in the life of every child, the implementation of which causes a lot of worries and questions among parents. But all doubts and worries will fade into the background if you know how to properly prepare your child for this event. It should be noted that in most cases, vaccinations are well tolerated by children even without any preparation. The main thing is to know under what conditions the vaccine is contraindicated. You should not get vaccinated if you at the moment the baby has an allergic reaction, has a slight runny nose, or the child has a cold. This precaution is necessary to prevent overlap side effects vaccinations for existing symptoms of the disease.

Several days before vaccination, new foods should not be introduced into the child’s diet. If the child is on breastfeeding– it is better for the mother to give up new foods and eat as usual. This will help avoid allergic reactions that may be confused with the effects of the vaccine.

Before vaccination, the child must be examined by a pediatrician and, if necessary, tested general analysis blood and urine. And the main thing is not to worry, because only vaccination can protect your baby from dangerous infectious diseases.

Let's play together

Playing with a 6-month-old baby brings a lot of pleasure and positive emotions. For kids of this age, the most suitable and interesting toys will be:

• mobile;
• various musical toys (drum, bells, piano);
• toys with mirror surfaces;
• soft picture book;
• big ball;
• disk with colored sectors;
• rattles with colored balls inside.

The main requirements for toys for 6-month-old children are the following:

• Toys must be made of safe material and have appropriate quality certificates.
• Toys should not have sharp parts or very small parts.
• Must be appropriate for the age and weight of the child.
• It is advisable that they lend themselves to periodic washing, since children of this age constantly put them in their mouths.
• Soft toys must be hypoallergenic.

From this age, children begin to understand games with adults well. Don't miss this opportunity and play with your baby more often. This will help him develop faster and understand the world around him well. Play “okay” and “peek-a-boo” with him, look at children’s books together, dance, sing songs and talk constantly. And after some time, the child himself will let you know what he likes most by clapping his hands or reaching for his favorite book.

The more freedom you give your baby, the faster he will learn new movements and skills. You can just watch him and help him master interesting world around him. The only thing that needs to be taken care of is the safety of the area in which the child is located.

A 6 month old baby means new discoveries and new stages of development in the life of a growing baby. During this period, the toddler is not only emotional and friendly, he learns to play both independently and with the help of his parents, and he may develop his first “adult” sign - the first tooth. The baby is becoming more and more demanding, he needs more attention and affection from mom and dad, moreover, the child tries to observe the actions of his parents and even repeat them. A child of 6 months is the boundary between the newborn stage and the time of acquiring useful skills.

You need to spend as much time as possible with the baby, because at this stage the basic mental functions of the small organism begin to be consolidated. Interest in exploring unfamiliar objects and toys must be encouraged in every possible way; you can also introduce some restrictions, say the words “no” and “impossible”, so that the child gradually learns to understand certain boundaries. Studying shapes, colors and smells, getting acquainted with new tastes (complementary foods are common), learning movements, sounds and syllables - this is far from full list of what comes into life six month old baby. The child can begin to learn how to play with blocks, put figures and pictures out of them, roll a ball, and string rings onto the rod of a pyramid. It’s okay if, in the process of vigorous activity, a little researcher bends or breaks a toy, the main thing is his interest and desire to learn about the world around him. During this period, parents are required to have patience, participation and cooperation, and prohibitions should only concern possible dangers, such as falls from the height of the bed, sharp corners of furniture, and so on. The six-month-old toddler begins to pronounce quite meaningful syllables, perhaps for the first time a happy mother will hear something similar to the word “mother” or “give”. Voiceless consonants are difficult for babies. His speech apparatus has not yet developed, so dad should not be offended that a 6-month-old child does not say the desired “dad” among the first words. Of course, at six months it would be absurd to expect coherent speech from a child; the baby is still babbling and humming, but more and more often in his sounds one can trace coherent syllables and the semblance of quite adult exclamations. Parents need to remember that as soon as a child is born, he begins to “mirror” everything he sees, hears and feels. This applies to the entire long period of upbringing, so rude expressions, loud swearing and other negative family manifestations in the presence of the baby are absolutely unacceptable.

Child 6 months – height, weight and skills

During the sixth month of life, the little man grows by 1.5-2 centimeters and gains body weight by 550-600 grams. These indicators are not universal, each child is individual and his growth may differ from the data provided. However, there are generally accepted frameworks by which one can navigate how quickly a child is developing, and whether there are any deviations in his nutrition, upbringing and health. It is generally accepted that a six-month-old baby should weigh about 7-7.5 kilograms and reach a height of 65-70 centimeters. In pediatrics, there is the concept of a centile corridor, which denotes the statistical average indicators of a baby’s body weight and height according to his age. If the measurement indicators of a six-month-old baby do not fit into the centile corridor, this may indicate hidden problems in the condition of the baby’s body that need to be identified and eliminated.

Baby 6 months – sleep and diet

A six-month-old baby sleeps a lot and for a long time; in general, his sleep should last about 15 hours. During the day, he needs to be put to bed two or three times so that the baby sleeps for 1.5-2 hours, and at night the child needs 11-12 hours of sleep. The diet may vary, but pediatric nutritionists advise leaving five meals a day every four hours. New foods and complementary foods are gradually introduced into the baby’s diet. Mother's milk, of course, remains the most valuable nutritious food, but you should take care of new microelements that are not in it. An option for a complementary food dish can be selected together with the treating pediatrician, most likely it will be fruit puree and juice. The baby is introduced to a new dish literally drop by drop, which is how the juice should be introduced. Puree can be given a quarter teaspoon at a time, so the child will get acquainted with a new way of eating - from a spoon, and will also get acquainted with a new taste. It is better to introduce complementary foods during the day; over time, they will replace breast milk or formula. If the child has responded normally to the new diet, you can add juice or puree to the norm described below. By the end of the sixth month, the baby can receive the supplement not only in the form of fruit, but also vegetable puree. This is how a complete lunch is prepared, the weight of which can be from 150 to 200 grams. Each new dish or product should be introduced once a week, this way you will give the baby the opportunity to get used to complementary foods; in addition, the digestive tract will also get used to unfamiliar food. Boiled carrots are perfect as a vegetable supplement; you can gradually introduce cereals - rice or buckwheat. It is mandatory to add the yolk of a boiled egg, which is ground in a small amount of breast milk or formula. If the baby does not suffer from allergies, the yolk is simply necessary for him, as it contains vitamins D, A, phosphorus, calcium and iron. A little later, the yolk can be ground together with vegetable puree, enriching its composition.

Sample menu and diet for a six-month-old baby:

If a child begins to gain weight excessively quickly, it is worth reviewing the diet and reducing the calorie content of foods, for example, replacing milk porridge with fruit or vegetable puree. If a 6-month-old child is slowly gaining weight, you can add a drop of refined vegetable oil to the menu, for example, in vegetables or cereal porridges, or give higher-calorie juices with pulp. Each child’s body is individual, just like their appetite; it is quite possible that insufficient weight gain is not a deviation from the norm for a particular baby. It all depends on the anthropometric indicators, which are recorded in a special diary or medical card; if their dynamics are steadily increasing, then the baby is developing normally. The main thing is that the baby is physiologically ready to accept more solid and rich food than mother's milk. This is evidenced by the increased interest in adults’ food, when the child tries to reach for the “adult” plate, and by the cutting of the first two teeth.

A 6-month-old child is a toddler who begins to show activity and curiosity. Perhaps this is the last relatively calm month, when babies sleep for a long time, covered with warm blankets, giving the mother the opportunity to rest. Willingness to explore the world around us, interest in everything we can reach with our hands, attempts to independently crawl from place to place - this is just the beginning of a child’s active life. The six-month period is a wonderful time when positive changes in the baby’s development are clearly visible, which brings considerable joy to happy parents.

Child 6 months – skills and abilities:

• The baby can play for more than half an hour with rattles, a ball, and toys. He actively knocks them, throws them, and takes them out with pleasure if he drops them near him.
• The child knows how to use both hands in play and transfers the rattle from one hand to the other.
• The baby knows how to transfer toys from a larger container to a smaller one; for this it is worth purchasing special nesting molds.
• The child continues to walk and babble, but is actively trying to imitate the sounds and exclamations of adults, copying their intonations.
• A 6-month-old child is able to listen to speech and music for quite a long time.
• The baby can find the specified object with his eyes.
• The child begins to differentiate people according to the principle of “friends” and “strangers”.
• The child tries to explore the territory of the room by crawling, and may crawl to an object that interests him.
• The baby makes attempts to rise, stand up, leaning on his hands, holding the rails of the crib.

You can check how developed a 6-month-old child is by using the following steps:

• Move an object, a bright toy and watch how the child moves his eyes after the bright spot. The distance from the baby’s face should be 25-30 centimeters and the object should not be taken too far away.
• The child must distinguish a game item from a food item. You need to show your child a toy and at the same time a bottle with a nipple. He will pull the pacifier into his mouth and play with the toy. This is how the ability to distinguish objects by their purpose is formed.
• You can check how a 6-month-old child is trying to get up with help. A bell or a bright toy that you need to either bring closer to the child’s face or move them away. You can offer your baby help in the form of your hand or finger, which he grabs with his hand to get up and sit down.
• You can check your baby’s emotional reactions by reading nursery rhymes and books, changing the intonation and facial expressions of your face.
• You can test the grasping reflex and the ability to “defend” your opinion and your objects this way: try to jokingly take away a toy from the baby. The child should hold the object tightly for at least two to three minutes, expressing dissatisfaction.
• A 6-month-old child must respond to his name, he must be called and monitored for his reaction - turning his head, smiling, babbling.
• Check how well the baby can roll over from back to tummy and vice versa. This can be done in a playful way.
• You can check the sound reaction by reading nursery rhymes, which assume endings in the form of syllables: “geese, geese - ha-ha-ha, if you want to eat - yes-da-da.” The child should try to pronounce syllables that correspond, if not to the text, then to the rhythm of the nursery rhyme.
• The child should be gradually weaned from eating through a bottle with a pacifier, and begin feeding with a spoon and drinking from a cup. The baby should show interest in new dishes, which should be purchased in advance, even if they are bright and colorful.
• Check how the child recognizes himself in the mirror, bring and hide the mirror, ask who it is, help him speak, call the baby by name.

Another important milestone in the development of an infant is the 6th month of life. By the end of the first half of the year, the baby masters skills that are radically new to him - he begins to sit down, tries to stand up and move around by crawling. He actively participates in the process of communication with adults, his emotions become brighter and his character traits become more noticeable. Read more about what a child of 6 months should be able to do in our article.

Physical development

Height and weight

On average, a baby’s weight at 6 months is from 7.5 to 9 kg, and his height is 66–68 cm. But you should also focus on monthly weight and height gain: within a month, body weight should increase by 400–600 g, and height – 2 cm.

Head and chest circumference

At 6 months, the head circumference is 43.5–45 cm, and the chest circumference is from 45 to 46 cm.

Psychomotor development

At 6 months, children develop new skills:

Movements. By the end of the first six months of life, most children begin to sit down or actively strive to sit down, although their attempts are not yet completely successful: when sitting down, the baby does not hold his back well or quickly “falls over” on his side. But if the child does not yet know how to sit, this is considered a variant of the norm, and it is impossible to specifically seat him without support under the back.

By the age of 6 months, the baby should be able to get on all fours and attempt to crawl - mainly on his stomach, “on his belly,” but some babies may already be able to move on all fours with the cross-position of arms and legs. Some children actively master such methods of movement as crawling backwards, or moving with rocking, falling forward on their hands and then “pulling up” their legs. At six months, many babies begin to stand up against a support or with support.

Hand movements are becoming clearer. The child purposefully reaches out and grabs a toy or an object of interest with his fingers and holds it tightly, brings it to his mouth, to his eyes, moves it from one hand to another, and performs other conscious actions with toys (presses buttons, pulls springs, twists and moves rings and figures by game centers). He is quite confident with his fingers and can grasp small objects, such as buttons.

A six-month-old baby can hold a bottle of water or formula well and may try to eat cookies or pieces of fruit on his own, but he still cannot hold a spoon or a mug of water and bring it to his mouth.

Emotions brightly colored and actively expressed. The child reacts to changes in events happening around him by changing his mood and emotions: crying, laughing, smiling, whining, screaming demandingly, etc. At the same time, the baby expresses his desires not only with emotions, but also with actions - he stretches out his arms when he wants to be held by his mother, claps his hands and jumps for joy, falls on his back and “kicks” his legs when he is angry.

Thinking– the baby knows his name and responds to it, knows the names of some objects, understands what they are talking about (even if this object is not now in front of his eyes). When pronouncing the name of an object, he looks around, trying to find it around.

Speech. A six-month-old baby babbles, quickly repeating a variety of syllables. When repeating the syllables “ma,” “pa,” or “ba,” one may get the impression that he is pronouncing the word “mama” (“dad” or “baba”). However, these are not words yet, but unconscious babble, attempts to reproduce the speech of adults.

Daily routine

The daily routine of a 6-month-old baby does not change significantly: he is awake for 2 to 4 hours in a row, and sleeps up to 14 hours per day, and still 3 times during the day. Due to increased activity, children may have difficulty sleeping at night, become fussy, or demand to be played with. In such cases, it is necessary to normalize the daily routine by excluding active and fun games in the evening and replacing them with bathing, looking at pictures, or mother humming lullabies.

Disturbances in night sleep in a 6-month-old baby may also be due to other reasons: teething, infectious disease, increased nervous excitability. If the baby is very restless at night, and at the same time sleeps no more than usual during the day, you need to talk about this at an appointment with a pediatrician and pediatric neurologist.

Other questions

Nutrition– at 6 months, all children should receive complementary foods (except for those who suffer from severe allergies or diseases gastrointestinal tract). The introduction of new dishes with normal product tolerance is carried out quite quickly - 1 new product every 1-2 weeks. It should be remembered that the introduction of new complementary foods does not begin during the period of teething, before vaccination or against the background of an infectious disease.

By six months, gluten-free cereals, fruit and vegetable purees, egg yolk, cookies, vegetable oil. By the end of the 6th month, the introduction of meat puree begins.

The menu for a breastfed baby at 6 months looks something like this:

6.00 – breast milk;

10.00 – dairy-free buckwheat porridge with ¼ yolk;

14.00 – vegetable puree with vegetable oil, breast milk;

18.00 – fruit puree, cookies, breast milk;

22.00 – breast milk.

As soon as the baby begins to sit, it is necessary to feed him in a specially designated place - the best option would be a high chair. While he is sitting unsteadily, he needs to place a pillow under his back, transferring the baby to a reclining position. It is necessary to accustom children to cutlery - plates, spoons, cups and sippy cups instead of the previously familiar bottles.

Toys. At 6 months, when choosing toys for a child, great attention should be paid to their safety: the baby is quite capable of removing a small part and swallowing or putting it in his nose. A child at this age will be interested in various developmental centers where you can press buttons and keys, twist and move parts. By 6 months, you need to introduce your child to the pyramid, teaching him how to string rings, while simultaneously pronouncing their size and color.

For the development of a 6-month-old child, you should talk and communicate with him as often as possible. Be sure to read simple rhymes to your baby, show pictures in books, and name all unfamiliar objects while walking. Developmental activities (reading, playing with a pyramid, blocks) should not be long - 3-5 minutes is enough, otherwise the child will get tired, his attention will become distracted and he will not get any pleasure from the activity.

Do not forget about the physical development and hardening of the baby: you need to walk with him 1-2 times a day, if the weather permits (temperatures ranging from 10 degrees below zero to 30 degrees hot are considered acceptable), for at least 2 hours. It is advisable to carry out walks with the child in your arms (you can place him in a sling), and in a stroller during wakefulness he should be transported in a semi-sitting position so that he can examine the surrounding objects and the events taking place around him.

At home with the child, at least once a day, you need to do gymnastics with elements of massage and active games (exercises on the ball, etc.) and support his desire to crawl, for which the baby should be given the opportunity to move around the floor. Constantly keeping a baby in a playpen, in a crib or on a sofa slows down the development of his motor skills - he must learn to crawl and stand on a hard surface. If the floors are very cold, you can cover them with a blanket for 1–2 hours while working with your child.