The newborn stage might be the most difficult for new parents. There are so many changes happening it feels like your baby is changing every day. However, once your baby reaches 6 months, your confidence has grown and so has your baby!
Developmental Milestones for Your 6-Month-Old
- They recognize familiar faces
- They can grasp and pick up small items
- They can roll over
- They can lift their head
- They play with their toes and fingers
- They can sit up independently
- They follow other people’s movement with their eyes
- They imitate sounds and words
One of the biggest milestones for 6 month olds is they begin to eat solid foods! This is an exciting time in their development as you begin to learn their food preferences and the foods they do not care for. Babies at this age begin to eat solid food, but still rely on breastmilk or formula as their main way of receiving their daily nutrients. At this stage, they are just learning how to eat solids and you’ll see that most of their food ends up everywhere except their mouths!
Tips for Introducing your 6-Month-Old to Solid Foods
- Begin feeding them solids only after they have learned to sit up independently.
- Do not worry if your baby does not like a certain type of food; their taste buds will change, and they may eventually begin to like a food they did not like initially.
- Make meals enjoyable! If you are stressed out throughout the meal, it will be stressful for your baby. Since they are still receiving formula or breastmilk, how much solid foods they are eating is not the focus. They are learning how to chew and swallow.
Developmental Milestones for 7-12 Month Olds
Now that your baby is eating solid foods time will begin to fly by! Babies development, seemingly, explode by this point. Here are some milestones your baby might hit between the ages of 7 and 12 months old.
- They will start to crawl. While not all babies crawl before they start walking, most do. This usually happens around 6 or 7 months.
- They begin to understand the meaning of words such as “no”, their names, and “mommy” or “daddy.”
- They can clap their hands.
- They begin to understand emotions and tone of voice.
- They may begin to exhibit separation anxiety when you leave them.
- They can stand while holding onto furniture.
- They can respond to simple verbal requests.
Activities for your 6 to 12-Month-Old
This age is so much fun! Keeping them entertained is very simple, and you will want to soak up every moment as much as you can. Activities you do with them should encourage movement and exploration. Whether you are rolling a ball to them, or helping them stack small blocks. Any activity that gets them moving is great. In addition to that, read to them often. The more words they hear throughout the day the more you are supporting their speech development.
As you guide your child’s development throughout the first year, you are setting the stage for the rest of their development. Understanding the milestones they will achieve, and providing them with a safe environment to move and explore will benefit them greatly.