Milestones: Your Baby at Six Months

Your baby is halfway to one year old! At six months, you likely have a drooly, chatty, and very curious baby on your hands. As your six-month pediatrician’s appointment is right around the corner, we put together these important six-month milestones from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC that your doctor will go over with you. These are cues that your child’s development is right on track.

Social Skills

At six months, your child will know familiar people in their life, and will also know if someone is a stranger. They may even start to develop stranger danger, and become a bit panicked when someone new is interacting with them.

They love to play with others, and will respond to your emotions. Vanity may set in, as they enjoy looking at themself in the mirror. Six-month-olds are filled with joy. What is not to love about being six months old?

Language Skills

By this time, your child will know and respond to their name. They will make sounds when they hear sounds, and their noises will reflect if they are happy or upset. Your baby will be able to babble vowel sounds, like “ah” and “oh,” and may even start to say constant sounds like “dada” and “baba.”

Movement Skills

By now, your little one can roll from front to back, and back to front. They can sit up on their own for just a few seconds (they will be able to sit up all by themself real soon). They can support all their weight in their legs (but can’t yet stand unassisted), and may even like to bounce.

Cognitive Skills

You child can now pass objects from one hand to another, and will try to grab things out of reach. They are aware of what is nearby them. They are discovering just about everything by putting it in their mouth. Yum.

Be sure to talk to your pediatrician about any concerns you may have about your six-month-old’s development milestones. This is an exciting time, when your child is sleeping longer at night, is just starting to eat solid foods, and loves to play. Enjoy this special age!