Development
At six months most children can sit alone for a short time, and can reach for small objects and hold them for a few seconds. They giggle a lot and enjoy people.
Safety
At 6 months children are reaching for objects that interest them, sometimes at inhumanly fast speeds. Anything small enough to fit through a toilet paper tube, or hanging too close to the crib, has become hazardous at this age. Six-month-olds are rock and rollers, so tabletops, once convenient places for baby seats, are no longer. Crib safety standards become especially important, and children are still too young for pillows at this stage.
Foods and feeding skills
Around six months, children start dropping hints that they may be ready to expand their repertoire of foods:
- Hungry a lot
- Drooling less and getting better at swallowing
- Sitting up without support
- Turning their heads when they don't like something
- Making chewing motions
- Bringing their hands to their mouths
- Growing to twice their birth weights
Seeing these signs, parents usually start conversations with the pediatrician about making the big move to solid food.
Food safety
The experts say breast milk or formulas are the best sources of nutrition for the first 6 months. The pediatrician will know for sure, but generally parents wait until at least 4 months, and more like 6 months, before trying other foods.
Feeding times
Babies start needing more breast milk or formula as they grow, and hunger is the best indicator to keep on feeding. At this stage pediatricians measure height and weight to make sure children are getting enough nutrition, and they start making growth charts.