6-Month-Previous Child: Feeding, Sleep, and Milestones by Month

Congratulations; your child has reached 6 months previous! These first six months have been crammed with immense progress for each of you. Their world has expanded, and there are numerous extra thrilling developments and milestones to your 6-month-old. This text will information you thru these new 6-month milestones and offer you a framework for his or her altering feeding and sleeping wants and what to anticipate at their physician go to.

As your child nears 6 months previous, their curiosity for the world round them will explode. They are going to begin attaining new developmental milestones every day and at lightning velocity. A few of these new milestones to look at your 6-month-old attain embody:^1,2

• Realizing and reacting to acquainted faces
• Trying and interacting with themselves within the mirror
• Laughing and squealing
• Sticking their tongue out and blowing (aka “blowing raspberries”)
• Grabbing for toys they need and placing them of their mouths
• Rolling from tummy to again
• Pushing up with straight arms whereas on their tummy
• Supporting themselves whereas sitting by leaning on their fingers
• Rocking forwards and backwards on their fingers and knees

Whereas your child can sit with assist and use their fingers to assist themselves whereas sitting, they nonetheless can’t sit totally unsupported. Many infants is not going to sit up unassisted till they’re round 9 months previous, once they can simply get seated.¹³

With their child at 6 months previous, many mother and father will surprise what new meals their child can eat. Now could be the proper time to slowly introduce strong meals to your child’s weight-reduction plan. To securely introduce strong meals, it’s good to make sure that your child has achieved the next 6-month milestones:³

• They will sit alone with assist
• They will management and assist their head and neck
• They open their mouth when meals is obtainable
• They will swallow meals with out pushing it out with their tongue
• They will seize objects and convey them to their mouths

Please seek the advice of your physician in case you have questions on whether or not your child is able to eat strong meals.

As soon as your child is able to strive strong meals, many mother and father need to know what meals they need to begin with. The overall suggestion is to start out with a single-ingredient meals that has been mashed, pureed, or strained. If you’re giving your child toddler cereal, it’s best to give quite a lot of varieties corresponding to rice, oats, barley, or multigrain to keep away from overconsumption of sure nutritional vitamins or minerals.

You also needs to solely introduce one new meals at a time and wait three to 5 days earlier than introducing one other. It will enable you monitor your toddler’s tolerance to the brand new meals.³

Although your child has began to eat some strong meals, it’s important to keep in mind that most of your child’s every day diet will nonetheless come from breast milk or components. The typical 6-month-old will nonetheless take 3-5 ounces of milk each two to 4 hours, between 24 and 32 ounces every day.¹⁵

At 6 months previous, your child’s sleep schedule will look very comparable, if not an identical, to their sleep schedule at 5 months. Six-month-old infants require 12-16 hours of sleep every day, with a median of two daytime naps averaging three to 4 hours. Many 6-month-olds will sleep for 9 straight hours or longer in the course of the night time earlier than waking to feed.⁵

Many mother and father could discover it tougher to get their 6-month-old to go to sleep on a constant nap schedule throughout this time. Many infants can have issue winding down for sleep once they have been actively enjoying. Probably the greatest methods to assist your toddler sleep for nap time is to show your bedtime routine right into a mini-nap time sleep routine. When you sometimes learn two books in a dim room earlier than bedtime, learn one in the identical setting.

The secret’s to maintain the nap time routine quick and calm and to place your child all the way down to sleep whereas they’re drowsy. It will assist make nap time extra profitable and guarantee your child will get the wanted sleep.⁶

Making it out of the new child stage is a large win when organising a every day routine on the 6-month milestone marker. Your 6-month-old’s feeding occasions and wake home windows will probably be far more constant, permitting for extra play time, outings, and actions. Implementing constant nap occasions will assist your child have construction of their day whereas ensuring your toddler is getting sufficient sleep.

It is strongly recommended {that a} 6-month-old toddler takes at the very least two naps per day and sleeps for a complete of three to 4 hours.⁵ Their first nap sometimes occurs round two hours after they’ve woken for the day and lasts about one and a half to 2 hours. The second nap of the day ought to occur round two hours after waking from their morning nap and final one other one and a half to 2 hours.^5,6

Their night can encompass extra playtime adopted by making an attempt some extra strong meals. Strive aiming for a bedtime of 7-8 p.m., so beginning that routine round 6:30-7 p.m. will give your toddler loads of time to wind down for the night time.⁶

Now that your child is hitting their 6-month milestones, they’ll want one other well-child go to. Throughout this go to, your physician will verify your child’s weight, focus on considerations you’ll have about their growth and weight-reduction plan, and administer vaccines. Throughout this go to, you may focus on along with your physician in case your child has reacted to new meals, corresponding to throwing up, diarrhea, or a rash.⁷ Your physician can advise you on the suitable motion to find out in case your toddler has any meals allergic reactions.

At 6 months of age, your child will probably be prepared for one more spherical of vaccines. These vaccines embody:⁸

• DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis)
• HiB (Haemophilus influenza)
• PCV (Pneumococcal)
• Rotavirus
• Influenza and COVID
• Hepatitis B

As your child grows, they may proceed to be uncovered to many frequent diseases. A number of the commonest diseases seen at this age embody:⁹

Whereas many infants can overcome these diseases with little medical intervention, it is important to hunt medical consideration in case your child is experiencing any of the next signs:⁹

• Fever lasting longer than three days
• Ear ache, drainage from the ear
• Indicators of dehydration corresponding to dry/cracked lips, decreased quantity of moist diapers, lower in tears
• Issue respiratory
• Elevated fussiness
• Decreased power

As your child approaches 6 months previous, they may present indicators that crawling could also be close to, corresponding to rocking forwards and backwards whereas on their fingers and knees.² Whereas your child is probably going not able to crawl, chances are you’ll surprise assist them get able to crawl. Tummy time is crucial exercise your child can do to assist with 6-month developmental milestones.¹⁰ Inserting toys simply out of attain will encourage your child to seize them.²

Another enjoyable actions you are able to do along with your child to assist with their progress and growth embody:¹

• Singing and enjoying music with them
• Limiting display screen time, as it’s not really helpful for youngsters youthful than 2 years previous to have display screen time
• Encouraging supported sitting, corresponding to sitting in your lap
• Holding your child beneath their arms and permitting them to face
• Whispering, clapping, or making foolish sounds along with your child
• Permitting your child to drop their toy and also you retrieving it’ll assist them to be taught trigger and impact

Your toddler is changing into fairly the mover and shaker, so now is an ideal time to baby-proof your home. It’s important to maintain your toddler’s setting secure, and that may embody:¹¹

• Utilizing a rear-facing automotive seat that’s correctly put in
• Utilizing child gates on the high and backside of the steps
• Eradicating all small objects from their attain
• By no means go away them unattended or with youthful children or pets
• See our child proofing guidelines

If you’re nonetheless room-sharing along with your toddler, when is it time to maneuver them to their very own room? For the reason that AAP recommends room sharing for at the very least the primary six months, the 6-month milestone mark will be the excellent time.¹⁴ If you’re involved concerning the transition, it’s okay to start out small, corresponding to having your child sleep in their very own room throughout one nap a day. Work as much as having them sleep of their room for each naps in the course of the day. Slowly however absolutely, your toddler will get used to sleeping of their room throughout nap time and nighttime.¹²

These previous 6 months have been a beautiful journey crammed with progress, exploration, and pleasure. Your child is quickly creating the talents to create a brilliant and joyful future. Embrace every second and rejoice every achievement your toddler features.! These are treasured and thrilling occasions along with your toddler!