6 month old baby feeding sleep and milestones by month

Congratulations; your victual has reached 6 months old! These first six months have been filled with immense growth for both of you. Their world has expanded, and there are many increasingly heady developments and milestones for your 6-month-old. This vendible will guide you through these new 6-month milestones and requite you a framework for their waffly feeding and sleeping needs and what to expect at their doctor visit.

As your victual nears 6 months old, their marvel for the world virtually them will explode. They will start achieving new developmental milestones daily and at lightning speed. Some of these new milestones to watch your 6-month-old reach include:^1,2

Knowing and reacting to familiar faces
Looking and interacting with themselves in the mirror
Laughing and squealing
Sticking their tongue out and self-glorification (aka “blowing raspberries”)
Grabbing for toys they want and putting them in their mouths
Rolling from tummy to back
Pushing up with straight stovepipe while on their tummy
Supporting themselves while sitting by leaning on their hands
Rocking when and along on their hands and knees

While your victual can sit with support and use their hands to support themselves while sitting, they still cannot sit fully unsupported. Many babies will not sit up unassisted until they are virtually 9 months old, when they can hands get seated.¹³

With their victual at 6 months old, many parents will wonder what new foods their victual can eat. Now is the perfect time to slowly introduce solid foods to your baby’s diet. To safely introduce solid foods, you need to make sure your victual has achieved the pursuit 6-month milestones:³

They can sit vacated with support
They can tenancy and support their throne and neck
They unshut their mouth when supplies is offered
They can swallow supplies without pushing it out with their tongue
They can grab objects and bring them to their mouths

Please consult your doctor if you have questions well-nigh whether your victual is ready to eat solid foods.

Once your victual is ready to try solid foods, many parents want to know what foods they should start with. The unstipulated recommendation is to start with a single-ingredient supplies that has been mashed, pureed, or strained. If you are giving your victual infant cereal, you should requite a variety of types such as rice, oats, barley, or multigrain to stave overconsumption of unrepealable vitamins or minerals.

You should moreover only introduce one new supplies at a time and wait three to five days surpassing introducing another. This will help you monitor your infant’s tolerance to the new foods.³

6 month old sample feeding schedule graphic

Even though your victual has started to eat some solid foods, it is essential to remember that most of your baby’s daily nutrition will still come from breast milk or formula. The stereotype 6-month-old will still take 3-5 ounces of milk every two to four hours, between 24 and 32 ounces daily.¹⁵

At 6 months old, your baby’s sleep schedule will squint very similar, if not identical, to their sleep schedule at 5 months. Six-month-old infants require 12-16 hours of sleep daily, with an stereotype of two daytime naps averaging three to four hours. Many 6-month-olds will sleep for nine straight hours or longer during the night surpassing waking to feed.⁵

Many parents may find it increasingly difficult to get their 6-month-old to fall unconsciousness on a resulting nap schedule during this time. Many babies can have difficulty winding lanugo for sleep when they have been urgently playing. One of the weightier ways to help your little one sleep for nap time is to turn your bedtime routine into a mini-nap time sleep routine. If you typically read two books in a dim room surpassing bedtime, read one in the same setting.

The key is to alimony the nap time routine short and wifely and to put your victual lanugo to sleep while they are drowsy. This will help make nap time increasingly successful and ensure your victual gets the needed sleep.⁶

Making it out of the newborn stage is a huge win when setting up a daily routine at the 6-month milestone marker. Your 6-month-old’s feeding times and wake windows will be much increasingly consistent, permitting for increasingly play time, outings, and activities. Implementing resulting nap times will help your victual have structure in their day while making sure your little one is getting unbearable sleep.

It is recommended that a 6-month-old infant takes at least two naps per day and sleeps for a total of three to four hours.⁵ Their first nap typically happens virtually two hours without they have woken for the day and lasts well-nigh one and a half to two hours. The second nap of the day should happen virtually two hours without waking from their morning nap and last flipside one and a half to two hours.^5,6

Their evening can consist of increasingly playtime followed by trying some increasingly solid food. Try aiming for a bedtime of 7-8 p.m., so starting that routine virtually 6:30-7 p.m. will requite your little one plenty of time to wind lanugo for the night.⁶

6 month old sample daily schedule graphic

Now that your victual is hitting their 6-month milestones, they’ll need flipside well-child visit. During this visit, your doctor will trammels your baby’s weight, discuss concerns you may have well-nigh their minutiae and diet, and administer vaccines. During this visit, you can discuss with your doctor if your victual has reacted to new foods, such as throwing up, diarrhea, or a rash.⁷ Your doctor can teach you on the towardly whoopee to determine if your little one has any supplies allergies.

At 6 months of age, your victual will be ready for flipside round of vaccines. These vaccines include:⁸

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

As your victual grows, they will protract to be exposed to many worldwide illnesses. Some of the most worldwide illnesses seen at this age include:⁹

Cold with a runny nose, sneezing, congestion, cough, and fussiness
Diarrhea and vomiting caused by a virus
Ear infections and pain
Hand, foot, and mouth disease, causing sores to the mouth and a rash to the palms of their hands and soles of their feet

While many babies can overcome these illnesses with little medical intervention, it is vital to seek medical sustentation if your victual is experiencing any of the pursuit symptoms:⁹

Fever lasting longer than three days
Ear pain, drainage from the ear
Signs of vaporization such as dry/cracked lips, decreased value of wet diapers, subtract in tears
Difficulty breathing
Increased fussiness
Decreased energy

Mother playing with her victual while laying lanugo on the floor

As your victual approaches 6 months old, they will show signs that crawling may be near, such as rocking when and along while on their hands and knees.² While your victual is likely not ready to crawl, you may wonder how to help them get ready to crawl. Tummy time is the most important worriedness your victual can do to help with 6-month developmental milestones.¹⁰ Placing toys just out of reach will encourage your victual to grab them.²

Some other fun activities you can do with your victual to help with their growth and minutiae include:¹

Singing and playing music with them
Limiting screen time, as it is not recommended for children younger than 2 years old to have screen time
Encouraging supported sitting, such as sitting on your lap
Holding your victual under their stovepipe and permitting them to stand
Whispering, clapping, or making silly sounds with your baby
Allowing your victual to waif their toy and you retrieving it will help them to learn rationalization and effect

Your little one is rhadamanthine quite the mover and shaker, so now is a perfect time to baby-proof your house. It is essential to alimony your infant’s environment safe, and that will include:¹¹

Using a rear-facing car seat that is properly installed
Using victual gates at the top and marrow of the stairs
Removing all small objects from their reach
Never leave them unattended or with younger kids or pets
See our baby proofing checklist

If you are still room-sharing with your infant, when is it time to move them to their own room? Since the AAP recommends room sharing for at least the first six months, the 6-month milestone mark may be the perfect time.¹⁴ If you are concerned well-nigh the transition, it is okay to start small, such as having your victual sleep in their own room during one nap a day. Work up to having them sleep in their room for both naps during the day. Slowly but surely, your little one will get used to sleeping in their room during nap time and nighttime.¹²

These past 6 months have been a wonderful journey filled with growth, exploration, and joy. Your victual is rapidly developing the skills to create a unexceptionable and happy future. Embrace each moment and gloat each victory your little one gains.! These are precious and heady times with your little one!