This is quite a milestone. Your baby has now developed an even more visible personality. He is probably already on solid foods and can sit upright all alone. Let’s get more into what you can expect from your little one this month
What to Expect
Motor Skills – The milestones during this month are quite a number. Your baby can probably sit up and roll over. He may surprise you by propelling around the floor. Or he may choose to commando crawl. Read more on crawling here. His legs are getting stronger by the day and the constant kicking and rolling will definitely make diaper changes a lot harder.
Sleep – You can expect better sleep time from around this time. The longer breaks you’ve been longing for should be around sooner if you are not enjoying them already. This is because your baby might just sleep for up to eight hours. In case you find this difficult, consider the Ferber Method. This involves taking your baby to sleep and waiting a little longer before comforting her when she cries. see more on sleep training here. This may, however, not work as well if your baby sleeps with you, as is a norm with most Kenyan moms. In the end, what’s most important is that you find something that works for you and your baby.
Speech
Continue talking to your baby and encourage them to respond. This largely helps with their language development. Talk to them about what they’re doing, what you’re doing, basically about everything. Everything you say is getting stored in their developing brain and he/she will eventually start to babble sounds such as ‘ba’ and ‘ma’.
Weaning
This is usually a preference type of situation. Some mothers may have started their baby on solid foods earlier. Others could be thinking about starting. This is a learning experience for both baby and you. Most Kenyan hospitals follow the World Health Organisation (WHO) advisory is to start the baby on solid foods at six months. This is usually because breast milk can no longer sustain his growing body from this age onwards.
Growth Chart
At your 6-month clinic checkup and immunization, your baby’s development will be checked as well. His weight may have doubled their birth weight although, from 6 m, the weight gain will decrease to about 450 grams a month. The average height will also reduce to a half-inch every month.
Some of the major developmental concerns at this stage are:-
- No weight gain
- Can’t make sounds
- Is unable to roll
- Doesn’t respond to sounds
You can help your baby improve when you:
- Show him colorful pictures and put on playful music
- Give him some play time (encourage self-play as it helps the baby know how to amuse themselves)
- Encourage tummy time (it will make the baby get creative. He may roll over, crawl, or even bend)
Remember to ask your doctor as many questions as possible when it comes to your baby’s growth.
Signs of Delayed Development
While it is important to note that children grow differently, here are some signs that there could be a problem:
- Is disinterested in activities happening around them
- Has anxious tendencies
- Is difficult to settle
- Doesn’t seem to recognise their mother or close family
- Does not make eye contact
- Barely makes sounds
Disclaimers:
#Please note that development differs from one child to another
# Content intended for educational purposes only, and should not be substituted for medical advice from your doctor.
Last reviewed January 2018
Sources: bounty, webmd, verywellfamily
