Watching a baby move from the three-month-old stage to being six months old is exciting and fun. Around six months, your baby has developed his or her own unique personality with distinct wants and needs. At this time, your child is going through a serious growth period, mentally and physically. Keep in mind that if you have other children, you cannot necessarily do a comparison. After all, most babies are very different, even if siblings. Therefore, while you will have a good idea of what to expect, ability and timeframes will differ.
Remember, when your baby was three months old, he or she was starting to babble, imitate noises and facial expressions, playing with or looking at his/her has, trying to put the hands in the mouth, supporting the head and chest while on the stomach, and when on the back, stretching and kicking. All of these actions are a part of normal development that will continue to get more precise as the baby ages.
For instance, by the time your baby is six months of age, you should begin to notice him or her putting the hands together, often interlacing the fingers. Additionally, your baby should be able to turn the head toward sounds that are coming from a different room or even outside. Then, your six-month-old baby should master the skill of rolling from the stomach over to the back and vice versa.
Other common development accomplishments for a six-month-old include the baby being able to support his/her weight on outstretched hands while placed on the tummy. You should begin to notice small crumbs or pieces of food fallen onto the highchair tray become a focal point with tiny hands trying to pick them up. Then, when standing the baby up with support, he or she should now be able to support the body weight.
Just as with any developmental phase, babies will sometimes surprise you by doing something advanced but then fall back in another area. We recommend you keep an eye on the child and if you notice him or her not being able to do any of these mentioned items or if you have concerns about the growth and development of your child for any reason, contact your pediatrician. Most often, everything is fine but your doctor can ease any concerns you might have.