I still can't believe how time has passed - from a new born my daughter has grown up to a toddler. You won’t believe your eyes and halfway through the infant’s first year is already gone. Every baby is different. All the babies achieve milestones differently. My daughter started to sit on her own by the time she was six months old but I have heard it may differ from other mothers. My daughter’s progress truly amazed me.
What you can expect at six months?
At six months, babies start to eat solid food and communicate with you. They should have doubled the birth weight by now. Your baby can now sit alone without any support. Baby can roll from his back to stomach and vice versa. He can rise up on hands and knees and rock back and forth.
Sleep
The most important milestone that matters most for almost all the moms is sleep cycle. Most babies sleep for six to eight hours at a stretch by six months, which is a very big milestone but I must tell you that you still need to wake the child up for feeds every 3 hourly even at night.
Motor skills
So now that the baby can roll over, we have to be very careful while they are asleep. It’s a good habit to surround them with body pillows so they don’t fall off the edge. This is the reason why we need to be extra precautious during this phase.
Eyes
You may notice that your baby’s eyes have changed from their birth colour. Lighter color eyes will now come to its final shade. If they have lighter eyes now they will remain like that forever but this hasn’t been proved yet.
Food
Now you can slowly start introducing solids to your baby. Your pediatrician will tell you to start introducing solid food to your infant. You can begin with cereal mixed with breast or formula milk. You should also include fruits in your baby’s meal every day. Also make sure you wait for a day or two after including new food so that you come to know whether your baby is allergic or not. If your baby doesn’t like any food, don't force him; instead wait for a few days and make an attempt again. According to doctors it takes 8 to 25 attempts for a baby to like a new food and develop a taste for it. Cow’s milk should not be given until your baby is at least 1 year old. Although products like cheese, butter and ghee are fine.
Communication
Your baby will start saying words like baba, mama, papa etc. To help your baby with learning new words, try reading stories at night. Babies at 6 months start to recognize people and things around them. You may also see signs of fear when she is with a stranger or unknown person.
Breastfeeding
Although the minimum recommendation for breastfeeding is atleast 1 year you can continue till the time you can and then later wean off. The more you breastfeed the better it is as it gives your baby the immunity and strength which no other thing in the world can. And in no time your baby will be a strong baby! Do not miss out on these growing up years ever! Stay tuned for more.
