Your infant's development and milestones at 6 months

Physical development: Building strength and coordination

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At 6 months, your little one is getting stronger every day! You’ll notice more control over their movements, especially in their head and neck. This growing strength means they can hold their head steady while sitting and may even manage to support themselves for a few wobbly, adorable moments. Every tiny push-up and mini sit-up is a step toward bigger milestones. So, cheer them on and enjoy the journey!

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• Rolling over: Your 6-month-old can roll from front to back and back to front with ease.
• Sitting up with support: Your baby may be able to sit up with a little help, using their hands for balance.
• Improved hand-eye coordination: Your baby will begin reaching for toys, bringing their hands to their mouth, and exploring objects by grasping and shaking them.

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Friendly reminder: It's normal for some babies to hit these milestones a little earlier or later, so don’t worry if your baby is still working on them.

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Track your baby’s development effortlessly with Happy Baby! Get personalized insights and actionable advice on your baby’s sleep, feeding, and milestones. With Happy Baby, parenting feels a little easier every day.

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Now that your baby’s physical abilities are blossoming, let’s talk about what’s going on inside that busy little brain of theirs.

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Cognitive milestones: Brain development and learning

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At 6 months, your baby is becoming more aware of the world around them. Their cognitive abilities are advancing as they start to understand more about how things work. They may also begin responding to simple cues and even start recognizing familiar faces or voices.

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• Object permanence: Your baby is beginning to understand that objects exist even when they’re out of sight—this is called object permanence[1]. You may notice them searching for a toy you’ve hidden under a blanket, pausing when an object disappears, or reacting when you leave the room, showing early signs of awareness.
• Increased interest in their surroundings: They will likely show more curiosity by looking at objects in their environment and reaching out to touch them.
• Recognizing familiar faces and sounds: Your baby may begin to smile at familiar people and react when they hear your voice.
• Imitation: Your baby may start mimicking simple sounds, like cooing or babbling, which are essential steps toward language development.

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Friendly tip: This is a great time to start introducing simple toys that promote learning, such as stacking rings, soft books, or musical instruments.

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Now that we’ve covered the cognitive side of things, let’s move on to how your baby is starting to connect with others socially and emotionally.

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Social and emotional growth: Forming bonds and expressing feelings

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Around this time, your baby’s emotional development begins to bloom as they start to show a wider range of expressions. They might feel more comfortable around familiar people and become more interested in playing with others.

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• Smiling and laughing: At 6 months, your baby will likely smile and laugh in response to social interactions, signaling the development of their social bond with you.
• Showing attachment: They may start showing preferences for familiar people, like turning to you for comfort when upset.
• Responding to emotions: Babies at this stage can sense the emotional tone of voices and may even try to mimic facial expressions or laugh at funny noises.
• Separation anxiety: While typically more common between 9-12 months, some babies may begin to show mild signs of separation anxiety as early as 6 months. This is linked to the development of object permanence. As they become aware that you can leave the room and still exist elsewhere, they may feel upset when you're not in view, leading to distress during separations. This is a normal developmental milestone that indicates your baby’s growing awareness of the world around them.

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Friendly reminder: Every baby develops at their own pace, so if your little one is a little shy around new people or objects, that’s completely okay.

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To learn more about bonding through music, explore Lullaby Music for Babies to Sleep Instantly or Baby Songs - Lullabies for Babies to Go to Sleep.

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Now that we’ve covered social and emotional growth, let’s talk about your baby’s increasing motor skills and movement.

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Motor skills and movement: Getting mobile and exploring

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As your baby’s physical and cognitive abilities grow, so do their motor skills. At 6 months, your baby is starting to experiment with movement, and some babies may even start showing signs of crawling.

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• Rolling and scooting: If they haven’t already, your baby will likely be rolling both ways, from back to front and vice versa. Some may start scooting or rocking back and forth in preparation for crawling.
• Raking grasp: By around 6 months, your baby may start using a raking grasp[2], where they extend all their fingers at once to scoop up objects. This early fine motor skill lays the foundation for more precise movements, like pincer grasping and self-feeding later on.
• Babbling and making sounds: This is a time when your baby will start making a variety of sounds like consonant-vowel combinations, such as “ba-ba” or “da-da,” which is important for speech development.

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Provide plenty of opportunities for tummy time[3] to help your baby strengthen their neck, arms, and back muscles. This is crucial for future milestones like crawling and walking.

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With all these exciting developments, let’s discuss how sleep and feeding schedules start to change around the 6-month mark.

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Sleep and feeding changes at 6 months

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At around 6 months, your little one is hitting new milestones in sleep and feeding. Here’s what to expect and how to support them through these exciting changes.

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Sleep changes

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• More predictable sleep cycles – Your baby’s sleep is becoming more structured, with longer nighttime stretches and fewer wake-ups.
• Consistent nap schedules – You’ll likely notice naps happening at roughly the same times each day.
• Shorter naps – Naps may shrink to around 1–2 hours as their sleep cycles become more efficient. While it might seem like they’re sleeping less, this is actually a sign of better sleep regulation.

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To adjust your baby’s sleep patterns, read 6-Month-Old Sleep Schedule: How Much Sleep Needed for Babies. To learn more about safe sleeping practices as your baby starts to move, check out When Can Babies Safely Start Sleeping on Their Stomach? to ensure their safety as they explore new movements.

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Feeding changes

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• Introduction of solid foods – Around this age, babies need iron-rich solids as their iron stores from birth start to deplete.
• Signs of readiness – If your baby has good head and neck control, can sit with minimal support, and has lost the tongue-thrust reflex, they’re likely ready to start solids.

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Tip: Start with iron-fortified cereals, mashed vegetables, minced meats, cooked tofu, and scrambled eggs. Continue breastfeeding or formula feeding as the main source of nutrition while solids complement their diet[4].

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As your baby grows, cherish these little milestones. Messy mealtimes, sleepy cuddles, and all the tiny moments that make this stage special!

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