Six Months Old
SIX MONTH OLD
DATE: WEIGHT: LENGTH:
DEVELOPMENT:
By now some babies are sitting. He is much more active, may resist lying still for diaper changes, and seems easily frustated. Frequent changes of position from playpen to swing to infant seat to floor will help keep him contented. He will soon be able to get up on his hands and knees, and by 8-10 months, most babies are creeping or crawling. Hands are now being used to try all sorts of new things, and he will delight in toys that he can transfer, feel, and mouth. Rattles, blocks, and soft-textured toys are good choices.
Though your baby may have been comfortable with others in previous months, he may now develop some stranger anxiety. He is learning to tell the difference between what is new and familiar and those unfamiliar people and things may startle him.
He will also be vocalizing more. It is important while changing, feeding, and playing to talk, sing, and make nonsense sounds to him. You will be rewarded with a marvelous string of sounds in response.
FEEDING:
If you are not breast feeding, continue to use an iron-fortified infant formula. If solid foods haven’t yet been started, you may start spoon feeding with infant cereals, then strained fruits and vegetables, then strained meats. Introduce one new food every three or four days so that any untoward reactions can be noted. Commercially prepared baby food is convenient and nutritious, but is more expensive than making your own. You can feed soft table foods, such as mashed potatoes, squash, cottage cheese, or yogurt. You may make your own baby foods from table foods using a blender, food grinder, or food processor, leaving the foods more coarse as her chewing abilities improve. She should not have nuts, raw carrots, hot dogs, raisins, bacon, or any foods that might break off into chunks and choke her. Fruits make a good dessert; it’s best to avoid puddings, honey, and other sweets. Use only unsweetened fruit juice and feed it from a cup; bottles of fruit juice may promote tooth decay. Even six month olds have strong preferences, commonly disliking meats and some vegetables, and craving fruits, cereals, and juices. Try your best (without force!) to provide a balanced diet by combining meats and vegetables or relying on your own table foods that usually have better, fresher flavors than commercial baby food.
Your baby may soon learn to hold her own bottle, but you should not allow her to have a bottle in bed. This can become a hard habit to break and encourages tooth decay and possibly ear infections.
Feed her when she’s hungry; don’t force foods if she’s not interested. Just like adults, different babies have different rates of metabolism. Some thin active babies may eat more than other chubby, less active babies. The important thing for a mother to learn is how to interpret her baby’s crying and whining. Feeding her when she really just wanted to be played with can teach baby to use food to alleviate boredom and can lead to obesity.
TEETH:
Teething usually begins with the eruption of the lower front two teeth. The average age for appearance of the first tooth is six months, but any time between four and ten months is normal. If teething seems to bother her, refrigerated teething rings or popsicles may make her more comfortable. Over-the-counter teething remedies (e.g. Baby Orajel) may be used in small quantities as a last resort. High fevers and excessive diarrhea are not caused by teething, and another reason should be sought. Continue her fluoride treatment if your local water isn’t fluoridated.
SAFETY:
The baby should be in a car seat when riding in a car (California law). It’s a good time to look around the house and start planning which things need to be removed, placed out of reach, or locked. Purchase a bottle of Syrup of Ipecac to have available should your child ever ingest something poisonous. Small or sharp objects should not be given to him, as they’ll go immediately into the mouth. Pediatricians have seen injuries (cuts, bruises, fractures) after walkers have tipped over, especially around stairways. Babies placed in walkers don’t walk any earlier than babies who haven’t used one, so we don’t recommend buying one. Don’t leave him alone in a bathtub, even to answer the phone.
IMMUNIZATIONS:
Today your baby will receive the third DPT immunization. You may use about three-quarters of a dropper (0.6ml) of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Panodol, etc.) for relief of any associated pain or fever.
This is a delightful age. The baby is now responsive to you and to what you do. Everything she does is teaching her about the world she lives in.
She is changing quickly, so take time to enjoy.
SUGGESTED READING:
Feed Me I’m Yours – Vicki Lansky
The Parenting Advisor – Princeton Center for Infancy The Baby Exercise Book – Janine Levy
101 Ways to Boost Your Child’s Self Esteem – Price and Parry