Wicca Way

Important Announcement

The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More

Your Baby's Development: Month Six

Month at a Glance

At six months your baby may:

Sensory/Intellectual

begin to use subtle hand and arm gestures to communicate

Physical

sit up by herself

Social/Emotional

start mimicking your behavior

Learning to Communicate

Amazingly, this month your baby may reach and gesture with her hands. It might be her way of imitating you or trying to tell you something. But you probably won't notice it. Her communication skills need lots of work. And you're not used to having a baby who says "Give me." Even if it's only with her hands.

Watch your six-month-old closely. You'll see she sometimes tries to use gestures, body language, and eye contact to get her point across. She will also start canonical babbling this month. By paying closer attention to adult speech, she is able to make sentence-like strings of vowels and consonants. It's up to you to guess what she means when she says "Ba ba ba" or "Da la da la."

Sitting Up

Sitting up takes a combination of strength, balance, and coordination. Your baby will probably start with a tripod pose. That means she'll keep her hands on the floor between her legs. Gradually, she'll learn to sit up straight and let go of the floor. By the end of the month, she'll actually play in this position.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

At six months, babies begin what experts call social imitation. Your baby wants to be like you. Open your mouth, and your little monkey will open hers, too. Bang a toy, shake a rattle, splash the bath water, and with a little encouragement, she'll delight in following your lead.

Brain Teaser

Did you know�?/STRONG>that starting at about six months, your baby's vocal and listening experiences will contribute to brain developments associated with her talking skills?

What a thrill to discover one of your six–month–old's most impressive skills. Getting what she wants. This month is a landmark in your baby's path to self–expression, when she begins to show signs of trying to communicate her desires.

Her sounds and gestures may be subtle or unmistakable. A tap on your hand. Eye contact. Or distinctive sounds, different from her usual babble or cry. Six–month–olds can usually sit up alone for a few moments and inch or "scooch" across the floor on their tummies, a precursor to crawling.

Though your baby needs to be on breast milk or formula for at least a year, she may be looking to explore solid foods. Don't be surprised if she reaches out and tries to grab the food right out of your hand, a not–so–subtle way of getting what she wants.

Build on your baby's more developed physical control by sitting her up, unsupported. Surround her with pillows to cushion her tumbles and rolls. Of course, always keep an eye on her.

Lay your baby on her stomach and lift her legs a few inches off the floor. Encourage her to push her upper body off the floor with her arms.

Clap your baby's hands together while you sing to her. Repeat her favorite nursery rhymes, pronouncing the words clearly, and varying the loudness of your voice.

Stand where your baby can see you, and tell her you're going to pick her up. Hold out your arms. When she smiles, coos, or reaches for you, pick her up.

Introduce your baby to the letters of the alphabet. Hang big, colorful, attractive letters or pictures of letters where she can see them.

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
Wicca Way	[email protected]