Why 6 month old baby. Sixth month. Child development calendar. What new toys can you buy?

The incredible speed of growth and development of a child in the first half of life is simply mesmerizing: only recently the baby was born, and after two to three months he confidently holds his head and smiles at his mother. After another month, the baby accurately distinguishes between “friends” and “strangers” and tries to catch and hold a colorful toy. This is how - by leaps and bounds - your sun is growing.

At 6 months, a child is already a full-fledged person, whose character and type of temperament can be traced.

But the most dramatic change occurs at 6 months - having reached this age, the baby changes so rapidly and learns so quickly that you are amazed. This is what a child can do at 6 months, which is what we will talk about. And we’ll start our conversation by discussing the diet and some changes in the menu.

Pediatricians, speech therapists, and dentists have been arguing over the topic for several decades. Some believe that this inhibits speech development and leads to incorrect pronunciation of sounds. Our article will tell you what experts think about this.

Nutrition for a six month old baby

Many years of research and the experience of previous generations indicate that up to this age, breast milk fully provides a growing baby with all the necessary substances: proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins.

But why can and should the first complementary foods be introduced to a six-month-old child?

The thing is that by this time the baby’s body reaches a certain level of development:

The first complementary food should replace one of the daily feedings. And there are a few tricks here:

If you listen to the advice described above and do not rush, you will be able to show off to your friends a healthy and cheerful child who is not capricious and eats only healthy and tasty food.

Physical and emotional development of a baby at 6 months

At 6 months, the child should show fairly high physical and emotional/mental activity.

Here is a list of the basic skills and abilities that are usually acquired baby to this period:

1. Without assistance, he turns over to his side and onto his stomach.
2. Tries to move in space - crawls.

   

   Well then I crawled!

3. Makes the first attempts to independently take a sitting position.
4. Stands confidently on a flat surface when held by the body.
5. He independently picks up toys and other objects that are not very far from him.
6. Can fix his attention on a specific object for 1 - 3 minutes.

   

   You can look at these beauties endlessly.

7. Able to express positive and negative emotions.
8. If you hide your favorite toy, the child begins to look for it, turning in all directions.
9. Well developed sense of taste.
10. He knows how to eat from a spoon, squeezing it with his lips, and drinks well from a cup, which is held by one of the adults.
11. Turns his head to the person who called the baby by name.
12. Listens to music, calms down when a melody he likes plays.

    

    Quiet! Can't you see I'm listening to music!?

13. Reacts to changes in facial expressions of the person who is nearby.
14. Looks with interest at objects that move.
15. Doesn’t let mom go for long, because the child wants to play with someone, and not alone.

    

    Mom is my best friend!

16. Begins to pronounce the first syllables - babble.
17. This period is characterized by a decrease in the duration of daytime sleep. But since the baby needs to systematize a lot of new information, you cannot follow his lead and reduce the amount of daytime sleep: let the child sleep for a short time, but more often.
18. On average, girls' weight at 6 months is 7.3 kg and height is 66 cm. Boys at this age are slightly larger - weight is 7.9 kg and height is 68 cm.

To smile at a baby, you need to use 17 facial muscles; this is very difficult for a baby to do. Some mothers see the baby within a few days after birth, while for others the baby does not smile even after a month. Each baby begins to smile at its own time, so don’t panic, just wait a little.

Some young mothers do not know how a child should gain weight correctly and in what time frame this should happen. will answer all the most important questions.

Learning and playing at 6 months

After reading the information from the previous chapter, many mothers may be concerned that the baby does not perform certain actions: he cannot sit or does not grasp toys well with his hands, does not babble, or weighs less than normal.

I am strictly individual.

I want to reassure you - everything described above is average information. But Each child is individual and develops differently- some people grasp everything on the fly, while others are in no hurry. It is worth sounding the alarm only in certain cases:

1. When the baby practically does not react to communication from close relatives, feeding, games.
2. You observe twitching of the muscles of the face or limbs.
3. There is no normal sleep pattern.

But if the child’s health is good, everything else can be taught to him by spending a little time on educational games.

Children develop faster in the company of their peers.

To teach your baby to hold toys well with his hands, often put small objects in his hands first, and then larger ones.

Try to give your child toys of different textures - smooth, ribbed, made of leather, velvety to the touch. Excitation of tactile receptors on the palms promotes the formation of neural chains in the brain - this is how the baby learns faster.

Motor activity will be more intense if during the game the child needs to reach an object or person. Playing games while bathing or swimming in the bathtub will strengthen the muscles of the back and neck, which will help the baby sit more steadily and roll over more easily. If active games and splashing around in the bathtub are not as effective as you would like, do special exercises with your child or take a massage course.

Water treatments both develop and soothe.

A child's speech development at 6 months can be easily stimulated by talking to him for a long time. Tell children fairy tales, sing songs, read poems. The more words the baby hears, the faster and more fully his vocabulary will be formed. To prevent your child from having problems with articulation in the future, place his fingers to your mouth - this way the baby will remember the shape of his lips while pronouncing various words.

Books with large and bright pictures will capture the attention of the baby for a long time.

Play with your child more, show him toys, naming them, and then ask the baby to find one or another. Show your baby photographs and name the people in them, play with the mirror, try to hide from the child, but so that he can easily find you.

In general, parents should remember that the intellectual and physical development of their children depends on them. Therefore, their responsibilities include the following:

• properly organize the child’s daily routine,
• choose the optimal dish for introducing the first complementary foods,
• come up with games that will not only occupy the baby for a while, but also teach him something new.

The child at 6 months began to practice rolling from one side to the other more strongly. At six months the baby will learn to roll as the main form of movement on the ground, or he may skip all this and immediately learn to sit and crawl. As long as the child is learning new skills and showing interest in moving around and exploring the environment, the mother should not worry.

What should a 6 month old baby be able to do?

• Roll over from back to stomach and back;
• Crawling (attempts);
• Sit with support;
• Lean on the support with your toes;
• Take the object with the whole palm;
• Hold your head confidently;
• Play independently for up to 10 minutes;
• Study the reflection in the mirror;
• Show dissatisfaction and joy;
• Make grimaces;
• babble;
• Manipulate adults;
• Imitate others;
• Study subjects for a long time;
• Put everything in your mouth
• Turn your head at the slightest sounds;
• Show a reaction to the facial expressions of adults;

Baby development at 6 months

Boys are larger than girls of the same age, but physically develop a little slower. In most cases, they can roll over at 6 months, but do not sit on their own and cannot crawl.

The later a girl learns to sit, the better for her health.

Physical development

By the age of six months, the baby doubles its body weight in comparison with the weight at birth and grows by an average of 15 cm. The width of the shoulders should ideally be 1/4 of the length of the body itself. Indicators of height, weight, head volume depend on many factors, but heredity plays the main role.

Mental development

At 6 months, the child learns his name, the names of familiar objects and favorite toys. The appearance of fear of strangers or unfamiliar people will also become new in the baby’s behavior. One of the important skills of a six-month-old baby is the desire to force an adult to fulfill his desires. The baby knows how to express his opinion with facial expressions, sometimes he smiles, sometimes he wrinkles his forehead.

Features of development of premature babies

Body weight doubles. The increase in height is on average 2-5 cm. The head circumference increases to 1.5 cm. The child makes attempts to roll over from his back to his stomach. With properly organized care, activities and exercises, physical and mental retardation should not be noticeable at the age of 6 months.

What educational toys are needed for a 6 month old baby?

• mobile,
• rattles;
• rubber teething ring;
• musical toys (drum, xylophone, pipes, bells);
• squeaking ball;
• toys with mirror surfaces,
• tubes with cereal and shiny fillings,
• toys with transparent walls,
• disk divided into contrasting colored sectors,
• soft book with pictures.

Early childhood development includes choosing the right toys. In addition to the playpen and educational mat, the child needs bright (yellow, red, green, blue) and safe toys made of high-quality materials. For example, wooden ones, which also make sounds, roll and have different textures.

Behavior

At 6 months, the child not only receives attention from others, but also becomes an initiator. The mother may experience previously unknown anxiety because the baby’s actions are indiscriminate. There is a chance that everyone who gets close to the baby can become his friends. But don't worry, he still needs maternal care and affection from you.

The child has realized that his behavior, whether you like it or not, hurts you, so from six months (and all subsequent years) he will do everything to attract your attention. Right now, all the actions seem cute to you, but as your baby gets older, there is a good chance that he will do some things out of spite, just to get attention. Remember to praise good behavior. This is a way to teach a baby to distinguish right from wrong.

The baby begins to expand his methods of attracting attention, and now they are not limited to crying. You may notice that the baby is constantly moving at 6 months, making various noises, pouting his lips in a bow, etc. Over the next three months, your baby will develop a personal style in which he will let you know what he is thinking, wanting, or needing.

Dress for success

A child becomes more active at six months, so he needs comfortable baby clothes. You need to choose things made from soft fabrics to avoid chafing of the skin during movements. Loose, stretchable and breathable clothing is a smart choice and will give your little one complete freedom of movement.

A child does not need clothes with rough and scratchy seams. Long ties, clasps or bow ties (they can put pressure on the neck); and everything that can interfere with the baby:

• sleep,
• crawl,
• play or make other movements.

Baby chair

The color or smell of the stool will change after. This is fine. If the stool has become too hard, change some fruits, vegetables, cereals or barley grains (avoid rice, bananas or applesauce, they can provoke).

How to develop a baby at 6 months

Sign language

At 6 months, it's time to teach your baby sign language. The baby develops motor skills faster than speech. Most babies, for example, learn to wave (by about 9 months) or point to an object (by one year) long before they can say bye-bye or look at this!

And don’t worry: Communicating with signs won’t hurt, but on the contrary, it will help the child start speaking faster.

Left-handed or right-handed?

A six-month-old baby may prefer one hand for a while, and then vice versa. A child’s main working hand can be determined by the age of 2-3 years.

The child's future will be right-handed or left-handed even before his birth. You cannot force a child to use his right hand when in fact he is left-handed. There will be problems with hand-eye coordination, dexterity and handwriting.

Games with a 6 month old baby

A balloon tied to a baby's leg will help develop an understanding of cause and effect (if the leg moves, so does the balloon).

The child will enjoy group games, especially those that involve sounds and words. Allow your baby to be the leader from time to time, and also imitate his sounds. When it's your turn to lead, a good way to teach and surprise your baby is to make animal noises (kwa-kwa, moo-moo).

It is important to play with sounds with your child, for example: splashes of water, noise of a battery. You need to show the baby how to make these funny sounds (maybe even sometimes annoying ones), and then give the baby his turn.

Development of tactile sensations in children

The child uses all his available materials to explore the world around him (tongue, hands, feet). Everything in the house around the baby should be safe for play. Baby will love squeezing the soft rubber ball, patting the faux fur, chewing on cool objects and listening to sounds from a variety of soft toys.

Reading books

Looking at books with your baby will instill in him a love of reading books from the age of six months. It doesn't matter which book you choose. Tabletop books are colorful and sturdy that have pull-out pictures or textured illustrations.

The baby will not be able to open a book or turn a page until 9-12 months. Your baby probably doesn't have the tolerance to sit around and do nothing while you read him stories, but don't give up. No matter how old your baby is, reading provides a good opportunity for cuddling and bonding.

Balancing

At 6 months, a child can support his weight by leaning on his legs. Such exercises strengthen his muscles for free movement in the future. Support your baby with your armpits and help him stand on the floor or on your lap. Be prepared for a lot of giggles.

Motor development

By six months, a child will probably be able to throw things off any surface and transfer objects from one hand to the other without any extra effort. Developmental hand movements include finger and wrist movements.

Explicit motor skills are necessary for crawling, which uses large muscles such as the arm, leg, foot and the entire body. To develop a child's motor skills, put a toy in a place where he cannot reach and see if he can get to it, encourage him - but do not give the toy.

The child will dissipate frustration and become much more confident and even faster if you do not give everything on a ready-made platter.
After several attempts, the baby will lean forward to grab the toy, and then straighten up again. Soon, the baby will learn to rock back and forth on his hands and knees.

The baby is interested in small details around him. There are more and more research methods from 6 months. As you explore, be sure to keep buttons, coins, pins, balloons, rocks and other choking hazards out of reach.

Complementary feeding at 6 months

The sixth month is the time to change the child’s diet, starting to introduce the first complementary foods, whether he is on guard or IV. The first items on the baby's menu for guards and iv will include purees of the following vegetables:

• zucchini;
• cauliflower;
• broccoli;
• sweet potatoes;
• zucchini;
• carrot.

What to feed a 6 month old baby, besides vegetables?

You can give your child porridge and juices. Complementary feeding begins with cereals if the baby has problems gaining weight. There are almost 50/50 opponents and supporters of juices as a baby’s first food. The plus of juice is vitamins and the baby’s desire to drink it, but the minus is the lack of desire to eat cereals or vegetables in the future due to the difference in taste.

How much should a 6 month old baby weigh?

Girls weight (kg)

Boys weight (kg)

Baby's growth at 6 months

Girls' height (cm)

Boys' height (cm)

Why did a 6 month old baby start to sleep poorly?

One of the main reasons for poor sleep at six months of age is calcium deficiency, since it is intensively spent on the growth of bones and teeth. Lack of calcium in a child's body excites the nervous system. TV-famous pediatrician E.O Komarovsky recommends giving your baby 1 tablet of calcium gluconate per day.

Your baby is now 6 months old. Congratulations! This is the first anniversary in your baby's life. A very touching and incredibly interesting period of new discoveries is coming. During this time, your child has gone from a helpless baby to a strong baby who is trying to be independent, persistently requires increased attention and delights you with new skills every day. To help your baby develop correctly and actively, exploring the world, you need to know what a child should be able to do at 6 months.

How much should a 6 month old baby weigh?

During the sixth month of life, the baby should gain approximately 600 - 650 grams. and grow by 2.5 - 3 cm.

The average statistical indicators of height and weight gain for a child at 6 months of life are shown in the table below.

It is worth noting that each child develops individually, and the indicators of his physical development are primarily influenced by heredity and the quality of nutrition. Therefore, there is no need to worry if your baby’s height and weight do not fit within the above norms. It is generally accepted that at 6 months a child should weigh twice as much as his birth weight, and his height by this time will increase by 15 - 17 cm.

What should a 6 month old baby be able to do?

By six months, the child begins to fully feel his body, his movements from chaotic gradually become clear and purposeful. The mental and emotional development of the baby is rapidly gaining momentum. Let's list the skills that a child acquires at 6 months:

• behavior becomes more meaningful;
• knows his name and responds to it;
• rolls over from back to stomach and back;
• pulls himself up by your arms from a lying position;
• tries to crawl;
• transfers toys from one hand to another;
• can be played independently for a short time (10-15 minutes);
• sits with support;
• listens to surrounding everyday sounds;
• closely monitors the actions of adults;
• examines toys and improvised objects by touch and taste;
• recognizes relatives by voice;
• babbling improves.

Is it possible to seat a child at 6 months?

The question of when can a child be imprisoned is of interest to all parents, without exception. Many people think that this is the first step, which symbolizes the child’s unique maturity and independence. From a sitting position, it’s so interesting to watch what mom is doing; you can reach for a bright toy yourself and touch your toes yourself.

Every mother waits for this moment with pleasant excitement. It seems to her that now it will be much easier to occupy the baby with toys, leaving him alone for a while. But is there a need to rush in this matter and is your child ready for this? Let's figure it out together.

The period when the baby begins to sit is individual for each child. It depends primarily on the degree of development of the muscular and skeletal systems. Modern pediatricians believe that the average child at 6 months is able to sit with the support of an adult, and at 7 - 8 months it is easy to sit up from a position “on all fours” or “lying down.” Possible deviations of a month and a half are also considered normal.

There is no need to specifically place a child before this age. By such actions you can only harm an immature organism. If the muscles are not strengthened, then the bones and spine are subjected to severe stress, which in the future will lead to curvature of the spine. Be patient! At one point, your baby will give you a signal that he is ready to explore the world in a more upright position.

In order to prepare for the period when the child can be seated, preventive massage and special gymnastics are used.

Massage and gymnastics at 6 months

Everyone knows that preventive massage and gymnastic exercises have a beneficial effect on the child’s body. When carried out regularly, these classes contribute to:

• strengthening muscles;
• development of the baby’s motor skills;
• improve blood circulation;
• strengthen the cardiovascular system;
• have a positive effect on the development of the nervous system.

It is recommended to carry out exercises at the same time of day, 30 minutes before feeding or 40-60 minutes after it, in a well-ventilated room with an air temperature of 22-24 °C. It is not advisable to do gymnastics and massage before bedtime to avoid overstimulation of the baby’s nervous system. During the massage, you can play children's songs or pleasant, quiet music. This way you will turn useful activities into a game, for which your baby will thank you with a smile and good mood during the procedures. You are already familiar with many massage elements from the previous months of your baby’s life, but it is still worth paying attention once again to the correct execution of each exercise.

It should be remembered that if you have any questions about massage and gymnastics at home, you should consult a specialist.

Daily routine and nutrition of a 6-month-old baby

By this age, the baby has already developed a unique daily routine, which largely depends on the habits and daily routine of the parents. How long should a baby sleep at 6 months? How long to stay awake? When to go for a walk? An approximate schedule is presented in the table.

Six months is the time for introducing complementary foods. It is worth noting that complementary feeding does not replace breastfeeding, but only complements it, gradually preparing the child’s body for adult food. A six-month-old baby still needs breast milk, since at this age he receives about 70 percent of his energy from breast milk.

The timing and sequence of introducing complementary foods depends on:

• individual characteristics;
• type of feeding;
• baby's health status.

Before deciding to introduce complementary foods, you should always consult your doctor. He is the one who will help you decide which foods should be introduced into your child’s diet first. If you are underweight or have a tendency to loose stools, experts recommend starting complementary feeding with dairy-free cereals, but if your baby is bothered by constipation (and his weight is within the normal range) - with one-ingredient vegetable puree.

• New foods do not need to be introduced if the baby is sick or has a rash.
• Complementary foods should be given in the first half of the day before breastfeeding or formula feeding.
• Pediatricians advise starting with half a teaspoon and gradually (over 5-7 days) increase the serving size to the daily norm.
• A new dish can be offered no earlier than after 2 weeks of eating the first one.
• Despite the mother's desire and impulse to feed the baby something new and tasty, we must remember that breast milk is the main and most beneficial form of nutrition for a 6-month-old baby.

In order for the baby to develop harmoniously and correctly, all care recommendations should be followed.

It is advisable to carry out the bathing procedure at the same time every day. It is strictly forbidden to leave a child unattended in the bathroom, even if there is a small amount of water there. All hygiene procedures are recommended to be carried out after the baby is dried, warmed and wrapped in order to avoid possible hypothermia and colds.

Ear cleaning should be done no more than once a week using special children's ear sticks with a limiter. You cannot use regular ear sticks. The baby may suddenly turn around and you may accidentally damage the ear.

The baby's nails need to be cut as they grow. To do this, use special children's scissors with rounded ends. Experts advise cutting the nails on the handles rounded, and on the legs straight, to prevent the possibility of ingrown nails.

You can't ignore scalp care. By this age, crusts may appear on the baby’s head. They can be easily removed using regular baby oil, which can be applied to the head (for 15-20 minutes) before bathing. After this procedure they are easy to comb out.

The child's hair needs to be combed every day with a special soft brush. If the baby's bangs have grown long and are getting into the eyes, they can be pinned or cut. Many people believe that it is not advisable to cut children under one year old. These are all superstitions; there is no scientific evidence of the harm of this procedure. Therefore, if your baby is bothered by overgrown hairs, you can cut them without remorse.

Preparing for vaccination

Vaccination is a very important and necessary step in the life of every child, the implementation of which causes a lot of worries and questions among parents. But all doubts and worries will fade into the background if you know how to properly prepare your child for this event. It should be noted that in most cases, vaccinations are well tolerated by children even without any preparation. The main thing is to know under what conditions the vaccine is contraindicated. You should not get vaccinated if your baby is currently experiencing an allergic reaction, has a slight runny nose, or the child has a cold. This precaution is necessary to prevent the side effects of the vaccine from superimposing existing symptoms of the disease.

Several days before vaccination, new foods should not be introduced into the child’s diet. If the child is breastfed, it is better for the mother to refuse new foods and eat as usual. This will help avoid allergic reactions that may be confused with the effects of the vaccine.

Before vaccination, the child must be examined by a pediatrician and, if necessary, undergo a general blood and urine test. And the main thing is not to worry, because only vaccination can protect your baby from dangerous infectious diseases.

Play together

Playing with a 6-month-old baby brings a lot of pleasure and positive emotions. For kids of this age, the most suitable and interesting toys will be:

• mobile;
• various musical toys (drum, bells, piano);
• toys with mirror surfaces;
• soft picture book;
• big ball;
• disk with colored sectors;
• rattles with colored balls inside.

The main requirements for toys for 6-month-old children are the following:

• Toys must be made of safe material and have appropriate quality certificates.
• Toys should not have sharp parts or very small parts.
• Must be appropriate for the age and weight of the child.
• It is advisable that they lend themselves to periodic washing, since children of this age constantly put them in their mouths.
• Soft toys must be hypoallergenic.

From this age, children begin to understand games with adults well. Don't miss this opportunity and play with your baby more often. This will help him develop faster and understand the world around him well. Play “okay” and “peek-a-boo” with him, look at children’s books together, dance, sing songs and talk constantly. And after some time, the child himself will let you know what he likes most by clapping his hands or reaching for his favorite book.

The more freedom you give your baby, the faster he will learn new movements and skills. You can just watch him and help him master the interesting world around him. The only thing that needs to be taken care of is the safety of the area in which the child is located.

Currently, pediatricians advise, in accordance with WHO protocols, to feed the child only breast milk for the first 6 months. A healthy, normally developing baby receiving breast milk should only begin to introduce complementary foods at 6 months of age, according to WHO recommendations.

There are several reasons from 6 months:

• Firstly, the baby is awake longer, sits independently, and therefore spends more energy. Breast milk alone cannot provide a baby with all the necessary nutrients and vitamins.
• Secondly, his digestive system is already better formed than in the first months of life, and can already digest other foods besides mother's milk. New products will further develop the motility of the digestive system and the production of enzymes.
• Thirdly, a child at this age shows an interest in adult food products in the process of learning about the world. Interest in food (the baby reaches out to dishes and food, as if “begging”) is not in this case a manifestation of hunger, it is a desire to imitate adults. It will help accustom your baby to foods that are more complex in structure.

Upon reaching six months of age, the child should be gradually transferred to 5 feedings a day with 4-hour intervals between feedings.

Some mothers believe that if, then you can start complementary feeding from the age of 2-3 months. This is the wrong point of view. The baby's digestive system is not able to digest other foods besides mother's milk. If there is insufficient lactation, the pediatrician should select a supplement for the child.

Where to start complementary feeding when breastfeeding?

If the child is not underweight, it is better to start complementary feeding with monocomponent vegetable puree.

The choice of the first course for complementary feeding depends on the baby’s condition. You can start complementary feeding with fruit puree (if there is no allergy). It is better to choose this first dish if the baby has a tendency to. If you are a child, then you can choose the first type of complementary food - buckwheat, corn, rice.

The first dose of a new dish should be small, about 0.5 tsp. (or even a quarter). You need to give new food to the baby first while he is hungry, and then breastfeed. Very gradually, the single dose is increased to reach 150 g within 2 weeks, i.e. completely replace one breastfeeding.

After bringing the portion of the new product to the maximum recommended volume, the baby begins to be introduced to another product in the form of complementary foods. You can use ready-made purees of vegetables or fruits and porridge, or prepare these dishes for your baby yourself.

It is especially useful to steam vegetables and then grind them in a blender (or rub through a strainer). With this method of cooking, vegetables also contain better nutrients. The child does not yet know how to swallow thick food, so at first the puree should be liquid.

If your child does not like this new dish, you should not force-feed him. It’s better to take another vegetable and offer the one you don’t like after 3-4 weeks. There is no need to add sugar to fruit purees or salt to vegetable purees. Add half the yolk to the vegetable puree, starting with 1 drop and increasing to 1 tsp. for a full serving of puree (150 g).

To prepare porridge, the cereal must first be ground in a coffee grinder. First you need to cook porridge from one type of cereal, and after 3 weeks you can use a mixture of cereals. You can cook it in water (and add melted butter) or in breast milk.

Gradually, new products can replace the baby's daily breastfeeding. But you don't need to completely eliminate breast milk. They can supplement the baby's feeding with a small amount of the new product, and leave breastfeeding in the early morning and before bedtime. If the baby requires feeding at night, then you should also give him the breast.

In any case, mother's milk is . It is not only of particular value in its composition, but also contains growth factors, hormones and antibodies that provide immune protection to the child.

Quite often, the baby does not eat the recommended portion of complementary foods according to age. This is explained by the fact that interest in new things and the desire to imitate are not enough for the entire volume of the new dish. And the baby can satisfy the feeling of hunger in the usual natural way, i.e. with mother’s milk.

The child's interest must be taken into account. There is no need to try to feed the entire portion at any cost. Firstly, in this case, the baby will suck less milk from the breast, which will lead to a decrease in its production and the extinction of lactation. Secondly, such feeding can lead to a complete loss of interest in food and poor appetite in the child in the future.

The main goal of complementary feeding should be one thing - to form the natural eating behavior of the baby. Therefore, it is not so important whether the products and their quantities comply with the recommendations. It is necessary to take into account the desire of the baby. If parents do not pursue the goal of maintaining a quantitative portion of baby food, then an active interest in food will remain and breastfeeding will not be supplanted. In this case, the transition to eating from a common table will be gradual.

Recommendations for complementary feeding for 6-month-old artificial babies

Children receiving adapted milk formulas, in agreement with the pediatrician, begin to introduce complementary foods earlier - already at 4 or 5 months. By this age, the nutrients in formulas are no longer sufficient for the full development of the child’s body.

At 6 months, the baby is introduced to a second complementary food. If the child is already receiving vegetable and fruit purees, then dairy-free or dairy purees are introduced (depending on milk tolerance) with the addition of butter, juices (adjusted to 20–30 g), . And if porridge was used as the first complementary food, then puree is introduced. Do not get carried away with semolina porridge, which contributes to the development of anemia and rickets.

Gradually the range of dishes is expanding. For children, they can be prepared at home (by chopping boiled meat in a blender) or buy ready-made canned meat produced for baby food (paying attention to the expiration date).

Feeding regimen for a 6 month old baby

Organize food for the child with natural feeding at 6 months you can do this (this is the regimen followed by European nutritionists and pediatricians):

• at 6 o’clock – breastfeeding;
• at 10 o’clock – fruit puree (30 g) and supplementary feeding with breast milk;
• at 14:00 – vegetable puree (150 g with vegetable oil) or porridge, freshly squeezed fruit juice (50 ml) or supplementary feeding with mother’s milk;
• at 18:00 – fruit puree (30 g) and mother’s milk;
• at 22:00 – breastfeeding.

For an artificial child Recommended feeding regimen:

• at 6 o’clock – adapted mixture (milk or fermented milk);
• at 10 o’clock – porridge with milk, butter and fruit puree;
• at 14:00 – soup (with meat or vegetable broth), vegetable puree with the addition of vegetable oil and half an yolk, freshly squeezed fruit juice;
• at 18:00 – milk mixture or cottage cheese, cookies;
• at 10 p.m. - or an adapted mixture.

Taking into account the individual habits of the child, you can change the feeding time, but 4-hour intervals between feedings should be observed.

Summary for parents

Despite the fact that the main and most physiological nutrition of a child in the 1st year of life is mother’s milk, the time comes when the baby is recommended to introduce complementary foods. According to experts, this age is 6 months.

Many mothers try to introduce foods from the common table earlier and believe that by doing so they provide the child’s body with the necessary nutrients. In fact, this is not so: an incompletely formed digestive system is not yet capable of digesting such foods in the first half of life.

Even from 6 months, complementary foods should be introduced very gradually, starting with minimal doses and continuing to breastfeed the baby. Small portions prepare (train) the digestive system for adult nutrition. From 6 months, the baby is transferred to 5 feedings a day at 4-hour intervals. All questions regarding complementary feeding should be discussed with your pediatrician.

The program “Doctor Komarovsky’s School” talks about the feeding and complementary feeding regime for small children:

Ekaterina Rakitina

Dr. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Klinikum, Germany

Reading time: 6 minutes

A A

Article last updated: 07/02/2019

An important event for every parent is when the child reaches 6 months of age. Since his birth, the baby has already learned a lot, learned a lot, and got used to family members. Mom and dad closely monitor their child, try to teach him everything as quickly as possible, they are afraid that the baby will begin to lag behind his peers in his development, so they are interested in the question “What should a child be able to do at 6 months?”

Physiological development

The height of a six-month-old child should be 64-68 cm, and weight – 6.8-8.5 kg. A deviation from the norm of 1 kg in weight and a few centimeters in height should not cause concern. In accordance with weight gain, it is necessary to adjust nutrition. If a child is underweight, then cereals that promote weight gain should be included in complementary foods. If the baby is gaining weight well, or perhaps has excess weight, then the main part of the complementary foods should be fruit and vegetable purees. In order for a baby to grow well and fully develop, it must receive all the necessary microelements and vitamins.

Below is a table of the physical development of a child - the norms of height and weight of girls and boys according to WHO and Russian pediatricians:

At the end of the 5th month of life, children learn to independently roll over from their back to their tummy and back. After mastering this skill, the child begins to practice it often. The baby doesn’t just lie on his tummy, he leans on his arms, tries to rise, tries to get on his knees.

Lying on his stomach, a six-month-old baby can only lean on one hand and grab some objects with the other. He wants to touch, feel, study everything. If he cannot reach the object of interest, he will look at it, opening and closing his fist.

There is a realization that he has two hands. He takes the toy, transfers it from one hand to the other, comparing the sensations and making sure that it feels the same in both hands. The baby can take a toy in each hand.

Some parents record on video all the achievements of their children, so they know at what age their child acquired this or that skill. This may come in handy later when a second child appears in the family.

At six months, many babies begin to move around. Someone backs away, pushing off with their hands, someone rotates around themselves on their tummy, and someone already moves on all fours. If a child learns to crawl at 6 months, that’s good. If he doesn’t know how to do this yet, there’s nothing wrong with that. Some babies don't crawl at all. Skipping this stage of development, they immediately stand on their feet and try to walk.

Parents should do their best to promote the development of their child's muscles. It is necessary to do regular massage of the legs and back, and place the child on the floor, since on a flat surface it will be more convenient for him to develop his motor skills. The floor must be cleared of debris and foreign objects that could harm the baby.

A six-month-old baby is not yet ready to walk, but he is preparing his hip muscles for this process. If the baby is lifted and held by the armpits, he will push off with his legs, dancing and jumping. If you lift a child by the arms from a lying position, he will try to pull himself up and sit down.

Fine motor skills of the hands develop quickly. Fingers hold various objects firmly and confidently. The baby is actively interested in small objects, tries to pick them up first with a pen, and if that doesn’t work, then with two fingers. He shakes the toys, listening to the sound they make, knocks them against each other, throws them out, carefully watching their flight and fall. Toys are explored not only with hands, but also with the mouth, licking and biting them.

If a child is not interested in small objects, this is not a sign of developmental delay. The baby is just interested in larger toys.

At this age, the baby likes it when the position of his body in space is changed: swinging left and right, up and down, lifting him higher, circling around the room. At these moments, the vestibular apparatus is trained, and the kids get a lot of pleasure, they rejoice, smile, laugh.

You can see the skills of a six-month-old baby more clearly in the video at the end of the article.

Sleep of a 6 month old baby

A six-month-old child sleeps 14-15 hours a day. At night he can sleep 10-11 hours, and during the day - twice for 1.5-2 hours. In theory, the baby no longer needs feeding at night. In practice, a breastfed baby continues to wake up at least 2 times a night.

Sleep pattern of a 6 month old baby:

Parents are advised to formulate a daily routine for their child. This will make it easier for both mother and baby, especially when he goes to kindergarten and school. To do this, you need to try to put your baby to bed at the same time every day, often walk outside, sleep outside, and bathe your baby every day.

Psycho-emotional development

What can a 6 month old baby do? At six months, the baby sees surrounding objects well and examines them with interest. Sitting on the arms of a relative, he will touch his hair and fasteners on clothes. If the baby does not sleep on the street, but stays awake, then he will study the world: trees, birds, dogs and cats, people. It is imperative to form the child’s passive vocabulary, pointing to animals, cars, voicing the names of living creatures and various objects. The baby already knows his name well, responds to his name, and remembers the names of the toys he sees every day.

A six-month-old baby begins to understand the speech of adults. He imitates the sounds he hears, and his vocabulary is replenished with the syllables “gu”, “da”, “ge”, “de”, “bu”. He babbles not only when there is someone next to him, but also when alone with himself.

The child often shows his emotions, reacting to family members and events happening nearby. He smiles, rejoicing at the appearance of a close relative, laughs when they play with him or frowns with displeasure, gets irritated when something does not suit him. Now it is easier for parents to determine the baby’s well-being.

A child’s heightened hearing allows him to hear not only the creaking of a door being opened, but also the rustling of papers, quiet whispers, and the light rustle of steps. He instantly reacts to all these sounds, turning his head towards their source.

A six-month-old baby knows all family members well and may react negatively to strangers coming into the house, especially if strangers want to pick him up. An upset baby will quickly calm down as soon as she falls into her mother’s hands.

The baby begins to understand the causes and consequences of various actions. He consciously presses the button of the toy, knowing that after pressing it the music will play. He likes boxes, chests, pots that can be opened and closed, and toys can be hidden in them.

Table: what a child can do at 6 months

Games for the development of a six-month-old child

Adults can contribute to the full development of the baby by constantly paying attention to him, talking to him and playing educational games.

Children love playing with boxes, caskets, and bottles. They like to open and close them, hide them and find various objects in them. You can take an ordinary cardboard tea box and hide a toy there, and then help your baby find it.

You can play with various objects and let your baby touch them so that he can feel the difference in materials and shapes.

Toys that represent spirals along which you need to move objects (usually balls) are good for training fine motor skills of the hands. Such toys are sold in any children's store; they attract the baby with bright colors and moving parts.

Hand massage will be beneficial for the child. Mom should lightly massage not only her legs, arms, back, but also every small finger every day. Today you can find many video tutorials for mothers that demonstrate methods of child development.

When mothers communicate with each other, they share the achievements of their babies. Some children go through some developmental stages faster, while others go through them more slowly. You should not compare the skills of small children, because each child is unique.