Your curious little one is discovering all sorts of new experiences this month: eating (and playing with) solid foods, sitting without assistance, sleeping on schedule (with two naps!), making new sounds and discovering how cause-and-effect works. Get ready for lots (and lots) of peekaboo games now that he/she knows why something happens and when.
Dr. Tovah Klein of Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of “How Toddlers Thrive,” offers various ways parents and caretakers can play with their babies to encourage exploration while simultaneously having lots of giggles together.
Here’s what else is in store this month.
Related Topic: Milestones to Expect in 6-Month Old Baby Development
Sensory activities for 6-month-olds.
- Peekaboo
Playing Peekaboo can help teach babies about separation while practicing saying goodbye, knowing you will come back later. Plus it’s so much fun!
Separation anxiety is real but temporary
- Make bath time educational
Give your infant clean plastic containers filled with water. Let him or her empty out some and watch what happens as it falls, or when poured into an empty cup; this allows your little one to observe how things operate and helps their brain develop. This way they learn new information while bath time becomes an opportunity to expand on what has already been learned!
As they play and you laugh together, your little ones learn the finer points of connecting and playing together, which will serve them well when learning about interacting with other people in later years. Bath time may also offer quiet time alone with them: bathe them carefully then wrap them snugly up afterwards so they feel loved by you both.
Related Article: 14 Bath Safety Tips for Babies and Kids of All Ages
- Let Them Play With Their Food
Learning by experiencing is another essential way of experiencing new things; children can gain valuable sensory development benefits when exploring colors, textures, and scents in food they eat. Playing with their food should become part of everyday play for optimal sensory development!
Related Article: 10 essential foods that support baby brain development
- Stacking Blocks
Build, Toss, Repeat. Your 6-month-old will love helping create and then knocking over an intricate tower of blocks! Look for soft blocks which fit easily in their hands for this activity. - Play back-and-forth games
Give your baby an item, then put out your hand with “Now give it to Mama.” Once they give it back (it is OK if they just hold onto it for now), say, “Now give it back. I give it back.” Baby will love this game and can do it repeatedly while also imitating any actions they see from you – such as banging on toys themselves when they see you do so – they too want a turn.
Related Topic: Do 6-month-old infants need enough rest?
- Splash Zone
Are you ready to make tummy time even more exciting for baby? To turn tummy time into an active splash session, lay baby on their belly on top of a baking sheet filled with some water, along with their favourite bath toy (e.g. rubber ducky or other floating bath toy), on their stomach. Show them how to grab this floating toy as it passes over their tray, and watch as their imagination runs wild as they explore this engaging environment!
Things To Do with a 6-Month Old
From starting solid foods to learning sign language, Dr. Holly Ruhl of Child Development Psychology Services of Greater Cleveland offers weekly advice for month six.
Week One of Starting Solids
According to AAP recommendations, infants should begin eating solid foods around 6 months to ensure optimal nutrition. Starting solids this week might mean baby oatmeal mixed with breastmilk or formula or an avocado-rich veggie, giving baby their first experience of solid foods! Keep expectations under wraps; each new food introduced every three to five days may cause reactions in different individuals; your pediatrician can offer additional advice when starting solids.
Week Two: Sign Language If baby’s thoughts outpace his/her verbal skills, sign language can provide relief and even foster development of speech skills. Start small with basics like, “more,” “thank you” or “milk.” Remember not to give up as it could take months until baby grasps this new form of communication but give praise even for imperfect gestures as the ultimate goal should always be effective communication between parent and infant.
Week 3: Making Moves
Now that crawling is no longer considered an absolute developmental milestone (not all babies will crawl, which is perfectly okay!) encouraging movement should still be one of your key objectives; whether scooting, crawling or any other form. Encourage strong legs by having baby push off against your hands as propulsion for propulsion; otherwise place an appealing object just beyond reach and move toward it while slowly scooting away as baby approaches; reward with its reward at the end.
Related Article: Does My Baby Crawl Yet?
Week 4: Bathtime in a Big Tub Now is an excellent opportunity for babies who can sit independently to begin bath time in a bathtub! Create an evening routine (using soap every other night) as part of bonding time between you and your growing tot. A bath before bedtime provides the ideal atmosphere in which to narrate stories or sing bath songs while teaching concepts such as sink or float and wet or dry.
