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At this age you can expect your baby to smile, laugh and make
noises, lift her head and chest up while lying on her stomach, turn
toward sounds and to follow you around with her eyes. Over the
next few months, developmental milestones will include rolling
over, bearing weight on her legs, sitting with support and holding on
to a rattle.
If using a pacifier, try and restrict its use to when your baby seems
to need the self-comforting behavior of sucking. Avoid using it
every time your baby cries (it is usually better to pick and hold your
baby to comfort him when she is crying) and to be safe, use a one-
piece commercial pacifier and do not hang it around your baby's
neck. After six months of age, you should restrict pacifier use to
only when your baby is in her crib.
Remember that all babies are unique and they have different
temperaments. Many are quite and calm, while others are very active
and some are very sensitive and get fussy easily (and may need less
stimulating environments to stay calm). Try and keep your babies
temperament in mind as you react to her needs.
At this age you can expect your baby to roll over (front to back),
bear weight on her legs, sit with support, hold up her head and chest
and support herself on her elbows if she is on her stomach, pull to a
sitting position and hold on to a rattle. Over the next few months
your baby will start to imitate speech sounds, reach for objects and
sit without support.
If using a pacifier, try and restrict its use to when your baby seems
to need the self-comforting behavior of sucking. Avoid using it
every time your baby cries and to be safe, use a one-piece
commercial pacifier and do not hang it around your baby's neck.
After six months of age, you should restrict pacifier use to when
your baby is in his crib.
Most babies take at least two to three naps (length of naps are
usually very variable between different children, but naps are
usually 1 1/2 - 2 hours each) during the day at this age and are able
to sleep for the majority of the night. If not, check to make sure that
your baby has a good bedtime routine and has developed the proper
sleep associations. See the Sleep Problem Guide for more
information on preventing and fixing sleep problems.
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Your baby has probably doubled her birthweight by now. At this age
you can expect her to imitate speech sounds, reach for objects, roll
over, and sit without support. Over the next few months she will
start to stand holding on to things, pull to a stand, jabber and
combine syllables, crawl and transfer things from hand to hand.
If using a pacifier, now is a good time to start restricting its use to
only when your baby is in his crib. This will help to decrease his
interest in it. Avoid giving your baby his pacifier every time he cries
or allowing him to use it as a security object (offer other choices
instead, such as a blanket).
Most babies take at least two naps during the day at this age (length
of naps are usually very variable between different children, but
naps are usually 1 1/2 - 2 hours each) and are able to sleep for the
majority of the night (at least 10-11 hours). If not, check to make
sure that your baby has a good bedtime routine and has developed
the proper sleep associations. See the Sleep Problem Guide for more
information on preventing and fixing sleep problems.
If you haven't already done so, now would be a good time to move
your baby into a full size crib, in his own room if possible.
At this age you can expect your baby to sit alone, pull to a stand,
stand holding on to things, jabber and imitate sounds, crawl, wave
bye-bye, and begin to show separation and stranger anxiety. Over
the next few months your baby will start to combine syllables, say
mama/dada, walk with her hands held, and bang objects together.
Your baby will now begin to explore how things work, enjoy
playing peekaboo and pat-a-cake and being read to. It is important to
give lots of praise and many opportunities for exploration. If using a
pacifier, it is a good time to start restricting its use to only when
your baby is in his crib, so that his interest in it will decrease.
Most babies take two naps during the day (length of naps are usually
very variable between different children, but naps are usually 1 - 2
hours each) and are able to sleep for the majority of the night at this
age. If not, check to make sure that your baby has a good bedtime
routine and has developed the proper sleep associations. See the
Sleep Problem Guide for more information on preventing and fixing
sleep problems. He may start waking again at times of stress, illness
or after learning a new task (such as walking).
Your baby has probably tripled her birthweight. You can expect her
to combine syllables, say mama/dada, walk while holding on to
things, take a few steps alone, bang objects together, enjoy reading
interactively, and point to pictures. Over the next few months she
will start to walk well alone, say 3-6 words, understand simple
commands, and begin to use a spoon or fork.
This is also a time that your child will begin to explore and try and
figure out how things work and will enjoy playtime. It is important
to give lots of praise and many opportunities for exploration. If
using a pacifier, it is a good time to start restricting its use to only
when your baby is in his crib, so that his interest in it will decrease.
Most babies take two naps during the day at this age (length of naps
are usually very variable between different children, but naps are
usually 1-1 1/2 hours each) and are able to sleep for the majority of
the night (at least 11 hours). If not, check to make sure that your
baby has a good bedtime routine and has developed the proper sleep
associations. See the Sleep Problem Guide for more information on
preventing and fixing sleep problems. He may start waking again at
times of stress, illness or after learning a new task (such as walking).
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