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Your six-month-old baby’s eye coordination and ability to focus has developed well by this stage – which is useful because he’s paying much more attention to the world around him. He’s also got a better view now that he can sit upright with a little help from a baby chair or an activity center.

Your little one’s eyes are well under her control now. She can focus on just about anything she pleases, and she can track fast moving objects across her field of vision. It’s taken this long for her to be able to use her eyes like you use yours because if she had been able to see absolutely everything right at the beginning, it would have been too much for her mind to handle.

This month marks a big moment for your baby. He can sit up! He may still need a little help from a supporting hand, but he’s rapidly gaining control of the muscles that he uses to bear his own weight and the stabilizing muscles that keep him balanced.

Your six-month-old is in full on explorer mode, and the discoveries just keep coming. She knows she can move things around to make them suit her needs. She’s also started to develop the earliest problem solving skill – identifying a problem!

Your six-month-old likely has a firm grasp of object permanence – the fact that things don’t stop existing when he can’t see them. It’s a big milestone – and with it comes some fun behaviors to watch for, like looking for objects that have been dropped and looking around for family members or pets when he hears their names mentioned (yes, he’s learning their names too!). You can see the gears turning in his little head while he tries to figure out how to get at a toy that’s out of reach, or how to fit more than he can carry into his hands.

At six months, your baby has likely learned to pick up just about any object. He also knows a few different ways to explore that object and learn about it, including shaking it, turning it in his hands to find the part of it he wants, and yes, dropping it on the floor to see what will happen. He’s very aware of the relationship his hands have with things he’s touching, and he’s probably figured out that he can move things around by pushing them across the floor.

Let the games begin! At six months, your baby will likely start actively participating in games you play with her. Her vocal abilities will continue to improve, with a roster of new sounds as well as a more talkative disposition around people she knows. She can pick up on your tone and facial expression to infer meaning in your words. And when it’s time to go – she may even be prompted to wave goodbye.

Visits to grandma and grandpa’s house are getting to be more fun for everyone! Your little one may be starting to have play conversations, babbling in response to the voices of family members who speak to him. When it’s time to go home, he might happily wave “bye-bye”.

At six months, your baby’s repertoire of consonants is expanding, especially if her teeth are coming in. She may be able to make f and s sounds, as well as a host of others that rely on teeth. She’s also paying close attention to your face and your tone of voice when you speak. She uses the information to start piecing together the meaning behind what you say.

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