By now, you must be getting the hang of parenting. There are lots of exciting things to watch out for as your baby grows day by day. You simply wouldn’t want to miss that, now would you?

At 6 months, babies usually weigh between 14-21 pounds (6.25 kg). The average baby boy or girl would weigh around 15.43 pounds. Aside from your baby gaining weight, you may also notice the following developments in your baby:

• Your baby’s neck and arm muscles develop.

He may be able to discover that he can roll over on his left or right side. His neck and arm muscles are be strong enough to support this movement. Other babies though may skip the rolling over stage and proceed directly to sitting, lunging, or crawling.

TIP:  To encourage your baby to crawl, try placing a TV remote, a cell phone, or even their favorite toy.  This curiosity will only want to make them move forward and explore their abilities!

• Your baby’s leg muscles get stronger.

By this stage, he will be able to sit without support. He may also learn to lung forward on his own or crawl slowly. Be prepared for a lot of movements once your baby learns how to crawl. Be sure that you keep an eye on him though to avoid accidents and possible injuries.  Placing baby gates around your home is a must at this age, even if they’re not crawling.  Rolling is still a way of transportation to them.

• Your baby’s sense of hearing also develops. 

He can turn his head towards sounds and voices when he hears them. In fact, he may now be able to respond to your voice.

• Your baby’s motor skills develop.

When you play with your baby, you might discover that he can already pass toys and other tiny objects using his hands. This is part of the development of his awareness about the existence of his body parts such as his hands. He will be able to drag toys towards him.  Rattles may still be a favorite, as they are easy to grab and make a cool noise!

• Your baby’s speech starts to develop.

Your baby will start to show signs of development in his communication skills. It may not be that remarkable, but he will start to make his own sounds. One development you can watch out for is having your baby imitate the sounds that he hears. He may jabber or combine syllables.  Very soon he will begin to say things like “ma-ma” or “da-da”.

• Your baby’s digestive system also develops.

At 6 months, you can start to give him solid foods if you haven’t already. He will be able to hand pick and mouth his food.  A word of advice though, give your baby solid foods that will easily dissolve in water to avoid choking.  Also, ask their pediatrician which foods they are allowed to have and which ones they must avoid. 

As you can see, your baby is moving right along!  It’s hard to believe they’re half way to their first birthday isn’t it?  Make sure you keep track of their developments with the help of a baby book, and also, take lots of pictures to keep these memories as fresh as possible!