Discover what skills your 6-month old needs to build this month.

Your baby has been a trouper! Powering through milestones month to month that ranged in count from 11 to 38 every 4 weeks. But at 6 months, they have hit the milestone motherlode. There are a whopping 45 milestones that need be achieved this month. That is more than one milestone per day for the next 30 days!

Is your baby up to the challenge?

Babies are built for this rapid acquisition of skills in a short amount of time. In fact, this incredible power is unleashed while they are still in your belly. "To arrive at the more than 100 billion neurons that are the normal complement of a newborn baby, the brain must grow at the rate of about 250,000 nerve cells per minute, on average, throughout the course of pregnancy." [1] "From birth to age two your child will form 700 new connections per second! As these connections build your child will develop skills like holding a toy, crawling, taking a first step and saying their first words." [2]

Milestone Mania: What are the upcoming milestones?

There are 45 milestones that need to be achieved in the next 4 weeks sorted into 6 developmental categories: Fine & Gross Motor Skills, Cognitive & Social-Emotional Development, Sensory Processing, and Communication.

The winner in a landslide is gross motor skills. There 10 milestones in this category alone. Your baby isn't starting from scratch every 4 weeks. Each milestone is a foundation to the next milestone. So as long as they have met all of their milestones last month, they are in good shape to meet the ones this month.

These 10 gross motor skill milestones focus on core strength and experimentation with mobility. In order to conquer them, your baby needs to have strong neck muscles to support that noggin that is about a quarter of their entire body weight. They will need this and their core strength in order to master pre-crawling skills like rolling in both directions, army crawling, and the baby version of the cobra yoga pose. They will also be building the strength, coordination, and balance to accomplish pre-walking skills like pulling to sitting, sitting with support, and pushing legs to a standing position with support.

Other milestones will help them learn to operate their body more effectively, problem-solve, manage their emotions, and communicate better. The 7 fine motor skill milestones this month focus on reaching, grabbing, and holding an object, as well as the eye-hand coordination that will help them pass objects from one hand to the other and stick their hand in your mouth. Whereas the 6 cognitive milestones demonstrate that your little one is beginning to understand that they can do the things that they see you do as they begin to imitate simple movements. They also begin to anticipate your needs such as helping to remove their leg from their pants when undressing. In addition, they begin to try new activities, increase their attention span, and look for people who are outside of their field of vision. The 8 social-emotional milestones will help them soothe themselves, comprehend the difference between familiar people and strangers and change their behavior accordingly, and react to different tones of voice. The 6 sensory milestones have your little one kicking or squeeze objects to make noise, biting everything that comes in contact with their mouth to see what it feels and tastes like, tracking movement with their eyes, and tuning out startling noises. Finally, the 7 communication milestones will have them laughing, experimenting with making new sounds with their mouth, getting attention, and practicing making their first speech-like sounds. As your baby conquers each one of these, they will be set up for success next month.

Work Cited:

1. “The Development and Shaping of the Brain.” Discovering the Brain, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234146/

2. “Understanding why your child’s brain is so amazing!” Parenting. Give it Time, Llywodraeth Cymru Welsh Government, https://www.gov.wales/parenting-give-it-time/your-childs-development/understanding-why-your-childs-brain-is-so-amazing

   
   

How many of the 45 milestones has your baby achieved?

Tracking the 45 milestones your 6-month-old is expected to reach in the coming month is crucial for understanding their development and ensuring they are on the right track. This key phase includes milestones across motor skills, communication, and social interaction that signify important progress in your baby's growth. By closely observing these achievements, you not only gain insights into your child's health and development but also have the opportunity to catch and address any developmental delays early. Celebrating each of these milestones can also enhance your connection with your child, making you an active participant in their early learning experiences. Basic membership costs only $2 per month. You can track the 812 milestones your child should meet by their 4th birthday. 

Create a free account with Fledglings' Flight and get access to 4820 screen-free, play-based exercises. That is 100-200 exercises each month that you can start doing with your baby from the day that they are born to help them to develop into the best version of themselves. In addition, your free account gives you access to 1200+ articles on child development to keep you informed while you help to navigate your child's developmental journey.