Six months is a real turning point in your baby’s
development, and around this age, many babies start to show signs of growing independence. You might find you finally manage to get a few things done, as your baby will begin to keep himself busy with toys when he gets bored. As your little one approaches his first birthday, he will probably be on the move one way or another – crawling, bum shuffling or even walking. Now is the time to baby-proof your house if you haven’t done so already.
Physical developmentBetween six and twelve months, babies start to sit up by themselves, giving them a whole new perspective. Once they have mastered this, most are keen to start crawling or moving around on their bum. You can encourage them by placing tempting toys just out of reach, so that your baby lunges forward to grab them. Babies’ fine motor skills also start to improve now, so provide suitable objects to pick up and grasp – bearing in mind that babies of this age put everything in their mouths!
After sitting comes standing Before you know it, your little one will be pulling himself up on every available object, from friendly knees to sharp-looking table corners! Gradually, your baby will get stronger and steadier and will be able to stand unsupported for longer periods of time. Many babies start walking around the time of their first birthday, but don’t worry if yours seems slower to get up and go – every baby is different.
Between six and twelve monthsBabies also start to utter their first words – despite mum’s best efforts, this is often “dada”! Initially, babies use “mama” and “dada” indiscriminately, but as they get older, they learn who’s who. Reading simple books to your baby now will help their speech and build the vocabulary of words that they can understand. Try basic picture books or stories with very repetitive language, such as Where’s Spot?, Goodnight Moon and That’s Not My Teddy. In Ireland, most babies will have a developmental check with their public health nurse at around eight months. If you have any concerns about your baby’s development, you can discuss it with your nurse, who will refer to a doctor if necessary.
Feeding your six-to-twelve-month-old babyBy six months, your baby is ready to start adding some solid foods to his diet.
Weaning is a huge milestone in your baby’s life. Many parents choose to start with a well-diluted spoon or two of baby rice once a day. After a couple of days, you can start adding single fruit or vegetable purées to the rice. Pear, apple, sweet potato, carrot and butternut squash are all popular first tastes. Once your baby is taking these happily, you can continue to add new fruit and vegetable purées and combine flavours to provide variety.
By eight to ten monthsYour baby will be ready for small portions of puréed meat and other proteins, such as lentils. If he seems to dislike a food, wait a few days and try it again. You can also introduce
easy-to-grasp finger foods, such as soft bread, banana, cheese and steamed vegetables. Introduce one new food at a time and wait three days before introducing another one, in case of any allergic reaction. Your baby should also start eating lumpier purées at about this age.
