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6 Month Old Baby: Milestones, Sleep and Feeding

Your 6 month old baby: starting solid foods, sitting up, first teeth, babbling and what to expect at the six month mark.

Before you use this guide: Every baby grows and develops at their own pace, and healthy babies vary a lot. Weights are WHO medians at the start of the month, not targets. If your baby was born early, use their corrected age. This is general information, not an individual medical assessment.

How your baby is developing

Six months is a big milestone. Your baby may be sitting with support or leaning on their hands, rolling both ways and reaching for what they want. They are fascinated by everything, and putting things in their mouth is how they explore.

Social skills are growing, too. Most babies know familiar faces, like to look at themselves in a mirror, laugh and take turns making sounds with you. Squealing and blowing raspberries are favourite games.

Milestones to look for

These are skills that many babies show around this age. Some will come earlier and some later, and missing one is not usually a cause for worry.

• Knows familiar people, and likes to look at themselves in a mirror
• Laughs
• Takes turns making sounds with you
• Blows raspberries, and makes squealing noises
• Puts things in their mouth to explore them
• Reaches to grab a toy they want
• Closes their lips to show they do not want more food
• Rolls from tummy to back
• Pushes up with straight arms when on their tummy
• Leans on their hands to support themselves when sitting

For the full checklist, see the CDC milestone checklist for this age.

Feeding

• Around six months is when health services such as the WHO, the NHS and Ireland's HSE recommend starting solid foods alongside breast milk or formula. They advise waiting until at least 17 weeks.
• Signs of readiness include staying sitting upright and holding their head steady, looking at food, picking it up and putting it in their mouth, and swallowing food rather than spitting it out.
• Start with small tastes of soft, mashed or finger-sized foods, including iron-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, lentils and iron-fortified cereal. Offer one new food at a time.
• Introduce common allergens such as egg and peanut as your health service advises, rather than avoiding them.
• Milk remains the main source of nutrition for now, so offer milk feeds as usual. Small sips of water from an open cup can be offered with meals.
• Avoid honey, whole nuts, whole grapes, added salt and added sugar.

Sleep

• Most babies need around two to three naps a day, with wake windows of about two to three hours.
• Some babies sleep through the night for longer, but plenty still wake for a feed, and that is normal.
• At six months, some parents move their baby into their own room. Health services advise sharing a room for at least six months, and your own comfort and circumstances matter too.
• Teething may disturb sleep for a few days.

See our wake windows by age guide and the rules in our safe sleep guide.

Play and learning

• Give your baby safe toys to bang, shake and pass from hand to hand.
• Play with sound by singing, banging a spoon or shaking a rattle.
• Give plenty of floor time and place toys just out of reach.
• Read books together every day.

Keeping your baby safe

• Always stay with your baby when they are eating, and sit them upright for every meal.
• Choose high chairs with a harness, and do not leave your baby unattended in one.
• Your baby can reach more now, so move hot drinks, cleaning products, medicines and small objects well out of reach.
• Put a gate at the top and bottom of the stairs.

Looking after yourself

Starting solids is exciting but can feel messy and stressful. There is no right way to do it, and a mix of purées and finger foods works well. See our guide to baby-led weaning and purées.

Look after your own food and rest, too. If you are going back to work, make time to talk about how you feel.

When to ask for help

Talk to your health visitor or doctor if your baby does not try to reach for objects, does not seem to enjoy being around people, shows no affection for caregivers, does not make sounds, does not roll in either direction, seems very stiff or floppy, or if you have any concerns about how they are feeding or growing. If they choke, gag a lot or have a reaction to a new food such as swelling, hives or breathing difficulty, seek emergency care.

Trust your instincts. If you are worried about your baby at any age, contact your doctor, health visitor or local emergency number.

This content is for general information only and is not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every baby is different. Always talk to your doctor, midwife or paediatrician about your own situation, and seek urgent care if you are worried.