During the 3-6 month stage, your baby will learn to roll, and move forward using his legs to push. He’ll be able to hold onto objects with his hands and he’ll get better control of his head through the strengthening of his neck muscles. By six months, some babies will be able to bear weight on their legs when they’re held in a standing position, as well as sit with some support.
Your baby will also begin initiating communication with you by smiling, laughing, and cooing. He will become more aware of his environment and look around to see what’s going on.
Playing with your baby
Books
With his range of eyesight steadily increasing, he’s now able to focus on objects further away, so this is a great time to introduce books into his day. Spend a little quiet time each day reading with him – he’ll enjoy looking at the pictures and reaching out for the book. He’ll also start to listen to you read.
Toys
Your baby can now hold onto an object with some control and he’ll enjoy moving them around in the air in front of him. Because his hand-eye co-ordination is steadily improving, it’s a great time to offer him toys with a variety of textures, noises, colours and sizes. Baby can now hold onto objects and wave them around.
Music
As your baby grows, you’ll notice that he’s developing his own musical taste – which may not match your own! Just like adults, he’ll prefer to listen to music that matches his mood so introduce him to different styles, tempos and volume and watch for his reaction.
This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot – Australia’s parenting resource for newborns and baby. Sources include SA Government’s Parenting and Child Health and Karitane.
