Six months is a significant age for children in terms of sleep, food, and development.
When children are around six months old, they begin to vocalize their first vowel and consonant combinations. They have more significant movement; they can grasp objects with their hands and keep their heads level with their bodies when sitting.
At this age, the vast majority no longer have the extrusion reflex; this means they do not push the food that enters their mouth with their tongue. This is the moment when eating patterns will begin to change. Until now, most babies were exclusively breastfed or bottle-fed. However, after six months, it is possible to introduce a complementary diet. Small portions of food become part of their diet; however, breastfeeding must continue to be the primary source of nutrients.
One of the reasons this stage is so important is because the sleep and wake cycles are much more regulated. This is an excellent time to establish more stable sleep routines, remove negative sleep props, and teach babies to fall asleep independently. Some babies can sleep for the entire night as early as six months. Nonetheless, many others will continue to wake up even up to 2 years, so sleep specialists’ support can be handy.
At six months, babies can stop taking their last nap of the day; they will go from taking three naps to 2. It all depends on each baby’s needs. For 6 months babies, the sleep windows are from 2 hours to 2 and a half hours and the daytime sleep time is approximately 3 to 4 hours.
