Month 6

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 15 pounds and is 25 ¼ inches long

- the baby is now alert and attentive for at least half of the time he is awake

- the baby's depth perception is improving rapidly and the world he sees is truly becoming three-dimensional. While he still prefers primary colors, his ability to distinguish a wide range of colors is improving

Mental Developments:

- When placed in new environments or situations, the baby will carefully examine his surroundings and explore the new situations

- the baby's play time becomes more complex. He will play with more toys and will make obvious decisions about which toys he would prefer to play with

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is still trying to grab at what ever he is able to reach

- the baby is more active and will attempt to move more often

Social Development:

- the baby will vehemently oppose anyone trying to take away his toys

- the baby's emotional expression is evolving quickly. He is able to physically express a wide array of emotions through facial expressions and sounds

- the baby is still fascinated with human voices. He is able to pick out and pays particular attention to the voices of his primary caregivers. the baby is especially interested in rhythmic speech

- the baby may be able to feed himself some solid foods now

Week 22

Physical Developments:

- the baby is now 15 ¼ pounds and is 25 ½ inches long

- the baby is now able to turn, twist and roll himself in all directions

- the baby is able to 'creep' along the floor by kicking his arms and legs; he was able to do this previously but did not have quite the range he has now

Mental Developments:

- the baby is able to recognize himself in a mirror and can distinguish between his own reflection and those of others

- When he drops an object, or someone else does, the baby will look over to see where the object has fallen

- the baby is now able to distinguish and recognize an object by seeing only part of it, i. e. can recognize his bottle by seeing only the nipple

- the baby will likely enjoy playing with objects by shaking them, hitting them together, or dropping them on the floor. These are attempts to explore his world and should be encouraged as annoying as it may get

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is now able to sit upright by himself and can do so unsupported for nearly 30 minutes at a time

- the baby is more active and will attempt to move more often

Social Development:

- the mother may begin to realize that the baby's interest in breastfeeding is dwindling

- the baby will smile at his own mirrored reflection

- the baby knowingly vocalizes his pleasure and displeasure

- the baby may begin to become weary of strangers as he begins to distinguish between those people he knows and those that he does not. He may cry when strangers are near or stare at and study them when they get close

Week 23

Physical Developments:

- the baby weighs 15 ¼ pounds and is 25 ¾ inches long

- the baby is able to sit up by himself without support

- the baby will now reach for objects with one hand rather than two. His dexterity has increased as has his strength

Mental Developments:

- the baby's vocalizations are becoming more complex and longer. He is on his way to speaking

- the baby's attention span is increasing, as is his interest in objects. the mother will notice that the baby will stare at objects for prolonged periods

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is able to turn his head freely and in all directions

- From laying on his back, the baby can roll over and nearly sit himself upright

Social Development:

- Music is still very interesting to the baby. He will make noises when he hears it, hum, and rock/move to it rhythmically. It will also help him stop crying

Week 24

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 15 ½ pounds and is 26 inches long

- At this stage, one of the baby's favorite games will be lying back, grabbing one of his feet, and putting it in his mouth

Mental Developments:

- Rapid mood changes now may be common in the baby

- the baby may also be developing a temper to go along with the wider array of emotions that he shows

- the baby's memory is expanding. He now recognizes some basic words, names and sounds. He may point at things when they are named

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby may manipulate objects, revealing his increased dexterity

Social Development:

- the baby recognizes his own name and will turn his head to see who is calling him

Week 25

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 15 ¾ pounds and is 26 ¼ inches long

- the baby's dexterity further increases and he has learned to rotate his wrists in order to manipulate and observe objects

- the baby's vision is still improving. He still sees some fuzziness and haze. His vision is about 20/50

- the baby may be fascinated with his new found ability to clap

Mental Developments:

- the baby appreciates a change in perspective and will attempt to look at objects upside down. This is a further attempt to gain understanding of his surroundings and the world

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby will seem more interested in handling and playing with his food then eating it

- When he gains control of an object he will focus on passing it from one hand to the other

Social Development:

- the baby may fuss and cry when his parents leave the room or are out of his field of vision

The baby should be able to sit on his own by this point but he may need to support himself with one or two hands. The baby is likely eating solid foods at this point and the focus of meal time will be playing rather than eating. He will attempt to feed himself and will make efforts to vocalize what he wants. Cognitively speaking, the baby has now realized that he is a separate and unique individual - he is a person. This realization can bring some distress to the baby as he may feel separated. But it also brings with it the realization that he can control his environment and those around him. The baby is also realizing the habits and patterns in his life such as when meal times and bed times are. He may also be developing a slight fear of strangers. He is now able to distinguish between people he knows and those he does not. This may lead to some relative uneasiness when he is around unfamiliar persons.

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