6
6 months
Six months: first spoonfuls
Sitting up, reaching out and tasting the world for the first time.
First year Second year
Half a birthday has passed. Many babies now sit with a little support, roll both ways and are ready for their first spoonfuls of food alongside breast milk or formula.
Growth
Weight
6.9–9.4 kg
Length
65–71 cm
Typical range; your paediatrician tracks your baby on a growth chart. Growth slows compared with the first half-year: gains of about 400–500 g a month are now normal.
What your baby is learning
- Many babies sit with a little support, propping themselves on their hands, and roll from back to tummy and back again.
- Hands are busy: your baby reaches for a toy, passes it from one hand to the other and brings everything to the mouth.
- Babbling takes on consonants such as "ba", "ma" and "da". Your baby turns to familiar voices and watches your mouth as you talk.
- Your baby clearly recognises familiar people, smiles and laughs with them, and may go quiet or frown at strangers.
- The first teeth, usually the two lower front ones, may appear now or in the coming months; dribbling and chewing on everything are common.
Feeding
- Around six months most babies are ready for complementary foods: they sit with support, hold their head steady and show interest in what you eat. Keep breastfeeding on demand (or formula) as the main food.
- Start with iron-rich foods: smooth meat purée and iron-fortified porridge, then vegetables and fruit. Begin with one or two teaspoons once a day and let your baby set the pace.
- Offer one new food every two or three days so you can spot a reaction. No honey before one year, and no added salt, sugar, tea or juice.
- Offer sips of boiled, cooled water from a small cup at meals. If you are breastfeeding, keep taking potassium iodide 200 µg every day.
Sleep
Most six-month-olds sleep 12–16 hours in total, with two or three daytime naps. A short, predictable bedtime routine (bath, feed, song, cot) helps. Keep putting your baby to sleep on the back on a firm, flat surface of their own, without pillows, soft bedding or toys.
Check-ups and vaccines
- Six-month check-up at the polyclinic: weight, length, head circumference, development and a talk about starting complementary foods.
- Vaccination: an additional dose against measles is given at 6 months under the current epidemiological measures in Uzbekistan. Ask your patronage nurse or paediatrician which doses your baby has had.
- A mild fever and fussiness for a day or two after a vaccine are common; offer extra breastfeeds and paracetamol in the dose your doctor advised. Call if the fever reaches 39 °C, lasts more than two days or your baby seems very unwell.
- Care for first teeth from the day they appear: wipe them with a soft cloth or a soft baby brush, and never put your baby to bed with a bottle.
6 months: Measles (additional dose)
Play and everyday tips
- Peekaboo, mirrors and copying your baby's sounds back are endless fun and teach the turn-taking of conversation.
- Give safe floor time every day on a clean blanket with a few toys just out of reach: it builds the muscles for crawling.
- Read a picture book aloud every day in Uzbek, Russian or both; bilingual homes are an advantage, not a problem. No screens before two years (WHO).
- Start baby-proofing now: covers on sockets, hot tea and the kettle far from the edge of the table, small objects off the floor.
Call the doctor or 103 if
- Fever of 39 °C or higher, any fever lasting more than three days, or a fever with a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it.
- Fast or laboured breathing, grunting, or a bluish colour around the lips.
- Diarrhoea or vomiting with signs of dehydration: fewer wet nappies, a dry mouth, sunken eyes, no tears, or unusual sleepiness.
- Developmental: your baby does not hold the head steady, does not reach for toys, feels very stiff or very floppy, or does not respond to loud sounds. Tell your paediatrician at the check-up.
- Refusing all feeds, being very hard to wake, or a seizure: do not wait for the next appointment, call 103 or go to the polyclinic/hospital.
Trust your instinct. If your baby seems unwell to you, call 103 or go to the polyclinic.
Free · 30 seconds to set up
Monthly updates in Telegram
Tell the bot your baby's birth date and it will send a development digest every month, with the vaccines due next.
- ✓A short digest every new week
- ✓Countdown to your due date
- ✓Reminders about upcoming checkups
- ✓Kick counter and contraction timer