Your baby 3-6 months
During this period your baby will learn that language is fun and how to use it to
communicate with you. The more you talk to your baby the more he’ll ‘talk’
to you. By now he won’t be happy to lie down if he’s awake - sit him up in a
baby chair so he can take in all that’s going on around him.
What your baby can do
- Follow with his eyes as he passes toys from one fist to the other
- Follow toys with his eyes if they drop. However he will forget about them if they fall
out of sight
- Discover cause and effect - if he swipes a toy it will move
- Test things with his mouth - everything will go straight into it!
- He will watch your face and copy your mannerisms when you speak
- He can turn towards sounds and follow them
- He is likely to roll over about now and can push up with his hands and look around him.
He may even begin to wriggle and move around
- He can turn his head, and begin to twist his body to look at things or follow sounds
when you are holding him in your arms
Language development
Most parents worry about their child’s language skills more than any other aspect
of development. You’re more likely to have a chatty child if you concentrate on
making the process of communicating as fun and rewarding as possible.
- He will begin to make conversation; 'talking' and listening in turn
- Initially he will make open vowel coo-ing noises like ‘aah’ and
‘ooh’ and later begin to babble as he adds the sounds B, K, M and P to his
conversation
- By six months he will have picked up a few sounds like ‘ga’, ‘da’
and ‘ma’ which he then strings together into repetitive noises -
‘ga-ga-ga-da-ma’ - especially when someone talks or smiles at him
- Of course the most exciting combination is ‘maa’, though he’s a long way
from meaning mummy yet
- Later he will make more and varied sound strings such as ga-goo-ga-goo-da-doo
- Babies also practise ‘chatting’ when they are alone, just because it’s
fun
How you can help
- Continue to carry him with you as much as possible
- Make conversation whenever you have the chance, but give him plenty of time to respond
- Talk as you do things and sing or chant nursery rhymes so he gets used to listening to
you. He will enjoy the pattern and rhythm of the sounds
- Try to have a little face to face chat every day, so he can see your face and tune in to
you
- Read baby books together: he will love the sound of your voice as well as looking at the
bright colours and shapes
Toys for this stage
You are still your baby’s best toy, but a range of toys and playthings will be useful now. Variety is
all important; he may examine an object for just a few seconds before losing interest.
- Soft toys: at around six months most babies are able to hold on to toys they are given
and will enjoy small soft toys, especially ones with interesting bits to discover, like
different textures and noises. Avoid hard or heavy toys because at this stage babies may
well hit themselves on the head as they wave their hands around holding a toy. You’ll
need to offer your baby your outstretched palm or another firm surface to press the toy
against before he will be able to release it.
- Teether toys: your baby will try to find out about a toy by putting it into his mouth.
He uses his mouth to investigate because his tongue has more nerve endings per square
centimetre than any other part of his body and is therefore amazingly sensitive. So choose
toys that are lightweight, easy to grasp and safe to put in the mouth
- Activity centre: once your baby can grasp things in both hands an activity centre tied
to the side of his cot will be fun, choose one that makes lots of different noises. These
are ideal at this stage because they do not swing away, there’s lots to discover and
they can be played with over and over
- Board books: your baby is also ready to look at the pictures in a thick board book* with
you, especially if they are simple shapes in bright colours
There are no standard developmental tests for this stage.
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