Your
Baby's First Year ~ Month 6
As
your baby learns about the world, he also learns about fun!
And fun is what it's all about these days. Your six-month-old
will love playing peek-a-boo, and he may be able to sort blocks
or other toys
by size. His fine motor skills are developing, too. Some of
his new tricks may include transferring a toy from one hand
to the other, banging objects together, and reaching for a
toy using only one hand.
He
may also:
- Wake
up happy
- Holds
out his arms to be picked up
- Sits
alone briefly
- Rolls
from his back to his stomach
- Pull
his feet to his mouth and play with his toes
-
Looks momentarily for a dropped object
By
now, your baby should make lots of different sounds too. He
will laugh, gurgle and coo with people that are familiar to
him. He will look towards new sounds, and react to voices.
He may also start to babble, just to get your attention! Babble
back to him - you may feel silly using 'non-words', but to
your baby it will all make perfect sense!
The
infection-fighting antibodies that your baby was born with
are beginning to diminish. Your baby may begin to get colds,
particularly if they have older siblings, or are exposed to
other children in day care. Attempting to keep your baby's
hands and toys clean may be a losing battle.
Fevers
are very common in childhood, and are usually caused by an
infection or some other illness. It isn't the degree (or height)
of your child's fever that represents how serious the illness
is, it's your child's behavior. Sometimes a child with a minor
infection will have a high fever, while a child with a severe
infection might show no fever at all. You can check for a
fever by taking an oral temperature, a rectal temperature,
or an axillary temperature under the child's armpit (although
axillary temperatures are not always considered that accurate).
Also available are thermometers for measuring temperature
in the inner ear - these are the easiest to use on babies.
If your child has a fever of over 39 degrees Celsius or 102
degrees Fahrenheit, it is very important to contact your doctor.
