Month by month · 6 months
3 MINUTES READ
Your baby at six months
half a year of little things.
Six months is a half-birthday, and it often feels like a different baby from the one you brought home. There is laughing now, and reaching, and opinions about food. Here is what this month can look like, and what might be worth a line.
What six months can look like
Every baby has their own timing, so read this as things you might notice, not a list to tick off. Around six months, many babies:
- know familiar people, and like looking at themselves in a mirror
- laugh, squeal, and blow raspberries
- take turns making sounds with you
- reach to grab a toy, and put things in their mouth to explore them
- close their lips to say no more when they have had enough food
- roll from tummy to back, and lean on their hands to support themselves when sitting
Drawn from the CDC's milestone checklists. Every baby is different, and this is not medical advice. If something worries you, talk to your child's doctor.
Little things worth a line this month
Pick the one that feels like today. A single sentence is enough.
- Their real laugh. What sets it off, and what it sounds like.
- The first raspberry, and who it was aimed at.
- What they do when they see themselves in the mirror.
- The first food they loved, and the first face they pulled.
- How they say no more without a single word.
- Something they reached for that they definitely weren't meant to have.
- A sound they repeat over and over, written exactly as it sounds.
- Who makes them light up the moment they walk in.
- The first roll, and where it took them.
- How they sit now: propped up, wobbly, or proud.
- A small game only the two of you play.
- What you want to remember about this half year.
Six months today. She laughed at the cat so hard she fell over sideways.
First taste of pear. Pure suspicion, then she opened her mouth for more.
He turned his whole head away from the spoon. Message received.
Make the half-birthday a small tradition
Six months is a natural moment to look back. Read what you wrote in the first months, then write one line about who they are today. If you have not written anything yet, today is a good first line.
One line, whenever something happens.
One Little Line keeps each memory with the date and your baby's age attached, so a line about six months stays a line about six months. At the end of every month, your memories become a letter you can read back.
Questions parents ask
What should I write in a baby journal at 6 months?
Write what makes this stage theirs: the laugh, the raspberries, the first foods and faces, how they reach for things and who they light up for. A single honest sentence is enough.
What is a good half-birthday journal entry?
Write one line about who your baby is today: something they love, something that makes them laugh, and something you want to remember. Reading it back at their first birthday is lovely.
What if my baby isn't doing these things yet?
Babies develop at their own pace, and this page is about noticing, not measuring. If you have questions about your baby's development, the CDC milestone checklists are a good starting point, and your child's doctor is the right person to ask.