Your 6-month-old's development: Week 4

Bouncing baby

Your baby can now support some of her weight on her legs, and she loves to bounce — something that can strengthen her muscles for walking later on. Hold her under her arms and help her stand up on the floor or on your lap.

You may need to help her start moving by lifting her off the ground (or your lap) but once she starts, just watch her go! Be ready for lots of giggles.

Handy skills

Your baby's fine motor skills are coming along. By now she can probably scoop things up with one hand and transfer an object from one hand to the other fairly easily. Fine motor skills involve small, precise thumb, finger, hand, and wrist movements and are used for actions like picking up things between the thumb and finger.

Gross motor skills are required for activities like crawling, which use large muscles such as those in the arm, leg, or feet or the entire body. To encourage your baby's development of these skills, place a toy just out of your baby's reach and watch her try to get it. If she cries because she can't quite reach it, give her encouragement — but not the toy. She's just venting frustration and will become more physically confident more quickly if you don't make everything easy for her.

After a few tries, she'll be able to lean forward to grab the toy and then straighten herself again. Before long, she'll be rocking back and forth on her hands and knees or maybe creeping (pushing herself around on her belly) or even repeatedly rolling over to move about the room. Help her move around easily by dressing her in loose, comfortable clothes.

Your baby's also showing an interest in small parts and the details of the objects around her. Her ways of exploring are growing beyond banging and gumming, although those are still part of every toy interaction. As she explores, be sure to keep buttons, coins, safety pins, balloons, rocks, and other choking hazards out of reach.

Fun friends

At this age, babies tend to gravitate toward stuffed animals, big and small. One might even become your baby's favorite security object. If so, it'll soon be covered in drool and accompanying you everywhere. Don't worry: A "transitional object" like this can be a sign of emerging independence as your little one learns to separate herself from you and depend on herself — slowly but surely.

When adding new members to your plush family, look for soft, well-stitched toys. Other good playthings include balls, nesting cylinders, pop-up toys, and large dolls.

One way to tell if your baby has a favorite plaything or two is by trying to remove it from her. You may now find her protesting loudly when you take something away.

If your baby insists on sleeping with a favorite friend, make sure it's small — your baby could use a larger one as a stepping stool to climb out of her crib or it could impair her breathing if it's too close to her face.

Remember, your baby is an individual

All babies are unique and meet milestones at their own pace. Developmental guidelines simply show what your baby has the potential to accomplish — if not right now, then soon. If your baby was premature, keep in mind that kids born early usually need a bit more time to meet their milestones. If you have any questions at all about your baby's development, ask your healthcare provider.

source: babycenter