Age Guide

All about your 6 month old

Half-birthday. First tastes of solids, sitting with support, rolling both ways, and the kind of laugh you'll want recorded forever.

This month can bring babbling, blowing raspberries, and exploring table food. Use the buttons below to jump to each section.

💤
Topic

Sleep at 6 months

What a day might look like at 6 months

Every baby is different, but most 6 month olds are on a somewhat predictable 3-nap day. This is a sample schedule and it's normal for your child's schedule to vary.

6:30 AM
Morning rise · feed within 30 min
8:30 AM
Nap 1 · 1.25 hrs (2-hr wake window)
9:45 AM
Feed & play · offer solids if you've started
12:00 PM
Nap 2 · 1.5 hrs (2.25-hr wake window)
1:30 PM
Feed & play
4:00 PM
Nap 3 · 30 min (2.5-hr wake window)
4:30 PM
Feed & play
6:30 PM
Bedtime routine
7:15 PM
Asleep · (2.75-hr wake window)
Overnight · 1 or more feeds still common at this age
14 hrs
Total daily sleep
11 - 12 hours at night, 2.5 - 3.5 hours across 3 naps.
Note that these are guidelines. What's normal and healthy can vary.
3
Naps per day
The third nap is usually shorter and serves as a bridge to bedtime.
2 - 3 hrs
Wake windows
2 hours in the morning, up to around 3 hours before bed.
🧠
Topic

Development at 6 months

6-month milestones to watch for

Every baby develops on their own timeline, but here are the milestones most 6 month olds hit. Use it as a gentle guide, not a checklist to stress over.

🤸

Motor

  • Rolls both ways (back to tummy and tummy to back)
  • Sits well leaning on hands if placed on a hard surface
  • Transfers objects hand to hand and explores toys by shaking, reaching, and raking
  • Pre-crawling moves: rocking on hands and knees, pivoting on tummy
🗣️

Communication

  • Babbles "bababa," "dadada," and "mamama" (meaning comes later)
  • Copies some gestures, like head shakes
  • Blows raspberries
  • Makes different sounds for different emotions
👀

Cognitive

  • Recognizes familiar faces and differentiates them from strangers
  • Starting to understand cause and effect (drop the toy, you pick it up)
  • Tracks moving objects smoothly
  • Turns head toward sounds
💛

Social & Emotional

  • Laughs out loud and enjoys social games like peek-a-boo
  • Stranger awareness often begins around now
  • Shows affection for familiar caregivers
  • Grasps feet when laying on back
Heads up: If many of these milestones haven't shown up, your baby seems to have lost a skill they had, or something feels off, reach out to your healthcare provider. Trust your instincts — you know your baby best.
🍼
Topic

Feeding at 6 months

Feeding at 6 months, by the numbers

Breast milk or formula is still your baby's primary nutrition. Solids are layered on top of milk feeds, not in place of them.

📊
4 - 6
Milk feeds across 24 hours
4 - 8 ounces depending on how frequently baby feeds per day.
🥣
1
Solid meal to start
Build to 2 - 3 meals over the next couple of months.
💧
1 - 2 oz
Water per day
Optional, offered at mealtimes.
🥦
Starting solids

Solids are a go. At 6 months, your baby is typically ready to start exploring purees, baby-led weaning, or a mix of both. Most families start with one meal a day. The goal is exposure to a variety of flavors and textures — the majority of calories still come from breast milk or formula until closer to a year.

✦ Huckleberry Premium

Everything about this stage, all in one place

Feeding and sleep shift by the day, growth spurts hit, and first smiles, coos, and rolls can show up before you know it. Over 6 million families use Huckleberry to track it all and get guidance made for their baby.

Try Huckleberry Premium
Huckleberry sleep calendarHuckleberry sleep trends

What's coming up

See all age guides →