Ready, set, SIT! Okay, maybe it’s not as exciting to watch as a lot of the more mobile milestones they will be heading towards soon, but Baby’s newfound – or soon-to-be-found – sitting abilities actually do open up a whole new world for them. Baby may still be sitting a little shakily, or may still need the support of something to lean against, but being able to sit means they are a lot closer to sitting in a high chair, eating solid foods, and even standing up on their own. Essentially, learning one of the first tricks people teach new puppies is bringing Baby a lot closer to being able to act more like a person.
They are also babbling a lot more this month, and with a bit more flair – from another room, the patterns of the sounds they are making might sound like completely understandable conversation. They are probably still a little ways away from words you can understand, and the sounds they make aren’t attached to any meaning yet, but being able to make repeating noises, and to put vowel and consonant sounds together, is an important building block.
There’s a good chance that Baby is sleeping through the night by now – and if they isn’t, there’s a good chance they are, at least, physically ready to. If you’re daydreaming of a full night’s sleep, a little tinkering of the bedtime routine, and possibly night weaning, could get you the rest you’ve been missing. On the other hand, if you love your nighttime snuggle-and-feeding time, there’s no reason to hurry Baby out of that phase too fast. It’s important to enjoy Baby’s babyhood, whether that means getting in your night time cuddles, or getting more well-rested cuddle-time in the morning.
Baby also continues to engage with the world around them, and is learning more and more about the things that we consider run-of-the-mill. Around this time, Baby might be ready to start experimenting with solid foods, so make sure to look out for their developing interest in the food that you’re eating as a sign that they might be ready to start this great culinary journey.
Milestones
- Sleep 6 hours straight: Many babies will already be sleeping through the night by 5 months, but for many, it can take up until the 6-month mark, or even later. If Baby isn’t making it 6 hours yet, it’s likely that they will in the upcoming weeks.
- Can have “conversations” of mimicking: It’s not quite a courtroom debate, but many babies around this time are able to mimic the back-and-forth pattern of conversations. Baby might be able to, or soon be able to, keep up this pattern by using all of the fun sounds they are learning how to make.
- Experiments with cause and effect: Like many scientists, Baby is using observation to help them learn about the world. Unlike many scientists, Baby appears to be discovering gravity for the first time. If Baby gets into the habit of dropping objects, it might just be due to a very scientific experiment.
