Development milestones 6 to 8 months

[mme_highlight] By his/her 6^th month, your child can transfer objects from one hand to another and pick up the dropped objects. He/ She can almost stand with a little support from you. He/she can now recognize name and responds with a smile, eye contact or head turn. [mme_highlight]

In the short span of two months, between the ages of 6 to 8 months, a child achieves many important developmental milestones that parents should recognize to give support and a positive reinforcement and hence help their children development.

Motor development

By his/her 6^th month, your child can transfer objects from one hand to another and pick up the dropped objects. He/ She can almost stand with a little support from you. A sense of independence of child at this stage is obvious as he/ she can sit on a high chair. Good news at this stage is that your baby can sleep 6-8 hours at a stretch at night, so you can also expect a good night sleep after months of less or almost no-sleep. Some of the features of gross motor skills in this age group are shown below.

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90 % of babies can sit without support at the age of 7.5 months;
50 % of babies can stand with assistance at the age of 7.4 months;
28 % of babies can crawl at the age of 7.4 months;
10 % of babies can walk with assistance at the age of 7.4 months;
3 % of babies can stand alone at the age of 7.7 months.

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During this period your baby will also acquire some new eating skills.

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96 % of babies between 7 and 8 months of age can grasp food with hands;
42 % of babies between 7 and 8 months of age can drink from sippy cup;
5 % of babies betweenf 7 and 8 months of age can feed herself/himself with a spoon.

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Teething begins around 6^th month, so you can expect increased drooling. By 6^th month, you can also expect that the weight of your baby has doubled his birth weight.

Cognitive development

The most recognizable cognitive skill of this stage is anxiety before strangers. Your child can recognize you, often babbles one- syllable words (example: da-da, ba-ba) and imitates your actions. However they begin to fear strangers. Hence even going to the pediatrician for a check-up can be a hard task as the child will have stranger anxiety and may not cooperate.

Language development

Children at this stage play with sounds. They enjoy listening to their own voice and can locate the sounds. The vision at this stage is between 20/60 and 20/40. He/she can now recognize name and responds with a smile, eye contact or head turn. This stage is definitely very important as communication skills of your child will strengthen your bond.

What should parents do to encourage the development of their babies at this age?

Reading to your child since an early age helps him/her to build vocabulary. Read, sing and speak to your child as much as you can. Try imitating words such as “ma-ma, da-da”. This helps them to learn language and communicate. You can also start naming objects around the room. Children at this stage respond to voices, so get toys that have sounds and are brightly colored (avoid buying toys with small parts that can lead to choking hazard).
Play games like peek-a-boo, as it develops physical, social and language skills of the child. Your child is imaginative, hence provide him/her with paper and see how they tear them off. Though at one go, you may feel the act to be destructive, it actually is enhancing his/her physical and cognitive skill. Always remember to speak clearly with your child.

When buying toys, never select toys with small parts. They can accidently choke the epiglottis. Your 6 month-old child uses furniture to stand, hence avoid tables with edges that can harm your child. Furniture must be safe and steady.

What are the alarm signs I should be worried about?

Baby cannot pick up small items using thumb and first finger;
Baby cannot pass an object from one hand to the other;
Baby cannot release objects voluntarily;
Baby cannot sit on floor without support;
Baby cannot move forward on tummy or rolls continuously to get an item.

What are the risk factors that can impair development?

In this period, children start eating solid foods, so parents should register the occurrence of allergies. Also, parents must gradually include solid food and especially foods which are rich in iron in order to prevent the development of anemia.

Summary and Recommendations

Between 6 and 8 months of age, your child will show developmental progresses at a fast pace. Knowing what to expect makes it easier for you to recognize the progresses and help the child to achieve them.
Cognitive Development:
Motor Development: Your child transfers objects between hands and is capable of picking up dropped objects. Between 6 and 8 months children may stand with support. At this stage, new eating skills are acquired: children can use finger grasp to hold food, drink from a sippy cup or hold a spoon.
Social/Emotional Development: fear of strangers is a typical feature of this age.
Language Development: children recognize their name and localize sounds.
Each child has her/his own pace, but if you think your child is not developing adequately, seek for medical advice.

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References:

Feigelman S. The first year. In: Kliegman RM, Behrman RE, Jenson HB, Stanton BF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 8.
Gill SV, May-Benson TA, Teasdale A, Munsell EG. Birth and developmental correlates of birth weight in a sample of children with potential sensory processing disorder.BMC Pediatr. 2013 Feb 25;13:29

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