Resources

Checkups at 6 Months

Dental visits are recommended once the baby has reached 6 months of age, even before the first tooth has erupted.

What Can Your Baby Do?

• She should roll over both ways and have good head control.
• She may imitate sounds, laugh, and babble.
• He may show displeasure at the loss of a toy.
• She likes to look at faces and recognizes the difference between mom and dad.
• He should sit with support and bear weight on both his legs. He should also transfer objects from hand to hand.
• She should be sleeping through the night.
• He may begin being afraid of strangers.
• You do not need to put shoes on your baby, but they may be used to dress him up. Shoes are not necessary for the proper growth of the feet.

What Can Your Baby Eat?

• You should continue to give your baby formula or nurse. Do not give her cow's milk or whole milk products until 12 months of age.
• Usually she should not take more than 36 ounces of formula a day unless she is an especially large baby.
• Never prop his bottle or feed your baby a bottle while he is lying flat on his back. This may cause him to have ear infections or choking.
• Begin introducing the cup to him.
• You should begin solids now or within a month. Begin 1 food at a time to make sure each is tolerated. The recommended feeding schedule to avoid allergies and asthma is:

  6 months: Begin cereals, rice cereal first.

  7 months: Begin vegetables, then fruits in 2-4 weeks. It is harder to give fruits and then vegetables because your baby may prefer the sweeter fruits over the vegetables.

  8-9 months: Start meats, giving chicken and turkey before red meats.

  12 months: Wait until this age to give eggs, cow's milk (or other dairy products), wheat (which includes most breads and crackers), and citrus fruits or juices (lemon, lime, orange, and pineapple). These foods often cause allergies. Fish, peanut butter, chocolate, strawberries, and tomatoes less often may cause allergies.

• Do not feed honey to her until at least 12 months old since honey may cause infant botulism.
• Tell your doctor if your home does not have fluoride in the water. If not, a fluoride vitamin will be prescribed for your baby.
• Brush or wipe your baby's new teeth once a day with water.
• Your baby may have her first tooth in the next few weeks. She may become fussy and have mild diarrhea, but she should have no fever with her teething. Give her 0.8 cc of acetaminophen (Tylenol, Tempra, or generic) plus apply an oral gel to her swollen gums to relieve her pain.

Immunizations

• The following immunizations are given in the first year of life:
• Polio- a viral infection that caused paralysis in thousands of children yearly in the 1950's. The polio vaccine is given in an injection (dead) and oral (live) form. It is usually given initially in the dead (safer) form, later in the live form which is more effective.
• Diphtheria- a respiratory and heart disease that used to kill thousands every year.
• Pertussis- also known as whooping cough, this respiratory illness is particularly dangerous for young babies and is always in the community in a small number of cases.
• Tetanus- a bacterial infection of dirty wounds that can be life-threatening.
• Hemophilus- the bacteria that was the most frequent cause of meningitis and other serious infections of the blood and lungs until the widespread use of this vaccine.
• Hepatitis B- a liver illness that kills thousands every year. Hepatitis B is spread from an infected mother to her baby at birth, sexually, and through blood in transfusions and IV drugs.
• These vaccines are usually combined together to reduce the number of injections. Improvements in the vaccines have reduced the fever and other side effects that babies often had.

Blood Test:

Your baby needs a lead test if:

1. He lives or regularly visits a house built before 1960, an old house with peeling or chipping paint, a home with lead plumbing, a home on a major highway, or one near a lead-producing or battery recycling plant.
2. You have given her any home remedies that contain lead.
3. Any of his friends or brothers or sisters have had lead poisoning or he eats paint chips or dirt.
4. She is around an adult who works with lead in construction, welding, pottery, bullets, fishing weights, a firing range, stained glass, refinishing furniture, or car repair.

Accident Prevention

• Protect your baby from hot liquids, dangling cords, and pulling on tablecloths. Be careful while cooking. Your baby will grab at everything, often pulling hot liquids on himself or you. Turn the handles of pots to the inside away from his reaching little hands.
• Remove poisonous plants or plants with sharp stems or leaves from places that he can reach.
• The kitchen is often the worst location for poisons in the house.
• Never keep lye cleaners (such as toilet bowl cleaners or drain openers) in your house. They can cause severe burns in your baby's eyes and mouth causing blindness and scarring of her throat.
• Do not put him in a walker that falls over easily or is collapsible.
• Do not smoke indoors, since it causes her to have more colds and ear infections.
• During play, do not jerk him suddenly or shake him because this can be dangerous to your baby.
• Babysitters should be 12-years-old or older.
• Do not leave your baby unattended in her tub or in any place other than her crib or playpen with the sides up and locked.
• Cover electrical outlets.
• Place her in car restraints. Do not put young children in the front seat of a car with airbags.
• Use safety latches on drawers and cupboards containing dangerous objects.
• Place smoke detectors in your home.
• Stairs should have gates to protect him from falls.
• Do not let her hold an object that is small enough for her to swallow because she might choke on it.

Emotional and Social Development

• She needs stimulation to learn new activities.
• She may not like to have her diaper changed at this age. Giving her a toy to hold as a distraction may be helpful.
• Your baby should be sleeping through the night. Let her cry for 5-10 minutes before you go and pick her up to see if she will go back to sleep. Do not feed her in the middle of the night since this merely prolongs the problem.
• Be careful not to sacrifice attention to her brothers and sisters for the sake of your new baby.
• In the next few months your baby can be spoiled if she is picked up every time she cries.
• He is almost old enough to understand the word "No!"
• You should stimulate the speech of your baby by talking to him and responding to his sounds.
• He should sleep in a different room from his parents if possible.

 

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