When raising their children, many parents either do the things their own parents did, or they do just the opposite. What practise you lot copy from your parents? What practice you do that is different? Have you lot thought virtually why you lot re-create some things and non others?

Fifty-fifty though your baby is just six months old, he is learning by watching you. That is why it is so important to set a good example. Your babe volition copy what family members do. Once set, patterns of family unit life are hard to alter.

Your baby will observe:

  • How you talk to each other
  • How you work out problems
  • How y'all show your feelings

Talk to others with kindness and tell them what y'all really mean to say.

Work out problems past talking about them and finding positive solutions.

Evidence love and concern for family members, only also tell them when y'all are angry or upset so the effect tin can exist resolved before it becomes a big problem.

Recall, you are the most important influence in your children's lives. How you act teaches them how to behave.

How I Abound and Talk

  • I plough and twist in all directions.
  • I roll from my back to my stomach.
  • I sometimes can sit upwards without the support of my artillery.
  • I creep backward and forrard with my breadbasket on the floor.
  • I concord onto an object with ane hand and then put it in the other hand.
  • I concord one edifice cake, reach for a second ane, and expect for a tertiary one right away.
  • I grab for an object when information technology drops.
  • I still babble a lot, but I have more command of sounds.
  • I'm first to sympathise some words by the tone of voice you employ.

How I Respond

  • I pick upward things, milkshake them, and then listen to the sound they make when I drop them.
  • I play games with people I know.
  • I get upset when I'thou around grown-up strangers, just I'thou friendly to children I don't know.
  • I coo, hum, or finish crying sometimes when I hear music.
  • I proceed very busy doing something all the fourth dimension.

How I Empathize and Experience

  • I know that I have to use my hands to choice upwardly something.
  • I expect at and study things for a long fourth dimension.
  • I plow objects upside down just to get another view of them.
  • I turn when I hear my name.
  • I haven't learned how to control my feelings yet.
  • I complain and howl when I don't get my mode.
  • I giggle, coo, and bleat with joy when I'm happy.
  • I have very strong likes and dislikes about nutrient.

Some children do things earlier or later than described hither.

Most differences are normal. Focus on what your child tin practise and become excited about each new skill. If you detect that your child is lagging behind in one or more areas for several months, circle the things that your child cannot do. Check the things your child tin can practise. Use this list to talk with your doctor about your kid's development.

Vi month erstwhile babies don't understand what information technology means to obey you lot. Their minds are not developed enough for them to know correct from incorrect. Even so, they may practice things that are non safety or things that you lot think are wrong.

For the side by side twelvemonth or so, you need to assistance your baby learn how to acquit, which is sometimes chosen field of study. Discipline really means didactics, non punishing.

If yous are a warm and loving parent, your infant will acquire to trust you. The more your infant trusts you, the more she will accept the limits you put on her. She will want to practise the correct thing to please y'all.

Research shows that subject area works all-time for parents who take a warm human relationship with their children.

Here are some skilful means to teach your baby:

Let your babe know when she does things yous like with words, hugs, and smiles. The more positive y'all are when your baby is skillful, the more she volition heed to you lot when you don't like what she's doing.

Ignore misbehavior, such as spitting food, if it's not harming anyone. Don't look at her, smile, or yell. Until she stops, pretend you don't encounter her.

Pick your baby up and motility her to condom if she is doing something dangerous. For example, accept her away from a stairway and put her in the centre of the room and say, "You tin crawl here." This is redirecting.

Remember to praise your baby for doing something that is OK after you have ignored misbehavior or redirected her.

Baby proof your home so your baby has safe places to explore and motion around. For example, leave one low kitchen cabinet unlocked and stock it with safe plastic dishes. Take baby toys on low safe shelves that she can accomplish.

Prevent problems before they happen. For example, put a safety gate on the stairs to prevent falls. Put a vase away or on a very high shelf out of your baby's reach.

Make your baby's world interesting. If she has fun things to explore, she will be too decorated having safe fun to get into trouble. For case, when you visit someone else's habitation, take interesting toys to hold her attention. This way she won't get into dangerous things at the other home.

Teach your baby to exercise things correct. If she pulls the true cat's hair or yours, testify her how to pat the cat or you gently.

When your babe starts to lean forward out of his infant seat and you're agape he will tip over, information technology's time for a loftier chair. Think, though, babies tin get badly hurt in a high chair if you lot don't follow safety rules.

Here are some things to wait for to be sure the loftier chair is safe for your infant:

  • It should be sturdy, with a broad base so it won't tip over.
  • A seat chugalug with a crotch strap to go betwixt your baby'due south legs keeps him from sliding out and is a must.
  • The tray should lock securely on both sides and take no sharp edges.
  • Belt buckles and tray locks should be easy for you to use but Non easy for your baby to utilise.
  • Caps or plugs on tubing should exist firmly attached and unable to be pulled off. They could cause a child to choke.
  • It should be piece of cake to clean. If the finish will let, you can place the high chair in the shower stall to soak and steam it clean.
  • If the seat is slippery, attach rubber bathtub adhesive stickers to the seat so your baby doesn't slide around.

Do's and Don't's of High Chair Safe

DO always use the seat belt and strap.

DO lock the tray into place.

Practise be sure your baby's easily are out of the style when you lock the tray.

Practise be certain that in that location are no sharp edges to cutting her or you.

Exercise go along the loftier chair at to the lowest degree 12 inches away from a table or counter. Your baby could push off and tip over.

DO watch your babe closely. Some babies have slipped down betwixt the leg straps and strangled.

DON'T leave the chair nigh a stove.

DON'T leave your baby lonely in the chair.

DON'T let your baby stand up in the chair.

DON'T allow other children climb on the chair.

Baby teeth practise 5 important things:

  • Chew food
  • Help child speak clearly
  • Guide permanent teeth into place
  • Add together to general good health
  • Make a nice grin

Tooth decay is a serious problem for young children. 1 in four American children have cavities by the fourth dimension they are 2 years sometime.

Cavities are caused when sugars in breast milk, formula, sweetened drinks, and juices are on the baby'southward teeth for long periods of time. This oftentimes happens if a infant sleeps with a canteen in his rima oris or stays fastened to the breast and goes to sleep.

Become What Y'all Want: Using a Tool Game

Purpose of game: Encourage your infant to use objects as tools for getting what he wants.

How to play: Put your baby in a sitting position on the floor with a small blanket in front of him. Brand sure he tin achieve the coating. Sit beside him.

Put a favorite toy on the blanket, but place information technology out of reach. If your baby does not pull the blanket to get the toy, pull the blanket toward him until he can accomplish the toy. Use action words to describe what he is doing, such equally "See, you lot got the ball by pulling the coating." You lot can use towels, potholders, or pillows instead of a blanket.

Play the game with some other toy to run into if your infant learns to pull the blanket to get what he wants. Finish if he gets tired or fussy.

It is common for babies who take been sleeping through the night to brainstorm waking upwards at nighttime. Reasons for this might be the baby wants to play; he might not experience well, or it may merely be the development of a new sleep bike and behavior.

Unless your baby is in pain, information technology's all-time for your baby to learn to condolement himself to become back to sleep. Leave him alone for a few minutes to encounter if this happens. If it doesn't,  comfort the baby and tell him it'south time to become to sleep. He may cry a fiddling and that is OK. If the baby cries for more than than 15 minutes, go back in to comfort him.

Now that your infant has reached the half-yr marking, she is probably spending most of her awake fourth dimension sitting up, playing, babbling, looking effectually, and touching everything.

Your baby may exist driving you a fiddling crazy because she wants to grab everything she sees. Effort to be patient; she is learning well-nigh the world.

So far we accept talked about how your baby grows each month. But another person has as well grown— YOU. Congratulations—Keep up the skilful work!

About doctors recommend that parents wait until their baby is half dozen months erstwhile to kickoff solid foods. Until that fourth dimension, babies tin can't command their mouths and tongues very well so they may push food out of their mouths instead of eating it.

When you determine to feed your baby solid food, choose the right moment. Try it when your baby is rested, when she is hungry but not starved, and when you are relaxed.

The commencement solid food to requite your baby is frequently an ironfortified cereal in addition to breast milk or infant formula. Choose a baby cereal with just one ingredient such every bit but rice (to the lowest degree likely to cause allergies), just oatmeal, or just barley. Put a teaspoon of baby cereal in a dish and mix information technology with breast milk or formula to a watery consistency. Don't add sugar or common salt or any other seasoning. For the first few weeks, offer the cereal once or twice a day after the breast or bottle feeding.

Use a small, narrow spoon. Put a minor corporeality of cereal toward the heart of your infant'south tongue. If she seems interested, requite her a few more tastes with the spoon. If she doesn't similar information technology, or pushes the spoon away, wait a few weeks and attempt again.

The first feedings volition be messy. Your baby has been used to sucking liquids. Now, she has to learn how to swallow solids. The tongue thrust that makes nutrient come up dorsum out is a natural reaction. Your baby has to learn to swallow rather than button her natural language out.

The next foods later on cereals will probably be a few teaspoons of pureed vegetables or fruits. Merely wait until your dr. tells you to give them a try.

Endeavor only ane new food at a time. If you start with a few teaspoons of baby rice cereal, keep giving your baby just the rice cereal for a week or so. The reason you endeavor just one food at a time is then you tin come across if your baby has a reaction to a food or is allergic to it. And then, see if your baby has an allergy to rice cereal before yous get-go infant oatmeal or infant barley.

Sometimes a new food can cause diarrhea, a skin rash, or even a runny nose. If you remember your baby has an allergy problem, check with your doctor, nurse, or clinic.

You can help your baby larn to eat salubrious foods. Endeavor to make eating a pleasant fourth dimension.

Today, many fathers are quite involved in raising their children. These fathers play with their babies, feed and change their babies, and create a warm shut relationship with them.

More than mothers work outside the home than in the by, and then dads are taking on the responsibleness of doing more in-home work, including caring for their children. By taking care of their children each day, fathers have a risk to form a stiff, close bond with them.

Dads create that close bond with their babies by giving them some special fourth dimension each day. By focusing on just their babe and zip else, dads are telling their children that they are of import.

When you are around boondocks, you lot will come across other parents with their babies. Notice how much the babies like to look at each other. Babies really do like other babies.

Make a date to meet another parent and infant at the park or at your dwelling. Make it a fun time. Come across what the babies will do with each other.

It's bully to watch some other parent and baby together. Yous tin larn a lot from just watching, and they tin acquire from you, too.

Some babies are built-in with one or more teeth; others practise non get teeth until after their showtime birthday. Because the average age for the first molar is 7 months old, your baby may begin teething before long.

Your baby's offset teeth will probably come in easily. She may take slightly inflamed gums, some drooling, and quite a fleck of chewing every bit the first teeth come through. To condolement your baby, rub her gums with your clean finger or give her a absurd safe teething band she can chew.

When teething, your baby may have a runny olfactory organ or a rash on her face and cervix. She likewise may be fussy. Teething does not cause high fever higher up 101 degrees, airsickness, or diarrhea. If your baby has these symptoms, telephone call your doctor.

Later on teething, the get-go tooth is a welcome sight. By the fourth dimension your child is 2 to 3 years old, all 20 infant teeth should be in. Many people believe that if children lose their infant teeth, the teeth are not important. This is non true. See the story above for reasons infant teeth must be protected.

It'south time to childproof your dwelling house. Your baby is getting around more now and can get into things that are unsafe.

Look everywhere for modest items your infant could choke on and remove them. This may exist hard if you accept older children who have toys with tiny parts, but information technology'due south important.

Remove things that could smother your babe, like pillows and soft bedding from the crib. Put plastic numberless where your baby can't reach them.

Prevent burns by turning pot handles toward the back of the stove. Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees. Lock up matches and lighters. Put knives and sharp scissors out of reach.

Put medicines, cosmetics, cleaning agents, and anything poisonous in a locked cabinet. Put rubber gates at the acme and the lesser of the stairs.

Make certain the paint and furniture in your house is nontoxic. Some of your article of furniture may have been painted with lead paint. Remove poisonous houseplants. Consult the Consumer Production Safety Committee at http://world wide web.cpsc.gov/Safety-Education/Safe-Education-Centers/Poison-Prevention-Data-Center for more information to go along your infant from existence accidentally poisoned.

For more parenting info and updated links, visit www.jitp.info.

Questions? Need help? Contact your local Extension office.

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Reviewed and updated in 2019 by Dan Weigel, Ph.D.