Contents
- 1 Motor development
- 2 Sensory development
- 3 Communicative development
The 6-month-old baby is going through a new period of great achievements and great changes: from now on a period of enormous and rapid development begins, which will fill you with wonder.
Motor development
In this seventh month of life he begins to sit up: he needs your help to do so, and, in an initial phase, support behind the back may be necessary, because although the muscles are strong and able to support the torso (in fact, not you will see it fall forward, closing like a book left open, for lack of muscle tone), the balance is still unstable. You can place big pillows behind him, or sit behind him while you play in the soft corner, thus giving him the support of your presence. You will find that while seated, children discover many more objects, bring them to their mouths, explore them, shake them and want to understand how they behave.
Sensory development
Gripping also matures, and the child not only confidently reaches what he desires, but also has a firmer grip as he begins to take advantage of the opposability of the thumb to take objects that interest him.
The baby sits and confidently grasps objects, observes them and brings them to his mouth to explore and get to know them; he needs to satisfy his immense curiosity and the desire to make him all reality: for him knowing means "eating" the world, bringing objects to his mouth. In doing so he develops a very strong coordination between hands, eyes and mouth. Prepare a Treasure Chest for him, full of objects that are both interesting and safe, so that he can explore them without you frustrating his natural need to bring everything to his mouth.
Communicative development
Many children in this period put their first tooth, and many of them are ready to start eating their first baby food at the table with mum and dad: the baby's field of experience expands further, and not only new knowledge nourishes his mind and his body, but a new and very important routine enters your life. Give yourself moments of conviviality to share with your baby, feeding him when you eat too, so that the table, such an important and connotating element in human cultures, naturally integrates itself in its growth and becomes part of its person.
The seventh month closes with a new and very important achievement: your baby is like a fisherman who throws his nets into the sea of sounds and words, drawing a rich and varied nourishment. We do not know how the child builds the indissoluble link between word and meaning, but we do know that he gradually forms a lexicon made up of first words, starting from the sounds: so far he has "conversed" with you using vocalizations and cries, laughs when he is happy and excited, he smiles at you to communicate his well-being and his joy, he cries when he has to communicate his intolerance to some kind of experience or sensation. Now his phonatory apparatus is able to construct the syllables, which he pronounces repeatedly: the time of lallation begins, first with all the same syllables, then gradually more variegated and intonated, and this production will be a real one for your little one. joy, which will accompany many moments of the day (while it is concentrated in the game, during the change or during meals) as a very tender background.
