Your Baby: 3–6 Months – Developmental Milestones

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You will be astonished by how quickly your helpless
new baby becomes a confident, eager explorer, able to master all sorts
of new tricks. There is no need to push her toward achieving her
milestones—she’ll get there all on her own. You can, however, offer her a
little help when she feels frustrated by her inability to get things
just right.

By six months, your baby will likely be able to:


  • Smile frequently, and she’s now starting to laugh

  • Focus on objects up to 3ft (1m) away

  • Follow with her gaze objects going across, over, and under her

  • Hold her head up to look around


  • Enjoy looking at and playing with her hands and feet

  • Push herself up on her hands when she’s on her tummy

  • Begin to try to roll over—this often starts when she manages a turn accidentally, and then learns that she can reproduce it with a little effort


  • Reach and grab things


  • Play with both hands together


  • Imitate more facial expressions


  • Begin using different vowel sounds

  • Begin squealing, as she explores the different pitches of her voice

  • Become more active in getting your attention


  • Begin to sit with support

  • Show an interest in food and feeding herself 


  • Reach for a toy she’s dropped

  • Support her weight when pulled to standing position

  • Sleep about 14–16 hours per day,
    several of which are during the daytime—sleep time is usually spaced
    out in two or three naps and a solid block of about six hours (sometimes
    much longer) at night

She’s now ready for …








  • A trip to a warm swimming pool (by six months)

  • A cup, to experiment with and to learn the basics of sipping and drinking instead of just sucking

  • A toothbrush, and regular cleaning of her gums and emerging teeth

  • Baby music or movement classes, aimed at tiny tots

  • Playtime with friends—she’ll be captivated by other babies and children, and probably want to get them into her mouth somehow, too

  • A stroller that allows her to sit more upright, to see the world around her