FIVE- TO SIX- MONTH TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT CHECKLIST (©Diane Bahr) Place a check mark next to the characteristics you see in your five- to six- month-old baby
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Typical 5- to 6- Month-Old Baby |
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| MOUTH/FEEDING DEVELOPMENT | ||||
| Locates the breast nipple frequently without rooting reflex (3-6 months) | ||||
| Controls gag reflex during mouthing & feeding experiences (4-6 months) | ||||
| Controls phasic bite reflex (5-9 months); getting ready to take bites of/& chew foods | ||||
| Has increasing space in mouth, throat, & nasal areas due to cranial & jaw growth | ||||
| Has closed mouth & easy nose breathing during sleep & when mouth is inactive/empty | ||||
| Rests tongue in the roof of the closed mouth to help maintain palate shape | ||||
| Is free of tethered oral tissues (tongue, lip, &/or cheek tie) | ||||
| Has increased lip/cheek control & movement 4 to 6 months (sucking pads reduce) | ||||
| Uses increasingly independent jaw, lip, cheek, & tongue movement | ||||
| Discriminatively mouths appropriate objects & fingers throughout mouth between 5 & 9 months (crucial skill for feeding, eating, drinking, & speaking) | ||||
| Begins to get teeth with appropriate biting & chewing experiences | ||||
| Has good breastfeeding &/or bottle-feeding | ||||
| Places hands on the bottle around 4½ months & holds bottle with hand(s) around 5½ months; body held/positioned upright at 45+ degree angle to the horizon (not lying down when bottle-feeding, so liquid cannot go into Eustachian tubes) | ||||
| Takes sips using lips from an open cup held by the parent or care provider (tongue not under cup) | ||||
| Can learn to drink from a squeezable bottle with a straw placed only on lips (not on tongue) around 6 months | ||||
| Is ready for a soft baby cookie, baby cereal, as well as pureed & well-mashed foods with very small, soft lumps from a spoon introduced appropriately around 6 months (new foods introduced carefully over time to reduce chance of sensitivities) | ||||
| May initially use anterior tongue reflex (tongue pushing food out), but this resolves as becomes comfortable with closing lips on the spoon around 6 months | ||||
| Learns to hold the tongue & jaw still in anticipation of the spoon around 6 months | ||||
| Bites & chews on soft baby cookies, using rhythmic bite reflex or munching when cookie is held along with parent or care provider around 6 months | ||||
| May use diagonal rotary chewing pattern if appropriate food is placed on the side gum surfaces around 6 months | ||||
| Baby swallows food & liquid with upward jaw motion, as well as tongue cupping & wavelike motion (should be born with this) | ||||
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6-Month Foods/Liquids (unless advised otherwise by pediatrician, dietician, etc.) |
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| Fortified baby cereal mixed with breast milk or formula to start | ||||
| Non-wheat cereals, such as oat | ||||
| Pureed fruits & vegetables | ||||
| Sips of water (boiled for 3 minutes & cooled), formula or breast milk from an open cup held by parent or care provider | ||||
| Soft baby cookie held by parent/care provider & baby (e.g., non-wheat arrowroot or rice) | ||||
| Breast milk or formula from the breast or bottle, allowing baby to self-limit | ||||
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BODY DEVELOPMENT (Typical 5- to 6- Month-Old) |
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When Lying on Each Side (Typical 5- to 6- Month-Old) |
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| Lengthens body on weight-bearing side & has side-bending on unweighted side | ||||
| Has independent arm & leg movements & side of head on floor/surface | ||||
| Develops increasing trunk/core, spine, & shoulder stability, as well as hip/pelvis, & leg movement | ||||
| Can bring hands together, hands to knees & feet, as well as reach toward & interact with a toy | ||||
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When on Each Side (Typical 6-Month-Old) |
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| Lengthens weight-bearing side & flexes/bends unweighted side of body, so unweighted arm can grasp objects | ||||
| Has increasing control of head, neck, trunk/core, pelvis/hips, arms, & legs | ||||
| Can roll from each side to stomach | ||||
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When on the Stomach (Typical 5-Month Old) |
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| Is very active, may make swimming movements when body is stretching, & can roll from stomach to back | ||||
| Pushes body upward with arms extended & open hands, moves legs independently, & has front-back, side-side, & rotary movement increasing in the hips | ||||
| Reaches forward with one arm to grasp/corral toys while shifting & supporting weight on opposite side of body | ||||
| Plays with toys using both hands | ||||
| Moves head up-down, side-side, & left-right with increasing shoulder/arm support & just enough for the activity | ||||
| Shows visual interest & visually follows objects/people (increasing eye-hand coordination) | ||||
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When on the Stomach (Typical 6-Month-Old) |
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| Has fully developed head control (head moves in variety of directions independent of shoulders & trunk/core | ||||
| Pushes body increasingly upward on arms bearing weight on heels of hands (increasing spine/hip lengthening, with abdominal muscles providing pelvic/hip support in the front of the body) | ||||
| Alternates between extended pivot body position & arm weight-bearing (increasing shoulder, arm, & hand control) | ||||
| Pushes up with arms, & sometimes moves body backward | ||||
| Develops symmetrical tonic neck reflex between 6 & 9 months (likely readiness for creeping/crawling with vision use) | ||||
| Can reach for a toy, grasp it with increasing finger control, & bring toy to the mouth | ||||
| Lengthens weight-bearing side of body, flexes/bends unweighted side, shifts weight in lower trunk/core & pelvis/hips to move legs (including knees) in an independent & coordinated manner (uses diagonal muscles in body - precursor to creeping/crawling) | ||||
| Rolls from stomach to back with control | ||||
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When Sitting (Typical 6-Month-Old) |
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| Circle/ring sits with head in midline/middle (increasing core & pelvic/hip control) | ||||
| Reaches for toys in front of the body, & brings them to the mouth | ||||
| Shifts weight following head movements, & may fall to the side with head turn | ||||
| Extends arms/hands in front of the body if begins to fall forward (protective extension) | ||||
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When on the Back (Typical 5-Month Old) |
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| Moro/Startle reflex seems to disappear (become integrated by the brain) between 3 & 6 months | ||||
| Asymmetric tonic neck reflex seems to disappear (become integrated by the brain) between 4 & 6 months | ||||
| Brings hands to feet (eyes-hands-feet connection) & feet to mouth (feet-hands-mouth connection) | ||||
| Has increasing body awareness, abdominal strength, & hip/pelvis stability/steadiness | ||||
| Develops diagonal body movement (e.g., using both hands to play with one foot) | ||||
| Uses eyes/vision independently from head movements | ||||
| Eyes & hands work together progressively (eye-hand coordination developing) | ||||
| Reaches with both arms to be lifted by care provider | ||||
| Develops increasing control of arms & hands to reach for & grasp objects | ||||
| Uses both arms/hands when object presented at midline/middle of body | ||||
| Uses one hand when object presented to the side (may roll onto side) | ||||
| Uses palmar grasp (object held firmly in palm by fingers) | ||||
| Explores objects with mouth (texture, shape, size, etc. – discriminative mouthing) | ||||
| Can move legs independently from arms & one leg separately from the other leg with relaxed knees | ||||
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When on the Back (Typical 6-Month-Old) |
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| Moro/Startle reflex seems to disappear (become integrated by the brain) between 3 & 6 months | ||||
| Asymmetric tonic neck reflex seems to disappear (become integrated by the brain) between 4 & 6 months | ||||
| Has improving body strength; abdominal & postural control; as well as shoulder stability/steadiness | ||||
| Reaches with one or both hands using palmer or radial palmer grasp (begins using thumb with grasp) | ||||
| Uses hands to play with feet & explore other hand; mostly explores appropriate objects with mouth & tongue | ||||
| Sways lifted legs from side-to-side using abdominal muscles for body rotation, rib cage maturity, & respiration/breathing development | ||||
| Can move one leg independently of the other |
Primary References
•Bahr, D. (2018). Feed your baby and toddler right: Early eating and drinking skills encourage the best development. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.
•Bahr, D. C., & Hillis, A. E. (2001). Neurological and anatomical bases. In D. C. Bahr Oral motor assessment and treatment: Ages and stages (pp. 1-41). USA: Pearson College Division.
•Bly, L. (1994). Motor skills acquisition in the first year: An illustrated guide to normal development. USA: Psychological Corp.
•Feldenkrais, M. (1972). Awareness through movement (Vol. 1977). New York: Harper and Row.
•Morris, S. E., & Klein, M. D. (2000). Pre-Feeding skills: A comprehensive resource for mealtime development. (2nd ed.)
. San Antonio, TX: Therapy Skill Builders.
•Neuro Restart (2019). Primitive reflexes. Retrieved from http://www.neurorestart.co.uk/primitive-reflexes/
•Vulpe, S. G. (1994). Vulpe assessment battery-revised: Developmental assessment, performance analysis, individualized programming for the atypical child. East Aurora, NY: Slosson Educational Publications.