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Baby month 6 for dads: first foods and the half-way mark

Around 6 months most babies laugh, blow raspberries, roll from tummy to back and sit leaning on their hands. This is when solid food usually starts, alongside milk. Your jobs: own one meal a day, learn the difference between gagging and choking, and never leave the baby alone while eating.

How to read this

Month 6 means the baby is between 5 and 6 months old. Everything below is a typical range, not a test: babies get there at different times. If your baby was born early, ask your health visitor or pediatrician how to count. Anything that worries you goes to your GP, health visitor or pediatrician, or NHS 111 / 911 when it is urgent.

▸What is typical for the baby this month

Development: what is typical by 6 months

By 6 months most babies know familiar people, like looking at themselves in a mirror, laugh, take turns making sounds with you, blow raspberries and squeal. [CDC]

Most also put things in their mouth to explore them, reach to grab a toy they want, close their lips to show they do not want more food, roll from tummy to back, push up on straight arms on their tummy, and lean on their hands to support themselves when sitting. [CDC]

Feeding: starting solids

Solid food usually starts at around 6 months. At first, how much they eat matters less than getting used to eating; milk still provides most of their energy and nutrients. [NHS · CDC]

Foods that can cause allergies, such as peanuts, hens' eggs, gluten and fish, can be introduced from around 6 months, one at a time and in small amounts so you can spot a reaction. Do not add salt or sugar to baby food. [NHS]

Offer sips of water from an open or free-flow cup with meals from around 6 months. Cows' milk can go into cooking, but not as a main drink until after 12 months. [NHS · CDC]

Gagging is normal while they learn: watering eyes, the tongue pushing forward, retching. Always stay with your baby while they eat in case they choke. [NHS]

UK: breastfed babies and babies having less than 500ml of formula a day should have vitamins A, C and D from 6 to 12 months. [NHS]

Sleep

The room-sharing advice runs to at least 6 months. Back to sleep on a firm, flat surface still applies for every nap and every night. [NHS · CDC]

▸Your jobs this month

  1. Own one solid-food session a day. Sit the baby upright in the high chair with the harness on, and let them touch and hold the food.
  2. Learn the difference between gagging and choking, and learn baby choking first aid before the first meal, not after.
  3. Wash hands, cool hot food and test it, and quarter small round foods. Make these your rules at every meal.
  4. Eat with the baby when you can. Babies copy their parents, so your plate is part of the lesson.
  5. US: the 6-month visit includes more vaccine doses and the start of the yearly flu vaccine. Go if you can.

▸Her recovery, your head, and the two of you

Half a year in. Ask her what has been hardest and what one thing you could take over completely. Then take it over without being reminded.

Postnatal depression signs the NHS lists include low mood, finding it hard to enjoy anything, feeling hopeless or unable to cope, feeling guilty or like a bad parent, constant worry, irritability, trouble sleeping even when there is a chance to rest, trouble concentrating, difficulty bonding with the baby, and thoughts of suicide or of harming herself or the baby. Symptoms can start any time up to a year after the birth. [NHS]

It is not only her. NHS Best Start in Life says up to 1 in 5 women and 1 in 10 men develop a mental health problem such as depression or anxiety in pregnancy or the first year after the birth, and the NHS says fathers and partners can also get depression after a baby. [NHS Best Start in Life · NHS]

Where to get help

UK: talk to your GP, midwife or health visitor. In England, adults can also refer themselves to NHS talking therapies. PANDAS runs support groups, a text line and a callback service, and Samaritans answer on 116 123. In an emergency call 999. [NHS · PANDAS]

US: talk to her OB or your own doctor. The Postpartum Support International HelpLine is 1-800-944-4773 (call or text; it takes a message and a trained volunteer gets back to you), and PSI runs a support group for dads. For a crisis, call or text 988, any time. In an emergency call 911. [PSI · PSI · 988]

▸Money and paperwork around now

UK: Shared Parental Leave must be used in the first year, with at least 8 weeks of written notice for each block. Half the year has gone, so plan the rest now. [GOV.UK]

US: FMLA bonding leave has to be taken within the 12 months starting on the date of birth. If you still have weeks left, plan them now. [U.S. Department of Labor]

Get every first-year deadline as a date → · Vaccination schedule (UK and US) →

▸Common questions

When should a baby start solid food?

At around 6 months, according to both the NHS and the CDC. Look for the readiness signs together: sitting with a steady head, picking food up and getting it to their mouth, and swallowing it.

Is gagging on food normal at 6 months?

Yes, gagging is part of learning to eat, according to the NHS. Choking is different, which is why you always stay with your baby while they eat. Learn choking first aid before you start.

When can a baby drink cows' milk?

Not as a main drink until after 12 months. The NHS says it can be used in cooking from around 6 months.

▸The whole first year

M1BABY WEEKS 1-4M2BABY WEEKS 5-8M3BABY WEEKS 9-12M4GUIDEM5GUIDEM6YOU ARE HEREM7GUIDEM8GUIDEM9GUIDEM10GUIDEM11GUIDEM12GUIDE
Not medical advice

This is general information for expectant fathers, not clinical guidance. Anything about symptoms, pain, or bleeding goes to your midwife, doctor, or emergency service, not to an app.

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Your first year, dated from the birthday.

In the DAD-OS app, enter the birth date once and get this month's guide, the vaccine visits and every paperwork deadline as real dates, with a calendar export.

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▸Sources

Checked against these pages. Where guidance differs by country, follow your own GP, health visitor or pediatrician.