An explosion of mobility and curiosity — sitting, crawling, object permanence, and the first consonant sounds as your baby explores everything within reach.
Your baby is likely sitting independently (or close to it), may be crawling or getting ready to, and is exploring everything within reach with hands and mouth. Object permanence is developing — they know things still exist when hidden — and separation anxiety may begin as attachment deepens.
Babbling shifts from vowel sounds to consonant-vowel combinations like "ba-ba" and "da-da." Your baby responds to their name, follows simple gestures, and may start to show stranger awareness. The raking grasp is giving way to more precise finger movements, and transferring objects from hand to hand is a new favorite skill.
These activities support all of these emerging abilities. Remember: if your baby is not doing something yet, that does not mean they are behind. Development is not a race, and these timelines represent wide ranges of normal.
Most babies begin some form of crawling between 6 and 10 months, but there is wide variation. Some babies army crawl, some scoot on their bottoms, some skip crawling entirely and go straight to pulling up. All of these are normal. The CDC lists crawling as a milestone to watch for by 9 months.
Independent sitting typically develops between 5 and 7 months, but some babies take longer. If your baby can sit with support and is making progress, there is likely nothing to worry about. Talk to your pediatrician if you have concerns — they can assess your baby's overall development.
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