# Day 151: Month six

> A new month: the 6-month list your baby is heading for (laughs, raspberries, rolling, pushing up on straight arms), corrected age if they came early, and the warning signs that are still about you.

- Series: Your sixth month, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month), day 151 of 365, week 21
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month/day-151
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-21
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 151: Month six." Last reviewed October 21, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/sixth-month/day-151

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Five months done. Here is the road for the sixth, and the first thing to try on it.

## Heart

There's no 5-month checklist, so this month sits between two of them ([Zubler et al., 2022](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35132439/)). The one ahead is the 6-month list. By then, most babies know familiar people, like to look at themselves in a mirror, and laugh; take turns making sounds with you, blow raspberries, and squeal; put things in their mouth to explore them, reach for a toy they want, and close their lips to show they don't want more food; and roll from tummy to back, push up on straight arms on their tummy, and lean on their hands to hold themselves up when sitting ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/6-months.html)). Those lists describe what at least 75% of babies do by each age, so a missing skill is a reason to check in, not to wait and see ([Zubler et al., 2022](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35132439/)). If your baby was born early, count by corrected age until age 2 ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/preemie/Pages/Corrected-Age-For-Preemies.aspx)).

## Head

The month's themes, in the order they tend to arrive. Rolling: rocking on the tummy, kicking, and "swimming" with the arms are the warm-up, and many babies roll both ways by about 7 months, usually tummy to back first ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Movement-4-to-7-Months.aspx)). Sounds: giggles, raspberries, and vowels sometimes joined to a consonant, like "aaaagoo" or "daaaa" ([ASHA](https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-birth-to-1-year/)). Teeth: the first usually appear between 6 and 10 months, though discomfort can start weeks or months earlier ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/teething-tooth-care/Pages/Teething-Pain.aspx)). And food: the AAP recommends only breast milk for about the first 6 months ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Starting-Solid-Foods.aspx)), so this month is for getting ready, not starting. All of it is in the [5-month guide](https://chorevia.com/learn/5-months).

## Body

Tummy time still earns its place. A systematic review of 16 mostly observational studies linked it to better gross motor development, including rolling ([Hewitt et al., 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32371428/)), the AAP recommends it awake every day ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)), and the WHO suggests at least 30 minutes a day, spread out, for babies who aren't crawling yet ([WHO](https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more)). The difference now is that your baby can do something with it.

## Try today

### Reach-and-roll tummy time

- **Time:** A few minutes, several times a day
- **From the guide:** [Reach-and-roll tummy time](https://chorevia.com/learn/5-months#reach-and-roll-tummy-time)

1. Lay your baby on their tummy on a blanket on the floor.
2. Place a few toys in a circle around them, just out of reach ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/back-to-sleep-tummy-to-play.aspx)).
3. Cheer each reach, pivot, or roll.
4. Move a toy closer if they get frustrated, and stop when they fuss or arch.

**Make it work:** If your baby gets sleepy, move them to their back in their own sleep space ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx)).

## Watch for

- **Normal:** a baby who hasn't started on the 6-month list yet; it's five weeks away. **Talk to your pediatrician, or ask your state's early intervention program for a free evaluation,** if your baby doesn't laugh or seem to know familiar people; you don't need a referral ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/families/concerned.html); [CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/6-months.html)).
- **Normal:** a warm forehead after a hard cry that cools in minutes. **Call your pediatrician within 24 hours** for any fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher at 3 to 6 months, and **right away** for 104°F (40°C) or higher ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Fever)).
- **Normal:** a deep nap after a big morning. **Call 911** if your baby is not moving or is very weak, or can't be woken up ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Fever)).

## For you

A new month, the same short list for you, because it doesn't expire. Seek care immediately for a headache that won't go away or gets worse, dizziness or fainting, changes in vision, a fever of 100.4°F or higher, chest pain or a fast-beating heart, trouble breathing, heavy bleeding, severe swelling, redness, or pain of a leg or arm, overwhelming tiredness, or thoughts about harming yourself or your baby ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)). Tell any provider you were pregnant within the last year; five months out, they may not ask ([CDC](https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html)).

If you're the partner: read that list once more than you think you need to. Then plan one thing this month that is hers alone.

## Sources

- Zubler JM, Wiggins LD, Macias MM, et al. "Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools." *Pediatrics*, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35132439/
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Milestones by 6 Months." Learn the Signs. Act Early. program, updated 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/milestones/6-months.html
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Corrected Age For Preemies." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2018. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/preemie/Pages/Corrected-Age-For-Preemies.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Movement Milestones: Babies 4 to 7 Months." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2021. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/Movement-4-to-7-Months.aspx
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. "Communication Milestones: Birth to 1 Year." Accessed 2026. https://www.asha.org/public/developmental-milestones/communication-milestones-birth-to-1-year/
- American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Oral Health. "Teething Pain Relief: How to Soothe Your Baby's Discomfort." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2025. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/teething-tooth-care/Pages/Teething-Pain.aspx
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "When Can Babies Start Solid Foods? Readiness & Feeding Tips." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/Starting-Solid-Foods.aspx
- Hewitt L, Kerr E, Stanley RM, Okely AD. "Tummy Time and Infant Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review." *Pediatrics*, 2020. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32371428/
- Moon RY. "How to Keep Your Sleeping Baby Safe: AAP Policy Explained." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/a-parents-guide-to-safe-sleep.aspx
- World Health Organization. "To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more." 2019. https://www.who.int/news/item/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Back to Sleep, Tummy to Play: Give Your Baby a Safe, Strong Start." HealthyChildren.org, updated 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/Pages/back-to-sleep-tummy-to-play.aspx
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Concerned About Your Child's Development?" 2026. https://www.cdc.gov/act-early/families/concerned.html
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Fever" (symptom checker). HealthyChildren.org, accessed 2026. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/tips-tools/symptom-checker/Pages/symptomviewer.aspx?symptom=Fever
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Urgent Maternal Warning Signs and Symptoms." HEAR HER, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/hearher/maternal-warning-signs/index.html