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Baby at 4–6 months: getting ready for solids, sleep and development

Stage: 4–6 months

Sleep

3 naps; stretches of 6–8 hours at night become possible

Feeding

The AAP advises starting solids around 6 months. Readiness signs: sitting with support and steady head control, interest in food, and swallowing rather than pushing food back out. Start with single-ingredient purees or soft finger foods (iron-fortified cereal, avocado, sweet potato, banana, pear); there is no required order — vegetables, fruit or iron-rich foods are all fine first choices. Milk remains the main source of nutrition.

Formula: 4–5 feeds a day, 5–7 oz (160–200 ml). Most babies don't need more than about 7 oz per bottle or roughly 32 oz a day.

Diaper size

Size 2–3, 12–28 lb (5–13 kg).

Development at this stage

• Rolls from tummy to back
• Explores hands and feet, brings everything to the mouth
• Recognizes familiar faces and responds to own name
• Starts strings of babble (bababa, dadada)

Care & things to watch

• Daily vitamin D (400 IU) continues if breastfed
• Introduce peanut and egg early — around 6 months, with solids — to reduce the risk of food allergy (NIAID guidelines). Use smooth peanut butter thinned with water or breast milk (never whole nuts) and well-cooked egg, one new food at a time. Babies with severe eczema or an egg allergy should start peanut at 4–6 months after consulting the pediatrician — testing may be advised first
• No honey before age 1 (infant botulism risk); no added salt or sugar; no juice before age 1 (AAP)
• Bathing 2–3 times a week; a bath can become a calming part of the bedtime routine
• 6-month vaccinations: DTaP, pneumococcal and hepatitis B (3rd doses; Hib and rotavirus depending on brand). From 6 months a yearly flu vaccine is recommended — ask your pediatrician about COVID-19 vaccination too
• Babyproof the house ahead of mobility: this stage moves fast
• Around this age sleep architecture matures, so nights can temporarily look more restless (waking between sleep cycles) — a normal development that usually settles within weeks

Other ages: 0–6 weeks · 6–12 weeks · 3–4 months · 6–9 months · 9–12 months · 12–18 months · 18–24 months · 2–3 years · 3–4 years · 4–5 years