Coming up to 6 months, and your baby's making lots of progress... and quite a bit of noise as the drive to communicate gains momentum.

He can hold his bottle and may gradually accept some milk from a cup. Follow the advice of your doctor or clinic on the right time to start him on solids - he may be ready at 6 months, or a little sooner or later.

Expressing yourself
Your baby's babbling becomes more deliberate - he starts to include both vowel and consonant sounds, like 'buh' and 'dah'. His spontaneous cooing and gurgling gradually turns into continuous streams of baby-talk that can last for up to 15 minutes. He may experiment with sounds by copying others and begins to include sounds of annoyance and disgust.

Establishing routines
Now your baby will sleep longer at night and be awake for longer during the day. He'll start to recognize routines and show excitement as you prepare his food or bath, or if he hears other members of the family coming home. These little schedules are important to baby's sense of security. They also might help you feel more organised again, if life with a newborn caused a big upheaval.

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