Your 6-Month-Old: Rolling Both Ways, Passing Things Hand to Hand
By the Growbaby team · Published Aug 4, 2026
Written against AAP, CDC and WHO guidance. How we write these guides
At a glance
- Rolling in both directions usually arrives around now, which changes what is safe in the cot.
- Objects get passed from one hand to the other, a real coordination milestone.
- Your baby turns deliberately toward a sound rather than just startling at it.
- Around 6 months is the usual guidance for starting solid food, alongside milk.
- Stop swaddling well before this point if you have not already.
Six months is a hinge. Your baby can now move themselves across the floor in some direction, even if it is only by rolling, and that changes the room. It is the month most families discover what is actually reachable from ground level.
It is also when solid food usually starts. Milk stays the main event for a while yet; the first months of solids are about learning that food exists, that it has textures, and that eating is something you do sitting up with other people.
What is new this month
Rolling both ways changes the room before it changes anything else. A baby who can turn over in either direction can now travel a short distance without meaning to, which is usually the week families discover what is actually reachable at floor level.
Passing an object from one hand to the other looks minor and takes real coordination: two hands, one intention, and a handover in the middle. It is also the first time your baby can keep hold of something while doing something else with the free hand.
Week by week, in the app
Our paediatric specialist wrote one thing to notice and one thing to try for every week of the first three years. Here is what this month covers. The app works out which week your child is in from their birth date and brings each one to you on the day.
- Week 23Your baby is Transferring Objects
- Week 24Your baby is Rolling Over Completely
- Week 25Your baby is Turning Toward Sounds
- Week 26Your baby is Reaching and Pulling Objects
This week, for your baby
Growbaby works out which week your baby is in from their birth date and brings that week's activity to you on the day, so you are not looking up where you are. Plus adaptive soothing for the nights and Growy for the questions in between.
This guide is for general informational purposes only. Growbaby is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every baby develops at their own pace; for any question or concern about your baby's health or development, always consult your pediatrician or another qualified healthcare provider.