Six months in, the newborn clothes are packed away and the play gym is already too easy. If you want to mark the halfway point to the first birthday, as a grandparent, aunt, friend or parent, ideas are hard to find. Most gift guides skip straight from the baby shower to the first birthday. This list sorts 16 six-month milestone gift ideas for baby by type. It also adds a month-by-month guide for the other in-between moments of year one and card messages you can copy.

How to pick a gift for a baby's 6-month birthday

Around six months, many babies roll over, sit with a little support, pass toys from hand to hand and put everything in their mouths. Many also start solid foods around now, on their pediatrician's advice. Every baby moves on their own schedule, so ask the parents what their baby is into and shop for that, not the calendar.

• ☐  Shop for the next six months. Anything labeled 0–6 months will be outgrown almost as soon as it's unwrapped. Look for 6–12 months or older.
• ☐  Assume it will be chewed. Check the age label, skip anything marked 3+, and avoid small or detachable parts.
• ☐  Keep it small. Most families don't expect half-birthday gifts, so a book or a card lands just as well as something big.
• ☐  Ask before anything bulky. A high chair or a large toy takes floor space the parents may already have planned.
• ☐  Consider the parents. Six months of short nights is its own milestone, and a meal or a free evening can mean more than another toy.

Play gifts for sitting, grabbing and chewing

At this age, the best toys are simple ones a baby can grab, bang, drop and chew. They also tend to stay in use the longest.

1. A set of stacking cups

Nesting cups are one of the few toys that stay useful for years. A baby bangs and mouths them now, stacks them around the first birthday, and pours with them in the bath or sandbox after that. Expect to spend $8–$15.

2. Board books and cloth books

Sturdy board books with baby faces, bold pictures or one word per page hold up to chewing and page-grabbing. Soft cloth or crinkle books suit babies who still mouth more than they look. A set of three or four runs $15–$30. Write a short note inside the cover, like "For your half-birthday, from Aunt Jess," and it becomes a keepsake too.

3. Soft blocks or a large textured ball

Fabric or foam blocks and a bumpy ball give a sitting baby something to grab, drop and watch roll away. Choose a ball too big to fit in the baby's mouth, and skip anything with sewn-on pieces that could come loose. Most sets run $10–$25.

4. A one-piece teether

Some babies start teething around this age, though timing varies a lot. A solid, one-piece silicone or natural rubber teether is easy to wash and has nothing to break off. Chill it in the fridge, not the freezer. Skip teethers filled with liquid or gel, which can leak or split. Expect $6–$15.

5. Bath toys that open for cleaning

Squeeze toys with a small hole trap water and can grow mold inside where no one can see it. Look for bath toys that pop apart for washing, or sealed ones with no hole at all. A small set runs $10–$20, and it's a gift parents will notice they didn't have to scrub.

Gifts for the start of solid foods

Many babies start solids around six months. The AAP's guide to starting solid foods covers the basics, and the pediatrician sets the timing. That makes feeding gear one of the most useful half-birthday gifts. Check with the parents first, since some families start a little earlier or later and some are already fully stocked.

6. Silicone bibs with a catch pocket

Wipeable silicone bibs with a front pocket catch what doesn't make it into the baby's mouth, which at first is most of it. A set of two or three runs $12–$25. For a bigger gift, add a washable splat mat for under the high chair.

7. A suction bowl and plate set with baby spoons

Bowls and plates that suction to the tray slow down the "throw it on the floor" phase. Look for dishwasher-safe silicone and spoons with soft, shallow tips. Sets run $15–$35.

8. A small open cup

Many families introduce a small open cup around the same time as solids, for sips of water at meals. Tiny cups sized for baby hands cost $8–$15 and tuck easily into a feeding set.

9. A high chair, as a group gift

If the family doesn't have one yet, a high chair is the big-ticket item of this stage. Prices run from about $30 for a booster that straps to a dining chair to $300 or more for convertible wooden models. Ask the parents first, since they may have one picked out, and consider splitting it with other relatives. Whatever they choose, a harness and a wide, stable base matter more than looks.

Keepsakes that record the halfway point

A good six-month keepsake captures something that's about to change: the size of their hands, their face, what the family's days look like right now.

10. A six-month letter and a small time capsule

This one costs almost nothing. Write a letter to the baby about who they are at six months: what makes them laugh, what they refuse to eat, what the house sounds like at bedtime. Seal it in a sturdy box ($15–$30) with a few things from right now, like a photo, a news headline from that week and a receipt showing what diapers cost. Label it "Open at 18" and store it on a high shelf, since any small items inside are for adults to handle.

11. A photo book of the first six months

Most parents have hundreds of phone photos and no time to do anything with them. Ask for 30–40 favorites, or offer to pick them from a shared album, and have a hardcover book printed. Expect $25–$60 depending on size and page count, and allow two weeks or more for printing and shipping.

12. A hand and footprint kit

At six months, hands and feet are still tiny, but not for long. Ink or clay impression kits run $15–$35. Choose non-toxic ink, let an adult do the pressing, and wipe the baby's hands and feet right away, since they'll go straight into the mouth. Keep clay and ink pads out of reach once you're done.

13. A growth chart the family grows into

A six-month-old can't stand for a height mark yet, so this is a gift for the years ahead. Some parents write the length from the six-month checkup as the first entry, then add standing marks once the child can stand steady against the wall. Our guide on when to start tracking your baby's height walks through how. Our canvas growth charts ($44) can be personalized with the baby's name and come off the wall when the family moves. Allow 7–10 business days for shipping, and hang it securely, away from the crib.

Gifts for the parents, who did the hard half

Some of the most welcome six-month gifts aren't for the baby at all. Half a year of feedings, laundry and short nights is worth marking too.

14. A meal they don't have to cook

A delivery gift card, a week of meal kits or a home-cooked dinner left at the door all work. Budget $30–$100 depending on how many meals you cover. Ask about allergies, and aim for a drop-off time that isn't in the middle of bedtime.

15. A babysitting night with a date on it

A vague "call me if you need a sitter" rarely gets used. Offer a specific evening instead: "I've got the baby Saturday from 5 to 9. Go have dinner." It costs nothing but your time.

16. The next-size restock

Around this age, many babies move up a diaper size and into 9- or 12-month clothes. A box of the next diaper size (ask which size and brand they use) or a few basics in 12-month sizes saves a mid-week store run. Expect $25–$50.

What to skip at six months

• Teething necklaces and bracelets, including amber ones. The FDA has warned against them because of choking and strangulation risks.
• Toys with small or loose parts, or anything labeled for ages 3 and up. That includes glued-on eyes, beads and pieces that twist off.
• Battery toys with an easy-open compartment. Button and coin batteries are dangerous if swallowed. If a toy uses batteries, choose one whose battery compartment closes with a screw, and keep spare batteries and their packaging out of reach. Many parents would rather skip the noise anyway.
• Anything for the crib. Blankets, pillows, bumpers, stuffed animals and hanging decor stay out of the sleep space. Stuffed animals are fine for supervised daytime play.
• Food and treats for the baby. Parents are introducing foods on their own schedule with their pediatrician, and honey isn't safe before age one.
• Clothes in a 6-month size. Go up to 9–12 or 12–18 months, and check which season the outfit will fit in.
• Unchecked hand-me-downs. If you're passing along an older high chair or toy, look it up on the CPSC recalls page first.
• The first-birthday-sized gift. Save the ride-on toy or play kitchen for 12 months or later, when the baby can actually use it.

Baby milestone gift ideas by month: the other in-between moments

The half-birthday isn't the only in-between moment in year one. Here are others families often mark, with rough timing and a gift that fits. Timing is approximate, and developmental milestones arrive when they arrive.

If you'd rather note these moments than buy for them, our baby's first year memory checklist gives a prompt for each month. For more on the developmental ones, see our ideas for gifts to celebrate first steps and first words.

Half-birthday card messages you can copy

A half-birthday card doesn't need to be long. Pick one, change the names and sign it.

"Happy half-birthday, little one. Six months ago you made us grandparents, and it's been the best job we've ever had. Here's to the next six. Love, Grandma and Grandpa"

"Half a year! You've kept a tiny person fed, clean and very loved for six straight months. This one's for you as much as for the baby."

"Happy six months, kiddo. I can't wait to meet the version of you who's walking, talking and bossing everyone around."

"For the messy half of year one: bibs, bowls and a spoon you'll mostly throw. Happy half-birthday!"

"Open this when you're 18. It's a snapshot of who you were at six months, and how loved you were already."

"Six months old and already running the house. Happy half-birthday!"

If you're still deciding, go by relationship. Close family can't beat a six-month letter or a photo book, the kind of gift that's fun to reread years later. Friends can't go wrong with feeding gear or a meal. And if the family already has plenty, give the parents an evening off, then save your bigger idea for the first birthday. Our list of first birthday gifts for the baby who already has everything picks up right where this one leaves off.

Frequently asked questions