Celebrate your child's love of learning

© Wondertime

For photographer Michael Grinley, it's the perfect age.

There's something about 6-month-olds — or at least photographer Michael Grinley thinks so. Six years ago, well before he became a father himself (see Michael Augustus, next page), Grinley took his first pictures of a friend's 6-month-old, and he was smitten. "Before 6 months babies don't have as much of an individual look, but from this point on you see definite expressions. You can tell what their facial personality will be."

On a pragmatic level, unlike younger or older babies, "6-month-olds can lift their heads off the ground and sit up — at least in the tripod position. But they generally can't crawl off the set, so that makes them good subjects."

Plus, they have few wardrobe needs. Posing babies against a black backdrop does more than just show off their enviable physiques. "I'm trying to strip away any environment to show their purity of spirit," Grinley says. Case in point: Sarah, left, with her turned-down-mouth gravitas and intense gaze, sitting atop her perfect baby chub. Michael Augustus
"In a sense, I've been waiting all my life to photograph Gus," says new dad Grinley. "But I was afraid I wouldn't get a good shot of him at 6 months, and the time would pass. So one Saturday I took about 100 pictures. I like the way he's studying me here, holding his own hand." T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., on 6-Month-Olds

"When you see a 6-month-old who is loved and cared for, you see excitement in that baby's face that says, 'Yes, I'm being nurtured in the way I need to be nurtured.' You see an expectation that he will get back passion from the world."

"The biggest change at 6 months is that a baby goes from a one- to a two-dimensional stature, from lying back most of the time with a limited view, to sitting up on his own, looking around, and even reaching for a toy. There's a recognition of, 'Look what I've done to get this whole new vista.'"

"I always look for how babies this age can comfort themselves. When they break down, do they suck their thumb, reach for their own body, touch their hair? I'm thrilled when I see them do this, because a baby who can comfort herself is way ahead of the game in life."

"The 6-month mark is a time of reorganization for your baby, of huge cognitive and physical growth, of nervous system maturation, and the more you can tolerate your baby's frustrations and let him work on things himself, that's ideal. When a baby can finally do something new, you see it on his face: 'I did it, I can do it all by myself.' If I had one goal for every child it would be good self-esteem, to feel 'I am confident, I matter.' I think this is where it all begins."