Your 4-Month-Old Baby...
A Content Little Darling!
Many 4-month-old babies are quite easy to take care of.
They sleep ok, they eat less often and they can amuse themselves for a while.
Their stomachs don't hurt as much anymore and even babies who have had colic are often better by now.
4-month-old babies are happy kids! Enjoy this phase. Tougher times will come!
The 4-Month-Old Baby
Baby milestones
Most babies in this age have enough strength to balance their head if sitting on your lap.
The baby is also likely to be able to support himself on his whole arms when lying on his tummy. Some can even push up to lean only on their hands.
However, since nowadays most children sleep on their back, to minimize the risk of SIDS, studies indicate that it now takes longer for the average baby to develop enough strength to push himself up on his elbows and arms. They simply down practice as much as before.
Sometime around four months, most babies' hand-eye coordination has developed enough to so that the baby really can grab things intentionally. Everything will go into his mouth!
Now you must make sure that he can't get hold of things that may be harmful to suck on or swallow.
With this new ability, your baby might have a period now when he is quite content with playing on his own for a while either in the baby gym or with his own hands or feet.
Yes - some fours months old babies are strong enough to be able to lift their feet high enough to be able to play with them or they'll simply chase their feet while sitting up. My youngest didn't do any of this at 4 months; he was much more interested in observing his surroundings.
Language development continues. Some 4-month-old babies will start making different kind of sounds, practicing different vowels and possibly also some consonants. My youngest baby said a very clear "mama" at 4.5 months, of course not knowing what he said.
Sleep development - I read everywhere that babies around 4 months sleep through the night. My personal experience (my own as well as talking to a lot of other mothers) is that they don't at all! Well some babies do, but it is also quite common that babies wake up more frequently at around 4-month-old, because they are getting more hungry. So don't despair if your baby does not sleep through the night. Continue with your sleep routines, and discuss with your baby's healthcare provider if it may be the right time to start with some solid food.
The 4-month-old baby can really laugh out loud. A wonderful sound!
Games to play
At around 4 months, you might notice that your baby likes to meet other people. Being at home all day long can actually become a bit boring. Baby swimming or baby singing or some other activity can be a fun way to stimulate the baby development now.
By a coincidence I also discovered that my 4-month-old baby was extremely interested in picture books. He got completely exited when he saw the bright colored pictures I was showing our toddler.
So reading books can be added to the list.
Getting up from lying to standing with your help (pull his arms carefully) is great fun as well as flying (you lift him high up into the air).
If not earlier, your baby has probably become ticklish by now. (Newborn babies are not.) So tickling can be great fun. Many babies are very ticklish around their neck and thighs.
You can encourage your baby to roll over from back to stomach by holding up toys for him to reach for.
Toy tips
With the new abilities to put everything into his mouth, your baby will enjoy all sorts of rattles and small stuffed animals.
Make sure they have some little part - tail, nose or something, that can be sucked upon. My children have become furious after a while, when they have tried to put a too big toy into their mouth.
And whatever you do, don't cut off the little piece of cloth with washing instructions (unless, of course, they might fall off). Chances are your baby will love these little pieces of cloth even more than the actual toy!
Now proceed to learn some more about baby development!
Your 5-Month-Old Baby
Back to Your 3-Month-Old Baby
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