Putting Some Character on Display in a four-Month-Old Baby
Your four-month-old baby is more awake, energetic, and engaging than ever before. Enjoy this time as you learn more about his distinct personality and watch him develop the strength and skills required for daring feats such as sitting, reaching, and rolling!
Baby Development Milestones
With a 4-month-old infant, life may be a little less stressful as you stick to certain set daily routines. But that little one is still likely to keep you on your toes, which is to be anticipated! He’s currently working on developing his newfound motor skills and will soon be able to grasp items, roll over, and sit up on his own. The best is yet to come: Continue reading to learn more about things to look forward to this month.
Growth and Physical Development: Steady and Strong
Your 4-month-old baby is most likely maintaining his rapid growth (around 1 to 14 pounds per month), but keep in mind that a consistent rate of growth is more important than particular gains in weight or length. You might be interested in learning more about how your paediatrician will use baby growth charts to monitor your baby’s progress.
There’s a lot of cognitive and physical development going on right now, and your baby will probably start acting more deliberately as he learns ideas like cause and effect.
Senses: Developing Distance Vision
The world around your kid is literally coming into focus as his distance vision improves. From a distance, he may begin to identify you and other familiar faces, and he can easily track moving objects with his gaze from side to side. His colour vision is also improving, so you may notice he prefers red and blue tones. Another source of insatiable visual interest for your 4-month-old baby? Himself! An unbreakable mirror is an excellent toy for infants of this age because it allows them to view a variety of colours and forms as well as their own emotions reflected back at them.
Not only is his vision growing, but so are his language skills, thanks to improved hearing and cognitive growth. He may be able to copy some of the rhythms, tones, and patterns of the words you speak to him, and his screams may sound different depending on his requirements. It may sound like an infant babbling right now, but he’s laying the groundwork for eventual speech.
Movement: Almost on a Roll
Four-month-old baby movement is all about muscle control and hand-eye coordination. If you notice more and more objects making their way to your little one’s mouth, that’s because with his vision improving, he’s able to do this more successfully — just be careful of what’s within his reach. He can probably grab and shake toys and rattles now and may soon be able to pass objects from one hand to another.
Your little one is almost ready to go! He’s still focusing on strengthening his back and chest muscles, as well as holding his head up while lying on his stomach. He’ll soon gain the strength to turn over from one side to the other.
4-Month-Old Baby Development Milestones
At this point, your baby may be doing some of the following:
- Holding his head up independently
- Bringing his hands to his mouth
- Sitting up with support
- Reaching for and grabbing objects of interest.
Personality: Getting to Know Your Little One
Your baby’s increasing mobility and cognitive awareness at 4 months make him even more intrigued about the world around him. He’ll probably become more sensitive to your tone of speech as well. Your soft, soothing voice calms and reassures him, but a harsher, more furious tone alerts him to the fact that something is wrong. He’ll also likely mimic your tone in his coos and babbles. Long before he can form meaningful words, he may be able to mimic specific sounds or syllables.
But what if your child does not appear to be as easygoing or inquisitive? That’s fine, too. Babies who appear to be shyer may require extra comfort and attention from their caretakers. Keep an eye out for signs that your baby is overwhelmed, overstimulated, or withdrawn in specific situations, and give him time to adjust to any new faces or activities in his life.
A Day in the Life of Your Baby
Every baby is different, but here’s a glimpse of what a typical day could look like with your baby.
How to Support Your Baby’s Development
You can obtain ideas for promoting your baby‘s growth from your paediatrician or other parents, but here are some 4-month-old baby activities to get you started.
To encourage visual development:
- Hang a colourful mobile above his crib, keeping it out of his reach.
- Allow him to marvel at his reflection and motions in a mirror.
- Play peekaboo with him to teach him about object persistence. He enjoys watching your face emerge and then vanish!
To promote movement and motor control:
- Do some tummy time. Lifting his head and chest while lying on his stomach (with you nearby) will strengthen the muscles required for turning over and sitting..
- Sit down and practice. He has a better range of motion to reach for and grab objects with your assistance in this position.
- Standing practice is essential. Pull your baby into a standing position while holding him under his arms to help him engage his leg muscles.
To aid language development:
- Read and sing to him.
- Imitate his sounds.
- When he imitates yours, respond positively.
This page is based on professional advice from reputable medical and government organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This page’s material should not be used in place of professional medical advice. For a complete diagnosis and treatment, always seek the advice of a medical expert.