Your baby, 4 months 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 and older

At this point, your baby can recognize familiar faces. He can distinguish his mom from his dad and knows who they are. Many babies have favorite toys and you may have found a book or song that your baby seems to like the best. By now, he probably likes to play with toys on a mat or blanket on the foor. Exersaucers are good choices for baby to play in. Steer clear of baby walkers. They are dangerous and should not be used.

It is important to respond quickly and calmly to your crying baby. When you respond quickly, your baby will develop a sense of security and develop trust in you. You will have to do less to soothe a distressed baby if you respond quickly. Many people are under the impression that they will spoil their baby if they respond to every whimper and whine. This is not true. You can spoil a child, but not a baby. A baby of this age can not be disciplined and is not able to understand your commands. Continue to be loving and gentle to foster a good relationship.

Your baby can most likely roll from side to side and possibly from her tummy to her back. Be careful not to leave her unattended-she may roll off and get seriously injured. Babies should be placed on their tummies to develop strength and muscles needed for sitting, crawling and walking. Encourage your baby to roll over and help her sit up with support. It is much more interesting to sit up and look at things vs. laying down and staring at the ceiling. At this age, your baby is probably grasping objects and putting them straight into his mouth. Make sure all of his toys are safe and clean.

Your baby may begin to get upset if you take a toy away or stop playing with her. She coos, babbles, smiles and laughs when you interact with her. She may be able to click her tongue and cough by now. Playing with your baby is important for development. Continue to read, sing, play and play games with your little learner. Talk to your baby in regular words-do not use baby talk because it does not sound clear to your baby and may confuse him. Praise your baby for jobs well done! Introduce your baby to new sights, smells, sounds and textures often. This is how he will learn the most about this new exciting world around him!

Around four months of age, your doctor may give the go ahead on solid foods. You will know if your baby is ready. He should sit well with support and be able to hold his head steady. If she is still pushing the food out of her mouth with her tongue, she may not be quite ready to start solids. Start with cereal and then try fruits and vegetables. When using a highchair, make sure that it is safe. Your high chair should not have any broken pieces and should be sturdy. Always use the seat belt and lock the tray on snuggly. Make sure you watch your baby closely while he is in the highchair. Do not feed your baby directly from the jar, unless you are certain he will eat all of it. Just because your baby is consuming solids does not mean she doesn't still need formula or breatmilk-she does!!

Developmental Milestones 4 Months Old

Physical

• Your baby's stomach has grown larger, so he does not need to feed as often
• Rolls over
• When laid on stomach, your baby will lift his stomach and shoulders high offf the ground
• Your baby's tongue-thrust reflex is fading, and your baby may be ready to start solid foods now
• Can reach out and grab objects-he still may miss his mark on the first try
• You will notice alot of drool-some babies start teething around this time

Intellectual

• Feedings can get difficult as your baby likes to see what is going on at mealtime
• Your baby is easily distractable
• Once the baby grasps ahold of an object, he will put it straight to his mouth
• Your baby likes a vairety of toys and objects-give her different toys with different responses
• Babies begin to understand cause and effect
• Begins to understand all basic sounds of language
• Begins to develop the ability to make vocal sounds-`ma-ma` `da-da`-although he does not connect sound to parent
• Color differences are clearer and your baby probably prefers bright primary colors
• Can laugh out loud and squeal in delight

Emotional

• Likes to be interacted with-play with your baby as often as possible
• Some babies like to play alone at this time
• May participate in back and forth imitation games-imitate your child's faces and sounds
• Your baby will respond to your voice and gestures by kicking legs or waving arms
• Baby will show you when she is no longer interested

Age Appropriate Toys

• Bright colored books
• Posters
• Activity gyms and play mats
• Musical toys
• Lighted toys
• Mirrors
• Teething rings
• Plastic toys to chew on
• Toys to grasp
• Brightly colored soft blocks
• Stuffed toys

Comments:

Comments 1-25 of about 13376 for month 4
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yasie071509 - Tuesday, 17 Nov
I feel so bad to put her through this again, it broke my heart yesterday but I really don't want her piercings looking the way they do right now. I too wanted to wait until she was old enough to make the decision but my husband would not leave it alone, he was the one who brought it up to our pediatrician yesterday.

excited4june - Tuesday, 17 Nov
Not sure how long it takes to close but I would let it. I was very young when my ears were pierced and have very unlevel holes. To the point I don't even wear earings! I'm waiting until my daughter can tell me she wants them pierced. My husband is against her getting any at all.

yasie071509 - Tuesday, 17 Nov
Good Morning Ladies. Quick question. My little girl got her ears pierced yesterday at the pediatrician's office. Well it looks great except it is not leveled. It's very noticiable. I was wondering if it is safe to remove the earings and have the hole close and redo the piercing in a couple of months. If it is, how long does the hole take to close. I have the same issues with my piercing and I don't want my little girl to have it to that's why I was against having her ears pierced but my husband wanted it done. Thanks for any advise.

preggo2009 - Monday, 16 Nov
13yearslater: I EBF my daughter as well and I have the same issue sometimes. It is just a clogged milk duct most likely. It should last a day or 2 then go away. You can try feeding more on that side and pumping to get it flowing again. If it goes away then you know thats what it was. If it stays and gets red and you start running a fever then it is most likely mastitis. Hope this helps!

Savvy - Sunday, 15 Nov
Hi Guys, Emily rolled over TWICE tonite in front of me.:)At her 6:00AM feeding this morning, she was on her back when I got to her (she sleeps on her belly) and tonite she rolled over from belly to back 2 times while I was trying to sleep her. I am so happy for her. She rolls over then looks at me to see what my reaction would be then she smiles.

13yearslater - Sunday, 15 Nov
Hi ladies, I have not been on in a while and I hope everyone and their LO's are doing good. My LO is almost 5 mnths old and is EBF. One of my breast hurts down to the my nipple. Has anyone had this happen before. THere is no reddness, hotness or swelling. It just started today,i was thinking clogged milk duct, or mastitis or thrush but i don't have nay other symptoms. if anyone has ahd or heard of this will you let me know. thanks ladies

excited4june - Saturday, 14 Nov
FYI at target if you buy two big boxes of huggies you get a ten dollar giftcard

ivy-62209 - Friday, 13 Nov
samandbaby - My LO didn't have a reaction after her first set either, but did after her 2nd and 3rd.

samandbaby - Friday, 13 Nov
Question ladies- did anyones babies get fever after their shots?? My son was fine after his first set of shots and fine last night after getting them, but this morning woke up with a 101.7 fever :-(( I feel so bad for my little guy! I just wonder if this is a normal shot related fever or something else he doesn't seem to have other symptoms.

monselena - Thursday, 12 Nov
For those who have myspace please add simply divine photography as a friend and then vote for my pic, its the 1st one and says monselena as a capition I don't have any votes yet so please help me ;( her page is http://www.myspace.com/simplydivinephotography also you can delete her after you vote I really need help to win a free session and prints

samandbaby - Thursday, 12 Nov
William had his 4 month appt. today! He weighed 17lbs 8 oz and was 26 3/4 in! It's crazy how big my little baby is getting!

druash - Thursday, 12 Nov
i am having trouble finding eli pants. He is really tiny at the waist. 3to 6 mths falls off of him at the waist but they are almost too short. 0-3 mths fit him best is the waist but are way too short. He is 28 inches long. Anyone else have this problem?

julz - Thursday, 12 Nov
Ty got his first taste of baby food yesterday, on his 4 month b-day..he is a piggy, he loved it. He is getting so big, growing so fast.

Savvy - Wednesday, 11 Nov
My LO ate her green peas today without a fuss. OMG I am so proud of her. I put a little bit in a bowl and started to feed her 1/2 way thru her milk. She was eating, mind u some came out of her mouth and I had to keep pushing it in back with the spoon, but most of it went down and she even got a little frustrated at one point and grabbed the spoon..so cute. She finised her green peas and then had her milk. She left 1 oz of her milk, so I know she had some food and milk. She is growing up. sniff. sniff.

lucijas77 - Wednesday, 11 Nov
my baby came out sunny side up,omg, 2 1/2 hrs of pushing, i thought i am gonna die there, i had the epi for a while, but my back was fine since the delivery

TutuGirl - Wednesday, 11 Nov
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MieKitty - Wednesday, 11 Nov
Excited4june, back labor is when the baby is facing the wrong way (face up) and when s/he decends with the contractions the back of his/her head collides with your tailbone. Very painful!!! And to push the baby out usually you have to keep pushing until the baby is facing down (but I've heard of babys coming out sideways and face up!!!! Ouch)

monselena - Wednesday, 11 Nov
Can all you ladies with a myspace account please do me a HUGE favor add simply divine photography to your friends list and then vote for my photo its a school with snow and it says monselena under the caption, I really want to win the $100 free print credit this girl takes awsome pics, but its a little expensaive so Please help me so I can get awsome pics of my little one Thanks in advance www.myspace.com/simplydivinephotography And you can delete her again after you vote please I'am begging for votes

ivy-62209 - Wednesday, 11 Nov
phatbaby57 - try warming the mattress with a heating pad before you put him down, just be sure not to leave it in there with him. I haven't tried this myself as mine died, but I've heard it can work. Its the transitioning from being held by a warm body to a cold mattress that can wake them sometimes.

phatbaby57 - Wednesday, 11 Nov
Well yesterday was beginner's luck I think. We did not do so good last night in the crib. I'd have him asleep...mouth dropped open, limb loose asleep and the second his little body touched the mattress it was all over. An hour and a half of this before he finally went down for 30 minutes. Then he was back up to nurse. I was so exhausted I feel asleep with him latched and didn't wake again until 3:30 when he was hungry again. What a stinker! He tricked us on Monday!

excited4june - Tuesday, 10 Nov
My back hurt all pregnancy but I don't think I had back labor but I really don't know what that is. I had an epi and have had no back problems since I had my lo.

oliversmama - Tuesday, 10 Nov
Thanks, ivy. I'll have to try those tablets. He did poop twice this morning and one of them was kind of hard, so maybe that was part of the reason last night. He has been all smiles all day today with a couple occasional fusses, but nothing extreme.

druash - Tuesday, 10 Nov
my LO is sleeping in the play pen until 2 i know that doesnt seem like a lot but definately is when he has been sleeping with me :)

ivy-62209 - Tuesday, 10 Nov
oliversmama - it does sound like teething. Have you tried the teething tablets yet? They have some homeopathic ones at the drug store, think they're the Highlands brand. That may help. Sophie hasn't cut any teeth yet, just lots of drooling and hand sucking so far.

MieKitty - Tuesday, 10 Nov
I had back labor as well and had to get the epi. I have back pain everyday.... wow I didn't know I could get it corrected!!

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