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 26-50 of about 21733 for month 4
Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next

hannah7860 - Friday, 10 Feb
My lo was born 9lb 2oz 1week over due, and now he weighs 18lb 2oz at 19weeks old, tho he's no chubby just very long and his peditrision seems to be hapi and hapi for him to be weened. He did say when he starts crawling and walking his weight would drop, am not bothred I love him just the way he is, tho my other 2kidz been only 6 and 7lbs, this one is my biggest at birth, I guess he gna be 1tall handsome boy/man when he grows up :-D

Dulcianasmom - Friday, 10 Feb
Cami went for her 4month checkup this past tuesday and she weighs 12lbs 4oz. so really good for her (she was born at 5lbs 12oz, i have small babies, all my chidren were 5lb'ers). So, she is doing very well, still EBF and nursing about every 2-3 hours still thru the day and then she goes to bed around 8pm, lately has been waking around 2am to feed and then goes back down again till 8am. She WAS sleeping thru the ntie for a long time, then she stopped :/ not sure if its just a grwoth spurt and she just needs more food or if this is the start of a bad 'attachmentt' trend. That is how my middle child was BUT she NEVER slept thru the nite. She would get up every 3-4 hours at nite..it SUCKED. Finally when she was about 9months old i had to have hubby intervene and for 2weeks, if she fussed at nite, i was not allowed to get up or go near the room. He would get up, warm a bottle of breastmilk and go in to feed her..well, she didn't want to eat, she was only waking and taking the boob cause she knew i would do it. So, after 2 weeks, she realized i wasn't coming in anymore to nurse her and she just gave up. I'm wondering if cami is getting into this routine..hard to say though cause she only gets up once anite and i honestly don't mind it cause its nurse, and right back to bed. So it only takes up about 45min. I'll have to see how things go next month when we start her on solids.

ajoke - Friday, 10 Feb
mzdallas06 that is too cool! Olivia goes to the dr on monday..i'm guessing she's 15+ lbs...shes a porker and it's all boob; we haven't started cereal yet. Aiden goes to the dr the same time for his 2yr check up and bet he's less than 28lbs...the kids wear the same size diaper WTHeck!!!!

schmittsfirst - Friday, 10 Feb
hannah- my son is 17 weeks old and almost 17 lbs. Crazy how fast he has grown. We are starting solids next week (trying for the 2nd time) so I bet he'll chunk up even more once we do that! :)

dre28 - Thursday, 9 Feb
Hi hannah---my LO was 13 pounds 1 ounce at her appt at 18 weeks...she's 20 weeks tomorrow and guessing she's coming up on 14 pounds....

mzdallas06 - Thursday, 9 Feb
I had my U/S today and I am 8 wks pregnant. I am due on September 27th- the same week that I gave birth to my little baby 4 months ago! How crazy is that??

hannah7860 - Thursday, 9 Feb
Question- how many lbs do your lo weigh? And at how many weeks old?

hannah7860 - Thursday, 9 Feb
Thanx lily just read your message, il be starting the feber method soon as my lo gets well, he has broncilitis again we just got bk from hospital, and atm he is only taking 1to2oz every 1to2hrly coz of his breathing problem, so I think it be fair to start when he is him self again, I also saw his pedetrision and he also said if he is consuming 5to6oz every 4 to 5hrly then he should sleep the whole nite, and I explained that he sleepz 4to5hrz the 1st half of the nite then he wakes up between 2.30 and 3.30 for a feed, which then he said I could give him a feed but if he wakes up again after an hour or two then not to feed him as he dnt need it, and let him just cry that way he be trained to fall bk to sleep him self, so basicly to do how u are doing it, u are on the rite track, and am also opening his cot up and not co-sleep as that also effects his nite sleep and helpz me in the long run, am very excited and nervous to do this but I know it has to be done for the better for me and my family, its gona be some hard rough nyts coming up soon. Thnx once again LILY

lilyxox19 - Wednesday, 8 Feb
Your welcome :)

mzdallas06 - Wednesday, 8 Feb
LILY: I Have you to thank b\c it never occured to me that she WAS NOT hungry. Thanks a ton! Another thing I've done for the last 2 days was whenever she looked sleepy I put her in the bassinette IMEDIATELY. So she hasn't slept anywhere else but her own bed since yesterday. I want her to understand what her bed is for. That's a BIG accomplishment for me because we have been co-sleeping since DAY1.

lilyxox19 - Wednesday, 8 Feb
@mzdallas Yeah!! Hopefully tonight will be better!! Good job staying in the room while sleep training! Lol I slept on the couch the whole time. Last night dh finally came home so he took our mattress out of the baby's and brought it back into our room. Last night was the first night I slept in my own room since Taylor was born!!! I bought a baby monitor yesterday and it works great!! Last night Taylor slept 9.5 hours!!! He slept from 8on-5:30am. Then he downed 4oz and went back to sleep after babbling for a while. Then he woke up at 7:30 to start his day!! I feel so accomplished!!

mzdallas06 - Wednesday, 8 Feb
Ok, so I think I'm on the right track here! My lo sleeps in her bassinette at the foot of our bed, so I do hear every single moan and cry she makes. But we STAYED STRONG! We let her cry when we knew she was just breaking her sleep. But the 1 time she cried for more than 5 minutes I picked her up, kissed her, rubbed her back then layed her back Down immediately. So I would say she woke up 4 times total But 3 of those times she fell back to sleep on her own after abt 5 minutes. I think the most important thing we did was to not feed her each time she woke up! Its not perfect, but it's definitely better than a week ago!

hannah7860 - Wednesday, 8 Feb
A very good morning to all, I had the best sleep eva in ages 7hrz straight then gave my baba 5oz of milk and straight bk to sleep for another 3.5hrz, am a very hapi bunny today, 10.5hrz of luxury smiles smiles smiles :-D oh and now he takes 6oz of milk every 4to 5hrly and I ween him at 4month home made, once for lunch and for his brekfast baby rice and fresh home made fruit pureed and mixed into the baby rice. So 2times for now till he be 5.5month. And im so hapi to say he loves what eva I gve him and takes it in without keep spitting it bk out, bibs are clean he's clean and am hapi :-), he's 19weeks old on friday and growing very well. X x

dre28 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
sickasadog--your boobs will quickly adjust :) My LO has been sleeping 10-12 hours a night and the first few nights my boobs went crazy but now they are in sync :)

Dulcianasmom - Tuesday, 7 Feb
Hello 4months old!!! Camille is grwoing so much and is such a little STINKER!!! :D

alliegirl - Tuesday, 7 Feb
Noah has been sleeping thorugh the nicht 8 pm to 6 to 8 am since 10 weeks. I love it. scary part as I think I might be preg again. been nausiated since sunday, and hugely tired those were my symptoms lat time too. if I am we conceived jan 25th so is this too soon to be feeling this you guys think I can't remember from las ttime haa.

sickasadog - Tuesday, 7 Feb
uh, I want mine to sleep, but then my breasts will explode and I will have to get up and pump! lol... guess I will gradually work on sleep training her so I don't have a child who gets up until she is 3 yrs old

redding2009 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
My little girl also sleeps 10-12 hours each night...she has been doing so for a while now! I realize we are very blessed. Of course, every one tells us that with #2 we will probably not be so lucky lol! We also began letting her ' cry it out' when she was like 2 months old. We put a time limit on it though; 20 minutes. The first few nights were rough, but by the end of week she would only cry maybe 6-10 minutes before she fell asleep. Now, at 3 months, she cries usually 5 minutes. She also doesn't take the paci anymore ( she rejected it on her own) and now just sucks her fingers or fist, which I think really helps her go back to sleep when she wakes up in the middle of the night. Also, she takes frequent naps during the day, so she is well rested. I HIGHLY recommend the book ' The 90-minute Baby Sleep Program' by Polly Moore.

dre28 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
Yay Lily! sooo glad you're getting some sleep!

lilyxox19 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
@hanah I'll message you on what I did

lilyxox19 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
Oh and I think I can happily say that my son is now sleeping through the night. (sleeping 6 hrs straight is considered sleeping through the night according to all the books and websites I researched). I can also say that I have officially broken that every 2hr sleep pattern! Thank goodness.

lilyxox19 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
So last night Taylor slept for 7 hours straight (8:30pm-3:30am). I got up and turned on his fisher price lullaby music for 5mins and he went right back to sleep. Then woke up at 4:15am and I just let him cry it out. I'm trying to get him to go to 6am before wanting to eat. Anyways I let him cry it out and didn't go in to comfort him. He cried off and on for maybe 20mins. It was hard to hear him scream but I'm so glad I did. He fell back to sleep and slept for 2 more hours!! If I went in there and turned the lullaby on, I think he would have woken up only 1 hr later. So he started crying again this morning at 7am which I got him up to start the day. I don't think he really wanted to wake up because he was crying a lot but after 5mins he fully woke up and was all smiles. lol and he attacked his bottle too. We will see how tonight and tomorrow goes. If he is still waking up after 6 or 7 hrs then I will let him have a bottle since I know he was hungry this morning.

hannah7860 - Tuesday, 7 Feb
Lily how do u do the ferber method? I wana train my lo to self sooth to sleep, need help here.

keegansmommie - Tuesday, 7 Feb
So I started on solids this weekend. my LO was not happy about it. he ate it fine off the spoon which was very exciting but did not like the taste he actually gagged. ha. but did much better yesterday we are only doing the cereal at the 11am feeding for now and in the next couple days will be doing it for breakfast and lunch and maybe adding some fruit. My LO has is 4 month check up tomorrow. a little worried about the shots. YIKES>

lilyxox19 - Monday, 6 Feb
Good luck Mzdallas!! Keep me posted on how your doing!! Tonight will be Day 3 of the ferber sleep training. I have really thought about it and Taylor does't need a bottle after 6hrs so tonight I will be making him go till 6am. Keep fingers crossed it won't be too bad :)

More comments: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Next Latest comments from all months More 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