What to do when the baby is 5 months old?

If your child is 5 months old, his development continues, and in a multifaceted manner, and not only in the physiological sphere. The first sound combinations, active communication with parents using facial expressions and gestures, short ten-minute independent games, a well-developed grasping reflex, the ability to throw rattles and the desire to tear apart a favorite book - this is far from a complete list of skills and abilities that a five-month-old baby acquires. Mom and Dad will have to come to terms with the baby's exploratory impulse and in no case suppress it. The more inquisitive and active the child is at this age, the faster and better his intellectual and mental development will be.

The parameters for improving a child’s skills and abilities can be conditionally divided into physical, nutritional, cognitive, emotional, verbal and sensory.

The child is 5 months old, physical development:

• Hand motor skills are developing, the baby is able to hold an object in each hand.
• The baby rolls over well from tummy to back.
• The baby can push off with his feet and stand with the support and help of his parents (you shouldn’t get carried away with this exercise, the baby’s back and spine are not yet ready for long-term vertical loads).
• The baby holds his back and head well when picked up.
• The baby can sit with support from both sides (parents support him by the arms, surround him with pillows).
• The child can bend and straighten his legs independently while lying on his back (as if performing sports exercises such as “bicycle”).
• The baby can squat and dance while standing when supported by his parents.

Nutritional development of a five-month-old baby:

• Provided that breastfeeding remains the preferred option, the baby shows an active interest in other products, especially those included in the adult menu. He constantly tries to grab any product that is nearby.
• The baby is fascinated by a new way of eating - a spoon, with which complementary feeding is done. The child tries to grab it, hold it in his hand.

An approximate diet and regimen for a five-month-old baby is as follows:

Morning, 6.00	Breast milk or formula	170-180 ml
Morning, 10.00	Porridge with milk	40-50 g
	Cottage cheese	25-30 g
	Juice	20-25 ml
Day, 14.00	Breast milk or formula	120-140 ml
	Fruit puree	30-40 g
Evening, 18.00	Puree of boiled vegetables	90-100 g
	Boiled egg yolk	1/5
	Juice	15-20 ml
Evening, 22.00	Breast milk or formula	170-180 ml

A five-month-old baby will need a little more diapers because the period between wet periods is shorter due to active daytime wakefulness and a change in feeding schedule. The baby may wet every 30-40 minutes.

The child is 5 months old, cognitive development

• The baby develops an interest in the surrounding environment, objects and people.
• The baby recognizes familiar faces and objects and responds to them with a smile.
• The baby may become wary and even afraid of unfamiliar sounds, bright objects, and the appearance of unfamiliar people.
• The child is quite good at orienting himself within a familiar room, knows where the door is through which mom or dad enters, and knows the sources of sounds and light.
• The baby can independently change the pose and body position, turning over onto the tummy and back again. He can try to crawl to get closer to the desired, interesting object.
• The toddler has well-developed grasping reflexes; he is equally proficient with both his right and left hands when holding a toy, and can transfer it from one hand to the other.
• The baby begins to "taste" everything. The first objects of study are toys.
• The baby knows how to give preference to his favorite rattle or toy, looks for it with his eyes, grabs it and studies it with enthusiasm.
• The child can knock one toy against another, the sounds and movements bring him joy.
• The child reacts to bright colors, colorful pictures, images.
• The baby is able to distinguish voices and differentiate them. He reacts emotionally to his mother's voice, a familiar song or poem.

Baby 5 months, emotional and social development

• The child gradually learns about the world around him by getting to know his body parts, both his own and those of his mother and father. He touches his nose, pulls his mother's hair, looks at his father's hands with interest, and so on.
• The baby continues to explore his own body, using his own hands – he feels his head, touches his ears, eyes, and puts his foot in his mouth.
• The baby can laugh infectiously, sometimes deliberately misbehave, causing delight in parents. He tries to hug and even imitates a kiss, pressing his mouth to his mother's cheek.
• The baby can express his discontent and resentment not only by crying, as before, but also by grimaces, facial expressions and exclamations.
• The child reacts cautiously to unfamiliar faces, hides and cuddles up to his mother when a stranger appears in the room.
• The child seems to understand the parents' discontent and can cry in response to a voice that is too loud. The baby also reacts to internal family quarrels, so parents should be correct and friendly in the presence of the little family member.
• The child recognizes mom, dad, relatives, smiling at them or turning his head. He can also find familiar objects with his gaze - photographs, pictures, watches, and so on.

The child is 5 months old, speech development

• The child still babbles, but the pronunciation of syllables slips into his speech.
• The baby accompanies almost every movement with cooing.
• The child can distinguish sounds made by different animals – the meowing of a cat, the barking of a dog, and so on.
• The baby can call his mother with peculiar cries, give sound signals that he wants to eat, drink or play.
• The child develops a passive vocabulary when he does not pronounce words, but only tries to remember the verbal designation of objects, actions, and events.
• The baby tries to replace speech with gestures and facial expressions, sometimes with specific sounds in the form of growling or coughing.

If the child is 5 months old, his development continues, the baby becomes more proactive and active, requires much more attention and communication. Parents are now required not only to provide normal and high-quality nutrition, hygienic care and walks, but also to provide the little explorer with a field of activity, give the opportunity to study colorful pictures, bright, educational toys. No less important is daily communication with the baby and joint games, which bring joy not only to the little one, but also to the parents themselves.