What should a baby be able to do at 4 months?

What should a child be able to do at 4 months? Quite a lot already. The fourth month is the time for various training of the skills that he has mastered over the previous three months. The baby's back at 4 months is still quite weak, but the child pulls himself up on his arms to sit. What other skills does a child have at 4 months?

What can a 4 month old baby do?

The child is actively moving, he moves his legs and arms with all his might, he really likes it when he is taken under the arms and lifted.

A 4-month-old baby does not sleep as much as before – his daytime sleep is reduced to three times. He can already “walk” for up to two hours in a row, and does not fall asleep immediately after feeding, as before. The baby’s emotions at 4 months are already quite meaningful, and not reflexive, as before. By crying or smiling, children at 4 months express their experiences, their emotions, their reactions. They need to be closely monitored to understand what the child wants.

At 4 months, the baby's brain develops very rapidly, so he shows increased interest in everything that surrounds him. The digestive, nervous and respiratory systems are now also developing very quickly.

The fourth month of a baby's life: growth

The child's growth is stable - on average about 2-3 cm per month. If you think that your child is not eating well and is not growing well, consult a pediatrician and gastroenterologist for advice.

Motor skills of a child at 4 months

Your baby is becoming more and more dexterous. His hands are now working faster to grab a toy or shake a rattle. Baby's hands will grab anything within his reach, including a kitten, mom's hair, any colorful or shiny object hanging in front of his eyes. So, mom should avoid putting on earrings or beads if she doesn't want them to be grabbed by baby's clingy hand.

Anything your baby can grab, he puts in his mouth - tasting is one way to explore the world. It is very important not to leave small objects lying around, because your baby can choke on them.

At 4 months, the baby's head no longer wobbles. Four months is the time when the baby can more or less confidently hold up his head, even while sitting, and can hold his head and chest upright while lying on his stomach. Some babies at 4 months can roll over from their stomach to their back.

The fourth month of a child's life: sleep

By the fourth month, you and your baby can enjoy a full night of sleep. At this age, babies can sleep for seven to eight hours straight at night. If you add in the hours of daytime sleep, you and your baby should be sleeping a total of 14 to 16 hours a day.

Children at 4 months: vision

During the first three months of life, babies are not yet fully able to distinguish color contrasts, which is why your newborn prefers bright colors and black and white objects. At 4 months, your baby’s vision improves to about 20/40. Babies at this age can pick out more subtle color contrasts, such as a red button on a red shirt. They can also see the entire room, although they still prefer to look at people close up – at a distance of 25-30 cm.

Your baby's eyes should move smoothly and follow objects and people around the room. If you notice your baby has crossed eyes or any other vision problems, be sure to talk to your pediatrician about it.

You may also notice that your baby's eyes are starting to change color. Eye color may go through a series of changes before settling on its final color around six months of age.

The fourth month of a child's life: nutrition

Some pediatricians do not recommend feeding your baby solids before six months. But depending on how fast your baby is growing and how much weight he or she is getting, big babies cannot be satisfied with milk or formula alone. Your doctor may recommend feeding your baby solids before six months. Before that, make sure your baby has good neck muscles and can sit up straight with support.

The baby's first food should be fortified with iron - rice cereal or buckwheat are good for this. They are used with milk formula. Do not overfeed your baby with additional food until he gets used to it, otherwise you can upset the gastrointestinal tract. Then see how your baby responds to spoon feeding. Babies at this age may still have a strong sucking reflex. If you put a spoonful of cereal in your baby's mouth and he pushes it back out, you may have to wait a week or two before trying solids again.

Baby at 4 months: sounds

A 4-month-old baby can constantly "say" something. That is, coo, try to pronounce letters and syllables, most often "o" and "a" or the consonants "m", "b" and "p". To stimulate the baby's speech skills, talk to him as much as possible. Tell your child fairy tales, poems, sing songs and be sure to listen to him.

You can show your child large pictures, show toys and talk to him during a walk about what you see.

The fourth month of a child's life: connection with parents

At 4 months, the baby already understands that others react to what he does. Parents run to the baby when he screams - he understands this. When the baby throws a toy, parents pick it up and put it back in the stroller or playpen. Many children enjoy this "game" and throw the toy again and again and again, just to watch their parents pick up this bright object.

Babies at this age are learning to be effective communicators. They express themselves through cooing, making vowel sounds like “oohs” and “ahhs,” squeals, and laughs. You may notice that your baby can use facial expressions to express a wide range of emotions, from a beaming, happy smile to an open-mouthed look of surprise. Your 4-month-old is also beginning to learn to read your emotions—your voice and facial expressions.

Read also:

• What should a child be able to do at 1 month?
• What should a child be able to do at 3 months?
• What should a child be able to do at 2 months?

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What can a baby do at 4 months?

• Reacts to the appearance of his mother or a person close to him (recognizes him)
• Distinguishes the voices of people close to him
• Begins to pronounce the first syllables
• Grabs a toy that is lying or hanging
• Reacts to own name
• Raises head and shoulders when lying on back
• Reacts differently to toys he likes and those he doesn't like
• During feeding, he can play with the breast or bottle, holding it with his hand

A 4-month-old baby is a whole world with its own unique emotions and reactions. Take care of him, he is very fragile.