Following on our journey through the growth of the baby, we leave the third month behind and we reach four months old, when the boy or girl are much more aware of what is being seen and heard around them, as well as the people around them. The baby continues to grow and learn about the world at high speed, taking interest in everything and learning from every detail.
Your ability to move, express yourself and communicate are increasing. Let's know in detail the characteristics of four month old babies, focusing on their diet, sleep, vaccines, growth and development, communication, safety, the best stimulation.
Four month baby growth and development
As we always say at this point, each baby has its own pace of development, and the skills achieved can vary from one child to another. With regard to weight and height, between the third and sixth month should increase between 500 to 600 grams per month and about 2 centimeters in height.
In general these are the achievements that babies usually reach around four months of age:
- Keep an eye on objects and people moving faster and faster
- Look closely at the faces, focusing not only on the eyes
- When lying down, keep moving your legs and arms, getting stronger
- Already maintains stable head control in an upright position
- It is already able to stay built longer, because the back muscles are stronger
- When placed on your stomach, lift your head and upper chest resting on your arms
- Recognize familiar objects and people from afar
- Coordinate your hands with your eyes a little more
- Control your hand movement a little more, open and close them
- It is pushed with the legs supporting the feet when placed on a firm surface
- He puts his hand to his mouth more and more consciously
- Slap the hanging objects
- Grab and shake hand toys
- The baby begins to distinguish between him (his own) and what he is not (the strange).
The baby's vision continues to develop, and if it has not occurred before, it will be at four months when the increase in eye muscle control allows the baby to follow objects, and the increase in visual acuity allows him to discriminate objects from backgrounds with minimal contrast. Between four and six months color vision it develops. Recognizes objects and looks for them with the eyes, is able to see more distance.
Although he probably is not yet of age to show us his first teeth, he could show his next appearance: increased drooling, need to bite ...
After four months, the baby will show us having understood the cause and effect relationship that allows him to coordinate some action with the expected result. He is already able to transmit what he wants or needs, even if he does not have words yet, as we will see.
Food and sleep at four months
The baby at four months feeds exclusively on milk, either maternal or artificial. The inclusion of other foods in the baby's diet is not necessary at such a young age, since milk gives them everything necessary to continue growing and developing normally, covering all nutrition requirements alone. Complementary feeding can wait up to six months, whether the baby feeds on breast milk or adapted formulas.
Maybe I start sleeping more during the night. At four months the baby sleep between 15 and 18 hours a day. The baby is consolidating his sleep-wake cycles. You can accommodate the previous environment at bedtime to establish nighttime sleep, with low light, tranquility, bath, music, food ...
Follow the recommendation that the baby sleep on his back and in the parents' room to be able to take care of him comfortably when necessary (restlessness, hunger ...).
Hearing and language
The way babies communicate is perfected. It is very important that we answer the baby when he babbles. In this way we encourage you to keep up with a conversation. You are not ready to understand stories, but you will enjoy any conversation or song. He babbles a lot emitting more and more different sounds. When he makes sounds he is trying to imitate the words we say.
Although he continues to use crying, he will also expand his repertoire to nonverbal communication. Corporal lenguage He makes his appearance strongly and the child uses it to explain clearly if he wants to get off the chair, be taken in his arms or stop eating. He will even look away if he wants to change activity. He will frown at bewilderment, surprise or displeasure, he will kick or lengthen his arms if he does not want to be in the crib or wants us to take him in his arms ...
When he is happy, he whispers, shouts, babbles, makes bubbles, sticks out his tongue, smiles and laughs out loud. The baby at four months is still smiling when he sees his parents and other people nearby, whom he already recognizes perfectly. Maybe he frowns when he sees strangers. Before the games and carantoñas, the baby will reward us with smiles, and other happy babble.
He is learning that all people are not equal, and react differently to strangers (They can cry, shut up and watch, frown ...). It is a logical behavior to what you do not know and absolutely normal.
Stimulation for the four month baby
The more we help explore the baby, the more he will learn. Playing with him, singing and talking to him They will enjoy and grow stimulating their senses. We can ring bells and bells with him, louder rattles, music ... The outdoor outings, with outdoor walks (adequately protected from the sun) are great entertainment for them.
Now that the muscles of your back are already stronger, you can start to tilt the back of the car a little. We can also leave it face down (on a smooth, firm and wide surface), so that the baby continues to exercise arms, legs, back and neck muscles when wanting to join.
We can put at your fingertips objects that call your attention to take them. Keep it in our chest or abdomen upside down, take it from the arms and stretch gently when lying ... Any game in which you feel accompanied will make you enjoy and learn. With its somewhat stronger back, we can place it built into a secure surface between cushions, or use a hammock so that its perspective is different, and not only see the ceiling.
Vaccines at four months
According to the vaccination calendar of the Spanish Association of Pediatrics, at 4 months the second dose of vaccines against various diseases (polio, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus ...) is administered. We must bear in mind that vaccines can react to babies (fever or discomfort), so it is convenient to know how to act in this regard.
It is usual to perform a pediatric review at four months to monitor the baby's growth. It is then when we can ask the pediatrician all our doubts and the convenience or not of administering to the baby other vaccines not included in the vaccine calendar according to communities.
Precautions
At this age (and for many months) we have to ensure that there is nothing dangerous near him, as he begins to reach out and hold his surroundings, as well as to have more mobility. Some security advice for the baby:
- Do not allow the baby to play with strings, papers or fabrics
- Avoid plush toys or hair shedding
- We should never leave it alone in the bathtub or on raised surfaces such as the changing table, the bed or the sofa
- Let's not leave him alone with a little brother or with a pet
- Always use the proper restraint system for car journeys
- Continue with adequate sun protection
- Hold the baby firmly while dressing, changing or bathing
The baby continues to grow at a good pace, and after this review the four month baby life calendar Soon we will return with one more step in its development, towards the fifth month of life.
Photos | Flickr (peasap), Flickr (Jorgeravines) On Babies and more | Baby calendar
