A five-month-old baby is no longer a baby. If the baby lives in good conditions and eats right, at this time he is developing intensively and already has a lot. The task of the parents at this time is to work hard with the child, stimulating his motor and cognitive activity. The more attention you pay to your baby, the faster he will grow smarter and acquire new motor skills.
Baby at 5 months
Baby development at 5 months
A five-month-old baby should be able to roll over from back to stomach. Some children at this age also spin in the opposite direction - from abdomen to back. Also, subject to proper development, the baby should:
- Get up from a position lying on your stomach, leaning on your hands;
- Play with rattles, reaching for them while lying on your back;
- Recognize familiar adults (parents, relatives) and react vividly to them;
- Laugh and babble when played with.
Some children at this age already sit down from a position, lying on their stomachs, and someone crawls "on their bellies". However, most babies during this period only actively roll over, strengthening the muscles of the back and abdomen.
Attention! If the baby is breastfed and is gaining weight well, you can start complementary feeding no earlier than five and a half months. The first complementary food can be milk porridge or fruit puree. Artists are given additional nutrition a little earlier - from exactly 5 months.
Mental development
During this period, babies develop their sense organs. The child gradually learns to distinguish all the colors of the spectrum, not just the main ones. The baby is especially fond of bright colors. The baby fixes his gaze well on the object and can deal with one or two toys for a long time. Also during this period, boys and girls begin to experience an increased need for adult society. Children love when they are lifted out of the crib, and begin to ask for their hands, "manipulating" adults. Babies react vividly to finger games, poetry reading and lullabies.
Physical development of the child
A baby who will soon be six months old most likely already has one or two teeth. If there are no teeth yet, the baby's gums gradually swell, therefore, during this period, the baby may show increased anxiety and sleep poorly at night. In infants, the muscles of the back and shoulder girdle are gradually getting stronger. The child pulls himself up in his arms, makes the first attempts to sit. The muscles of the hand are intensively developing: the child no longer clenches his hands into fists, but opens his fingers and carefully examines them. Lying on their backs, children make active movements with their arms and legs, reach their toes with their hands and try to put them in their mouths. Active preparation for the crawling period begins.
A five-month-old baby can roll over on its own
Emotional and social development
A pediatrician and a neurologist can tell parents how to develop babies at 5 months. Much depends on the individual characteristics of the baby, on heredity and temperament. At 5 months, the child does not yet divide people into "us" and "strangers." If the baby is well treated, he is not afraid of strangers and willingly goes into their arms. The fear of "strangers" appears a little later, after six months.
Five-month-old babies react very vividly to older children. Therefore, if the baby has brothers or sisters, communication between elders and younger ones should be encouraged in every possible way. However, if the age difference between children is less than 6 years, play together should only be supervised. Under no circumstances should older children be allowed to take the baby in their arms. A five-month-old baby is an active and restless creature that can easily jump out of the hands of a confused six-seven-year-old.
If parents and other households often call a boy or girl by name, the baby quickly gets used to this word and readily responds by turning his head towards the sound. Hearing any voice or other sound, the child listens carefully. Five-month-old babies are distinguished by sensitive hearing, so in no case should you make noise or scream loudly in the presence of the baby, especially during his sleep.
Children who will soon be six months old do not like loneliness and constantly need emotional contact with adults. The baby often asks for his arms, this is not a simple whim - in the arms of an adult, the baby feels protected.
Cognitive development
If parents do not know what to do with a 5 month old child, toys that stimulate cognitive activity will help them. Developing rugs are very popular; you can buy them or make them yourself at home. Such a rug can entertain a fidget for a long time. It is a small piece of dense material on which the following are securely attached:
- Velcro;
- Fastened buttons;
- Rattles and other interesting toys;
- Plastic rings of different diameters.
Lying on his stomach on the rug, the child gets acquainted with objects that have different textures and shapes, gets the first idea of the concepts "hard - soft", "smooth - rough". The kid can be taught to distinguish toys by shape and color, as well as to perform the simplest tasks for quick wits (for example, unfasten and fasten a button or Velcro).
Also, for the first lessons, you can give your baby pyramids and sets of small multi-colored bowls, which are nested one into another. While the child is not yet capable of assembling the pyramid on his own, he will be happy to look at the bright rings. This is a good way to improve your eyesight and mindfulness. It should only be borne in mind that children at this age can quickly get tired and are not able to engage in the same activity for a long time. If the baby wants to sleep, you should not entertain him. All classes are conducted only during active wakefulness
The baby loves to look at the surrounding objects
How to help your baby develop fully
In order to stimulate the active mental and physical development of a baby at this age, it is necessary:
- Monitor the dynamics of weight gain to prevent malnutrition. If the baby is breastfed, control weighings can be done periodically after feeding;
- Talk to the child as often as possible, encouraging him to "respond";
- Give the boy or girl a variety of age-appropriate toys to stimulate the development of fine motor skills;
- Do general massage and gymnastics daily, carry out hardening procedures.
In the summer, you should periodically leave your baby naked without a diaper so that the baby can take an air bath.
Interesting. At this age, children are very fond of swimming. Parents can show their child how to kick water with hands and feet. The kid will be happy to repeat these movements and splash around in the bath. From the fifth month of life, you can take a daily bath in the large adult bathtub after washing it clean.
Children love to take a bath.
What to play with your baby
There are many activities with a 5 month old baby that are easy for parents. Usually babies react to them with great pleasure. The easiest way is to keep a boy or girl busy with finger games. They contribute to the development of fine motor skills and develop coordination of movements. The baby is very pleased with the exercise on fitball - a large rubber ball. You can roll the baby on the fitball in a prone position. This exercise develops muscles well and motivates the baby to take active actions: pulling up, crawling, rolling over.
Development of actions with objects
Playing with a 5 month old baby at home must certainly include actions with toys and other objects, because at this time the baby is actively exploring the objective world. A kid who will soon be six months old, as a rule, already knows how to:
- Reach for nearby objects from a prone position and pull them towards you;
- Reach for hanging rattles from a supine position, and slightly rise, trying to sit down;
- Pick up small rattles, rattle and bang them;
- Throw toys out of the crib.
At this age, plastic or rubber toys that are easy to clean are best suited for your baby. It is not worth giving your child plush animals, because the little researcher will certainly drag them into his mouth. When swimming, children's rubber ducks or "sea inhabitants" are well suited, from which water flows when pressed. The kid will be delighted to repeat this "trick" many times.
The best toy at this age will be a good old rattle. Before giving it to a child, parents should make sure that there are no cracks on the toy so that the baby does not get hurt while actively using the object. During the walk, if the child is awake, the rattles, which are attached to the stroller, will help to entertain him.
The kid loves to pull toys and other objects into his mouth
Movement development
To know how to develop a child at 5 months, parents must have an approximate idea of his physical capabilities. All children are individual. However, most babies at this age are able to:
- To rise, holding the hands of an adult, and briefly maintain a sitting position;
- Transfer rattles from one handle to another while lying on your stomach;
- Stand firmly on your feet if an adult is holding the baby under the armpits;
- Hold the bottle or breast in your hands while feeding, creating a comfortable position for yourself.
Parents often do not know at what month of life the child learns to sit and force him to sit down ahead of time. Pediatricians strongly advise against putting the baby in pillows if he is not already trying to sit down on his own. Also, do not often put the baby on his feet, he is not yet ready for this. On the other hand, any attempt to move on the stomach should be encouraged. Crawling is an excellent exercise, it has a beneficial effect on the overall physical condition of the baby, helps to strengthen muscles and bones.
To stimulate the baby to move in space, parents should place him in a playpen or on the floor (after laying a clean blanket). Next, the baby is laid out on his stomach. At some distance from it, 2-3 bright toys are placed. Seeing them, the child will begin to make active movements, trying to push off with his legs and arms. Gradually he will learn to crawl "on his bellies", will soon get down on all fours. The main thing is to create the right conditions for the baby for free and safe movement within the arena or fenced area in the room. According to Dr. Komarovsky, most children first learn to crawl, only then sit down from a position, standing on all fours.
Many babies make their first attempts at belly crawling.
After six months, a well-developed baby begins to acquire new skills every day: he learns to sit, walk and crawl, with the appearance of teeth, he gradually switches to adult food. In order for a five-month-old baby to safely survive this time of intensive development, parents must support the baby in everything, keep him occupied with interesting things and constantly observe him. If something in the behavior or well-being of the baby is alarming, you should consult a pediatrician.
