There is a small time interval between a newborn baby and a baby at 4 months. But for him the crumb changes very much, serious metamorphoses take place with him. What a child should be able to do at this age, the norms of his development - all this is described in the article.
Baby at 4 months
How does a 4 month old baby develop?
Four months ago, this little man could not, in fact, do anything. To roll over, consciously grab something in his hand, just raise his head - everything for him was something unattainable. Even his parents he saw very badly. Today the situation has changed. Of course, it is still far from complete independence, but the baby moves towards it every day.
Height and weight of a 4 month old baby
Throughout the third trimester of intrauterine development, the baby is actively growing. Moreover, it is not so much about the development of internal organs (this process takes place earlier), although it goes on at this time. From the 28th week of pregnancy, the child actively begins to gain weight and height.
This trend continues after birth. By four months, the baby is stretched by an average of 10 centimeters from the indicator at birth.
Baby weight at 4 months. increases too. On average, a full-term newborn weighs 2.5-3.5 kilograms, by four months the baby usually gains another 2, or even 3 kg. That is, it either doubles the weight, or comes close to that.
A baby at 4 months old is different from a newborn
Important! The above are the average norms for age. There are individual development schedules. Only a doctor should determine whether the crumb is growing normally, whether it is lagging behind. If the baby's indicators are less, it is possible that he will be prescribed supplementary feeding with mixtures. If much more, they will be sent for examination to an endocrinologist to find out the cause of the serious weight gain.
Eating and sleeping a four-month-old baby
At 4 months old. toddlers and toddlers have an enviable appetite. As a rule, they eat formula or breast milk. The average interval between feedings is 2-3 hours. The gaps usually increase at night. From 4 months, according to WHO, you can gradually introduce the baby to a different diet, cereals, for example. Less often, the first are vegetable purees from squash, broccoli, cauliflower. This acquaintance is called the first complementary food. Pediatricians (including Komarovsky) are advised to wait with the "adult" food up to six months of the child.
Four-month-olds still sleep a lot - on average 15 hours a day, and 10 of them go to bed. The rest falls on the share of daytime dreams. The rest regime should be given close attention - in children, growth hormone is produced precisely during sleep.
Motor skills at 4 months
It was easier with a newborn baby - he either lay in the arms of an adult, or in a crib, on a developing mat, in a chaise lounge, in a stroller. 4 month old baby already wants to see more, reach out, get acquainted, learn. This stimulates the development of his physical skills:
- The baby begins to understand that you can grab an object with your hand and bring it to your eyes, studying and examining from all sides. Even if he is still bad at such actions, he tries to grab a toy, his mother's finger, any object that interests him. Moreover, this childish action is no longer a reflex action, as in a newborn, but a conscious one.
- A baby at 4 months not only likes to grab everything with his hands, but also to drag it into his mouth. It is better not to hinder this, simply by removing the crumbs in the access zone that cannot be licked. Toys must be safe: no small parts (which are detachable or those that can be broken off), toxic substances. This is how the child learns this world - using all available methods of study.
Baby with a rodent
- Some babies roll onto their side and stomach at this age. Some - and back to the back too. However, if this has not happened yet, it is too early for mom to worry - the crumbs have up to 6 months to master these skills.
- The nimble little ones are already learning to move in space on their own. Full-fledged crawling is still far away, but some babies at 4 months of age can master moving with pushing off their legs or stretching on their hands. By the way, children often begin to crawl back and not forward at first. This is not a parental concern. This type of movement is easier, because the little one can master it first. He will definitely learn to crawl forward, but later.
- Individual, amazingly active crumbs are already sitting. In this regard, parents accept congratulations from doctors with a particularly lively fidget.
Vision development at 4 months
Vision, too, should not lag behind in development, at 4 months, a baby can see much more than a newborn. A child of a couple of days old can distinguish a large object at a distance of about 35 cm from his eyes, does not know how to “catch” it with his gaze when moving, does not concentrate on details. A four-month-old baby may:
- Distinguish between colors, at least basic. Red, green, blue and yellow do not merge into one tone for him. Children with especially developed eyesight can even distinguish shades of the same color, ophthalmologists say.
- See small details. Child by the end of 4 months can perceive not only any large object or object in front of him as a whole, but also highlight details on it. For example, toddlers of this age like to feel and look at their mother's face.
The baby examines mom's face
- Focus your gaze. A 4-month-old baby is able to consider not only objects lying next to him, but also those that are far from him.
Important! In the month of life, the child is prescribed a routine examination by a number of specialists, including an ophthalmologist. It is highly discouraged to skip it. If the baby has problems (congenital defect, consequences of birth injuries, disorders of the development of the visual system, etc.), then the specialist will detect them in time and take action.
Development of speech in a 4-month-old baby
At 4 months, it is still too early for a boy and a baby girl to talk. But the future foundation for further speaking is laid in this infancy - from a month to a year. The child learns to control his voice, intonation. Namely:
- At this age, the first syllables, while unconscious, may appear, simply as a repetition. These combinations of sounds cannot be counted as the first words. But it is imperative to encourage their appearance, to play along with the child.
- The kid likes to change the volume of his voice. He learns to speak in different ways: now in a whisper, then starting to scream loudly. You should not take this for dissatisfaction expressed by the child, immediately calm him down, give him a dummy. Let him talk in his own way - this will give him a good base for further mastering of speech.
The child learns to speak
- Along with mastering loudness, there are intonation expressions. The child notes that the speech of his parents is always different, and learns to recreate the emotional color himself.
Attention! Any attempt by the baby to "talk" must find a response from the adult. Mom and Dad should play along with a 4 month old baby, stimulating the development of his speech apparatus. So they raise a baby in a peculiar way. The baby will gradually understand that speaking is not just the movement of the tongue and lips, but a communication channel.
Mental development at 4 months
The baby develops comprehensively from his very birth. The most noticeable gap between the original and the current state is observed in terms of mental development:
- The baby usually already knows his name, rejoices in him and turns to the call. If at this moment he is busy with something, there is no need to wait for a response - the concentration of attention of such a toddler is still weak, it will not be enough for everything. During a period of calm, upon hearing a familiar name, the child will try to turn to the caller.
- The name is not the only delight for children. The baby will react to any new, loud or sharp sound. If it sounds frightening for a little person, then he will burst into crying, if it arouses interest, he will smile happily.
- The most important difference between an infant from a month to a year is the desire to experience the world around him. A normally developing baby at 4 months will look around, stop looking at what interested him. This is an important parameter, it will be checked by a pediatrician at a routine examination.
Curious toddler
Parents should be aware that the baby's psyche is still unstable, therefore it is more difficult for her to cope with a large flow of information. Mom and Dad want to show the huge world to the baby (especially during the period when everything is interesting to him), but what is normal for an adult, the baby is emotional overload. Human nervous activity is regulated by two processes: excitement and inhibition. In children, especially in the first year of life, the first of these processes predominates significantly. Therefore, it is difficult for the brain to cope with the processing of an overabundance of information. Hence the whims (seemingly out of the blue), tearfulness, the inability to fall asleep (for all the fatigue) in the child. These are signs not of bad behavior, but of discomfort. The kid still does not know how to be capricious just like that, any of his shouts is a message about problems.
How to understand a 4 month old baby
A newly born child has only one method of communication - crying. He does not distinguish between discomfort from hunger and discomfort from fear, for example, because he cries about the same. Over time, when the mother gets to know her baby better, when he gets to know himself better, the situation changes. The same cry takes on a different tone, and parents can highlight "hungry" tears, "scary", "tired", etc.
What a child likes at this age:
- A baby 4 months old is curious, but still limited in movement, so he will sit in his arms with great pleasure. He will settle higher and will observe the surroundings from a new height. This pastime will take him for a long time.
- A four-month-old baby will happily follow herself in the mirror. The child now loves to watch. He does not yet understand that he is watching his own reflection, but he does not become less interested in this.
Kids love mirrors
- The crumbs in the fourth or fifth month have a certain sense of humor. He begins to understand that he can be made laugh. So, if dad makes a funny face, the kid will laugh.
- 4 months old baby loves rattles. The fact that you can pick up an object, turn it over, shake it, and thus induce a sound is especially intriguing for a curious infant. This game develops cause and effect thinking.
What to do with a 4 month old baby
With a little man in his four months, conversations, lullabies and massages are already not enough, as with a newborn. You have to play with him. Any action develops such a baby. Still, you should be wise when choosing an occupation.
Fitball
Fitball is a large and resilient rubber durable ball, this is a real find for a young mother. On it you can both rock the baby on the handles and play with it, for example, roll the baby on the tummy: first - in a circle, imitating the sound of a flying plane, then - only forward and backward, depicting, for example, the sounds of a train. The child can "spring" on a gymnastic ball - this will strengthen the muscles of the tummy and back.
It looks like fitball
Such exercises are very useful, as they have a complex effect: both the development of the vestibular apparatus, and the intensive strengthening of the muscles of the back and tummy, and new impressions for the child.
Swimming pool
Numerous sports facilities with swimming pools offer Mom + Baby classes. From four months of age, attending such training will be a good decision. Before visiting, you should prepare: take a certificate for the toddler and parent, and also acquire special diapers for swimming.
Mom with baby in the pool
Parents should not worry that they do not know how to behave in the water with their baby. In the classroom, there is a trainer who will tell you what and how to do it right.
Pool sessions are very beneficial, especially when done in the evening. Exercises in the water comprehensively develop the child's muscle groups, teach him not to be afraid of water (which in the future will be a good help for learning independent swimming). Swimming is also a source of new impressions and sensations for the child, exhausting him both physically and mentally. After the pool, babies usually sleep soundly and for a long time.
If it is not possible to use the pool, a bath must be included in the daily childcare program. Even if it is not as large as a pool, it still usefully loads the child's muscles and psyche.
Classes with mom
Mostly a 4 month old baby develops by looking at the mother. The parent should be aware of the importance of this fact. It is unacceptable to show complete indifference to the development of the baby, as well as to devote to the child 24 hours, 7 days a week. Everything needs to be approached wisely. What activities can a mother conduct herself:
- Talk: read books, talk about the world around, sing, recite poetry. All this will take the child, and will form a good basis for the development of the speech apparatus.
- Do self massage. This procedure was both relevant from birth, and in the fourth or fifth months of the child has not lost its relevance. Such an activity develops the muscles of the child, helps him get to know his body, and sit down.
- Play with cards. Many authors of developmental techniques publish their own sets of these teaching aids. The simplest option is when an object is shown large on one side, and a brief summary of it on the other. Mom shows the card to the child, clearly says what is drawn there, then it is good to give the child an object from the picture in a living, natural size in the hands of the child.
Popular guide - Doman cards
Age 4 months is the time of children's discoveries and achievements. Parents should carefully monitor the condition of the baby. If they suspect something is wrong, they should see a pediatrician without delay.
