Four Months
By Dr. Brown
What a wonderful age! Your baby is really beginning to develop some personality, isn't it fun to see? Four month olds become very interested in their surroundings, which can make feeding a little more difficult as she interrupts the feeding to look around the room. Babies become very "oral" at this age, with lots of drooling, hands in the mouth, and blowing "raspberries". The "belly laughs" are terrific!
DEVELOPMENTAL PLAY
As mentioned above, its all oral! Let your daughter suck on her hands or a rattle. You may have to use lots of bibs for all the drool. Unfortunately, facial rashes become very common at this age because of the drool. You may have to use a face cream or Vaseline to protect her skin.
Encourage lots of cooing and laughing, and try to get your baby to "localize" sounds coming from the left and right side. Practice with visual tracking as well. Your daughter may be starting to use her hands to reach for things. Continue to offer a rattle or toy. Do this in the midline initially, then going to the right and left.
Allow your daughter to stand and sit in your lap, giving less support as time goes on. This will not weaken or create "bowlegs".
Your child may begin to roll over in the next few weeks. Don't forget the "tummy time" to practice this. And by all means, do not leave your baby unattended. Always have a hand on her when she's in a place where she may roll over and fall.
Go to the section "Child Development" on our website to get more info.
FEEDING
Soon you may be able to feed your baby solid foods, please have this discussion with the doctor before you begin. Most of your child's calories will be coming from breast milk or formula. Please make sure that if you're breastfeeding, your baby gets an occasional bottle. Breastfed babies may need a vitamin.
Beginning Solids
There has been quite a bit of "flux' in recommendations for solid food introduction. Cereal has been the usual starting food, although you can start with vegetables. We usually like to begin feeding with rice cereal because its mild, hypoallergenic, and not a strong new taste. It probably doesn't matter when you feed your child, pick whatever time is easiest for you or most receptive for your baby. It's going to be a terrible mess, get ready! Mix the cereal in a cup, bowl, or mug with breast milk or formula to a thin consistency as discussed on the cereal box. Use a soft safety spoon to feed your child. When starting, don't introduce the spoon when she's really hungry, otherwise she may be impatient and get frustrated with this new type of feeding. So maybe an hour or so after feeding, introduce the spoon. She may take one spoon or ten or twelve - she'll let you know! After awhile, (this may take a few days or even weeks), she'll become an expert. Once she's doing well with the spoon, then reverse the order, starting the feeding with the cereal and then "topping her off" with breast milk or formula. You can then move the cereal feeding to the morning so that your daughter is getting a consistent breakfast of cereal with her milk. After she is taking cereal well, she'll probably be ready for jar feedings for dinner. When starting "stage one" foods, I like to start vegetables, rather than sweet tasting fruits. Introduce foods one at a time with a 2-3 day interval between new foods, so that if your child has a reaction (vomiting, diarrhea, or severe rashes - not just some facial irritation) you'll see it . After you've made it through the vegetables, continue vegetables for dinner and sequentially add in fruits. Give your child as much as she wants - a half, full, or even two jars - she'll let you know when she's done. And then "top her off" with milk. In addition to these two solid feedings, the rest of her feedings will be breast milk or formula.
SLEEPING
Most babies at this age are sleeping from about 12-15 hours in a 24 hour period. Many are sleeping for a good 8-10 hour stretch at night. By now you should really be working hard at getting your baby to sleep through the night. This means putting her down while drowsy or awake and letting her "fuss" a little so that she learns to put herself to sleep. If you need help with this, you may want to check out one of the books listed in the recommended book section of this website.
SAFETY
As your child begins to reach and get things to her mouth, don't leave anything on the changing table or elsewhere that she may grasp and put into her mouth. Please don't leave your baby unattended on the changing table or anywhere else that she may fall. Some babies begin to roll over at this age. Always use your car seat, and watch where you put the seat as it can be tipped over if put on a table or counter. Always check water temperature before bathing your baby. You may want to consider lowering your hot water heater temperature to 120 degrees for safety.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Facial Rashes
As mentioned above, babies are very oral and get frequent facial rashes. If necessary, use a skin moisturizer or Vaseline to protect this very busy area. In time, this skin will "toughen up".
Teething
Some babies can start teething at this age, offer your child a soft teething ring. Tylenol may be used if the discomfort is particularly bad.
Spitting Up
Babies tend to spit up a lot at this age. This is normal as long as she is growing well.
Coughing
A lot of babies will develop a funny cough that may be used to get your attention! Sometimes babies cough at this age from all the drool. If you think that your baby is coughing because she?s sick or something is wrong, let us know.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Your child will become more interactive and love to be played with. Tummy time and holding upright will be helpful for your child's next developmental milestones. Teeth may show up soon, although it can take up to 16 months for the first tooth to erupt! As your baby takes more and more solids, he may have days that he'll take more or less breast milk or formula than usual. This is o.k., he's starting to make choices for himself as he grows!
VISION
If there are concerns about your baby's vision you can either discuss this with the doctor, or visit the website: www.infantsee.com. On this site you can find more info and a list of optometrists who can check your baby (in many cases this exam is performed for free!) Please see the website for further info.
What a wonderful age! Your baby is really beginning to develop some personality, isn't it fun to see? Four month olds become very interested in their surroundings, which can make feeding a little more difficult as she interrupts the feeding to look around the room. Babies become very "oral" at this age, with lots of drooling, hands in the mouth, and blowing "raspberries". The "belly laughs" are terrific!
DEVELOPMENTAL PLAY
As mentioned above, its all oral! Let your daughter suck on her hands or a rattle. You may have to use lots of bibs for all the drool. Unfortunately, facial rashes become very common at this age because of the drool. You may have to use a face cream or Vaseline to protect her skin.
Encourage lots of cooing and laughing, and try to get your baby to "localize" sounds coming from the left and right side. Practice with visual tracking as well. Your daughter may be starting to use her hands to reach for things. Continue to offer a rattle or toy. Do this in the midline initially, then going to the right and left.
Allow your daughter to stand and sit in your lap, giving less support as time goes on. This will not weaken or create "bowlegs".
Your child may begin to roll over in the next few weeks. Don't forget the "tummy time" to practice this. And by all means, do not leave your baby unattended. Always have a hand on her when she's in a place where she may roll over and fall.
Go to the section "Child Development" on our website to get more info.
FEEDING
Soon you may be able to feed your baby solid foods, please have this discussion with the doctor before you begin. Most of your child's calories will be coming from breast milk or formula. Please make sure that if you're breastfeeding, your baby gets an occasional bottle. Breastfed babies may need a vitamin.
Beginning Solids
There has been quite a bit of "flux' in recommendations for solid food introduction. Cereal has been the usual starting food, although you can start with vegetables. We usually like to begin feeding with rice cereal because its mild, hypoallergenic, and not a strong new taste. It probably doesn't matter when you feed your child, pick whatever time is easiest for you or most receptive for your baby. It's going to be a terrible mess, get ready! Mix the cereal in a cup, bowl, or mug with breast milk or formula to a thin consistency as discussed on the cereal box. Use a soft safety spoon to feed your child. When starting, don't introduce the spoon when she's really hungry, otherwise she may be impatient and get frustrated with this new type of feeding. So maybe an hour or so after feeding, introduce the spoon. She may take one spoon or ten or twelve - she'll let you know! After awhile, (this may take a few days or even weeks), she'll become an expert. Once she's doing well with the spoon, then reverse the order, starting the feeding with the cereal and then "topping her off" with breast milk or formula. You can then move the cereal feeding to the morning so that your daughter is getting a consistent breakfast of cereal with her milk. After she is taking cereal well, she'll probably be ready for jar feedings for dinner. When starting "stage one" foods, I like to start vegetables, rather than sweet tasting fruits. Introduce foods one at a time with a 2-3 day interval between new foods, so that if your child has a reaction (vomiting, diarrhea, or severe rashes - not just some facial irritation) you'll see it . After you've made it through the vegetables, continue vegetables for dinner and sequentially add in fruits. Give your child as much as she wants - a half, full, or even two jars - she'll let you know when she's done. And then "top her off" with milk. In addition to these two solid feedings, the rest of her feedings will be breast milk or formula.
SLEEPING
Most babies at this age are sleeping from about 12-15 hours in a 24 hour period. Many are sleeping for a good 8-10 hour stretch at night. By now you should really be working hard at getting your baby to sleep through the night. This means putting her down while drowsy or awake and letting her "fuss" a little so that she learns to put herself to sleep. If you need help with this, you may want to check out one of the books listed in the recommended book section of this website.
SAFETY
As your child begins to reach and get things to her mouth, don't leave anything on the changing table or elsewhere that she may grasp and put into her mouth. Please don't leave your baby unattended on the changing table or anywhere else that she may fall. Some babies begin to roll over at this age. Always use your car seat, and watch where you put the seat as it can be tipped over if put on a table or counter. Always check water temperature before bathing your baby. You may want to consider lowering your hot water heater temperature to 120 degrees for safety.
COMMON PROBLEMS
Facial Rashes
As mentioned above, babies are very oral and get frequent facial rashes. If necessary, use a skin moisturizer or Vaseline to protect this very busy area. In time, this skin will "toughen up".
Teething
Some babies can start teething at this age, offer your child a soft teething ring. Tylenol may be used if the discomfort is particularly bad.
Spitting Up
Babies tend to spit up a lot at this age. This is normal as long as she is growing well.
Coughing
A lot of babies will develop a funny cough that may be used to get your attention! Sometimes babies cough at this age from all the drool. If you think that your baby is coughing because she?s sick or something is wrong, let us know.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Your child will become more interactive and love to be played with. Tummy time and holding upright will be helpful for your child's next developmental milestones. Teeth may show up soon, although it can take up to 16 months for the first tooth to erupt! As your baby takes more and more solids, he may have days that he'll take more or less breast milk or formula than usual. This is o.k., he's starting to make choices for himself as he grows!
VISION
If there are concerns about your baby's vision you can either discuss this with the doctor, or visit the website: www.infantsee.com. On this site you can find more info and a list of optometrists who can check your baby (in many cases this exam is performed for free!) Please see the website for further info.