Your little one is ready for fun, games and conversation — really, whatsoever kind of social interaction — with you lot or anyone who happens by.

So be prepared for lots of laughter (his and yours!) equally he tries out his new personality. And go gear up for more astonishing milestones on tap in the coming weeks and months.

Here's what you take to look forward to with your four-month-old baby.

Your iv-calendar month-old baby's development

At a Glance

Sleeping basics

By almost 4 months erstwhile, most babies sleep 10 to 12 hours at night, waking up for a feeding or two, and nap for three to v hours a twenty-four hours, spaced between two or iii naps.

Feeding basics

Breastfed babies should go 24 to 36 ounces of breast milk a twenty-four hour period spread out over about 5 or vi feeds. Formula-fed babies should have 24 to 36 ounces of formula in almost v feeds of 6 to eight ounces per session. Some babies start solids at this age, though doctors recommend waiting until babe turns 6 months old. Merely if you are offer solid foods now, your baby doesn't need more than 1 tablespoon of food twice a mean solar day.

Did you know?

By four months old, your little one tin can notice differences in shades of colour (especially ruddy and green) and may even begin favoring specific ones. He can also track faster movements with his eyes, perceive depth and even grab at moving objects.

By this age, your infant tin can raise upwardly on his artillery when placed on his tummy and keep his head level when propped in a sitting position.

He can also roll over — though if he's had petty in the way of tummy time, he may achieve this milestone later — and reach for an object.

Half of all babies this age will exist able to behave weight on their legs when held upright (endeavour it with your petty 1!) and many babies will play with their toes and even mouth them. Think of them as built-in toys!

In the milestone department, infant may piece of work actually hard to grab something that's out of reach and react unhappily if you lot take a favorite toy away.

His blathering may likewise include more than vowel and consonant combos, and you'll shortly be hearing baby babble like "ga-ga-ga" or "ba-ba-ba."

That means hearing the sweet call of "Mama" and "Dada" is not so far backside!

Your iv-month-one-time baby's growth

A four-month-old infant will still be on a liquid-only (or by and large) diet. Some parents cull to begin solids at the 4-calendar month marker, but bank check with your doctor first. Experts recommend that almost babies wait until they're 5 or six months old to start eating regular food.

If you do decide to spoon up solids starting now, keep in mind that your baby doesn't need more a tablespoon of food (baby cereal, fruit, vegetables) one time or twice a mean solar day. Plus, those solids will merely be for practice, non for nutrition.

Your baby'south growth will be fueled by the withal-important-as-ever breast milk or formula. If you're nursing, count on an average of v to six feeds a twenty-four hour period to keep up with baby's growing needs. That'll come to nigh 24 to 36 ounces of chest milk a day.

If you lot're formula feeding, y'all'll be serving up the bottle an boilerplate of 5 times a day, with around 6 to eight ounces of formula per canteen for a total of 24 to 36 ounces of formula a twenty-four hours. All that food will assist to keep baby at a salubrious weight and meridian.

For girls, that should be somewhere betwixt x and 19 pounds and betwixt 22 and 26.5 inches. Boys will probable be weighing in somewhere between 11 and xx pounds and measuring between 23 and 27 inches.

Remember that if your babe doesn't autumn into this average range, and if your baby's doctor isn't concerned, you shouldn't be either. Every baby's growth blueprint is different, only every bit every infant is one-of-a-kind.

Your 4-month-old baby's health

Get set for baby's 4-month well-babe visit — forth with a take a chance to learn his latest weight, length and head circumference.

The 4-month well-baby visit

This calendar month, you'll take babe to the four-month checkup to detect out virtually growth, development and milestones (and also become another round of vaccines). At the doctor's role you lot might also have a chat nearly baby's sleeping habits, especially how many naps your little one needs at this age. Read More

Rotavirus vaccine

At that place are two different rotavirus vaccines (Rotarix or RotaTeq), both of which are given by putting vaccine drops in an infant's oral fissure. Your baby likely got his start dose at 2 months, so depending on which vaccine he gets, the 4-month dose may be his final i. Read More

Stomach bugs in babies

Rotavirus disease is a contagious viral infection and a leading cause of tum bugs in infants. The skillful news: The rotavirus vaccine tin can aid protect babies against the it (if a vaccinated babe does go sick, he'due south less likely to be severely ill). Read More

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

At 2, 4 and 6 months, and and then once again between 12 and fifteen months, infant will get a dose of the pneumococcal cohabit vaccine (PCV13). Pneumococcal infections are caused past Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, and are a mutual crusade of ear infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Read More than

IPV vaccine

Your little 1 will also get the 2d dose of the polio vaccine, which helps protect confronting the poliovirus. While the U.S. has been polio-free for more 40 years, the disease still occurs in other parts of the world — so getting vaccinated is very important. Read More

Postpartum & new babe tips

Your 4-month-onetime's tricks

Your baby's working on lots of new concrete skills — from grabbing toys to doing his imitation of a turtle on its back.

He may find (and be totally mesmerized by) his feet — such fun toys, ever available and tasty too!

If you put him on his tummy, he'll work on pushing up his head and breast, as well every bit flipping over onto his dorsum, where he'll begin to lift his head and shoulders if yous gently pull him up.

All this helps him build the muscles he'll need to sit upward on his own.

Equally long as he has good cervix control, try propping him in a seated position. If he slumps down or slips sideways, it'southward too soon.

Otherwise, you tin assume he'southward comfortable and ready (and he'll probably enjoy the alter of scene.) If he does start fussing — or slip-sliding away — pick him up and effort again another time.

Make a doctor's engagement

Sure, yous saw your doc at your postpartum checkup, but it'south a proficient idea to stay in close-ish impact throughout the kickoff year.

Why? Your body and mind have a lot to get used to, and you'll have tons of questions, like: What type of birth control is right for me now? or, I've been feeling actually cranky and sad — could I have postpartum depression?

How to encourage babe talk

Follow these tips to get your babe talking:

  1. Ask lots of questions, and then follow up with answers. Yup, yous're talking to yourself, but y'all're also modeling the give-and-accept of conversation.
  2. While keeping upwardly a steady stream of spoken language helps your baby beefiness up on vocabulary, he also needs time to try his own manus (or mouth, rather) at talking. When he starts yakking, pause, look at his face and really heed as he tries to master an "mmm" or an "ahhh." He'll exist delighted that you're paying such shut attention.
  3. Stumped for a topic of conversation? Just tell your baby what you (and he) are doing. "I'm zipping up Mommy's jacket — zzzip! — to keep Mommy squeamish and warm."
  4. What's that racket? Point it out to your baby — "Listen, a doggy is barking!" This is great practice for the toddler and preschool years, when you lot'll want him to have good "listening ears" — that is, ears that both hear, and heed, your rules.
  5. Books are a super source of new words for a baby. Effort nursery rhymes, sturdy board books, even whatever'due south on your own nightstand.
  6. Repeat your baby'due south sounds exactly as you lot hear them. That volition encourage him to coo, babble and talk fifty-fifty more than.

Prophylactic cleaning

Family members and even baby himself should wash his hands (or, in the case of your baby, have them washed) frequently: before eating or preparing food, after using the bathroom or changing a diaper, after coming in from outside, after playing with or caring for pets and so on.

Make sure soap, h2o and make clean towels are ever bachelor (avoid antibacterial soap, but you lot can use paw-sanitizing gels on your hands if you lot don't have access to water).

Abound plants for baby

Bring nature indoors and your infant'southward lungs will thank yous.

Air-cleaning plants don't just make your rooms look pretty, they detox your home past removing pollutants like ammonia (found in cleaning products) and formaldehyde (found in piece of furniture).

An assortment of 15 to twenty plants should do the pull a fast one on in a 2,000-square-foot house. Rather than handful single plants around, create grouping displays in each room for maximum air-cleaning effect.

The all-time antitoxin (and nontoxic) choices according to NASA: spider plants, philodendrons and rubber plants.

To keep your baby safe from leaves that he can nibble on or pots he tin can topple, put plants out of reach or cake them with a child'due south safety gate.

Giving baby your phone

Your smartphone carries germs. Fifty-fifty if you launder your hands religiously, you still transfer bacteria and clay to your phone when you lot use it.

In i British survey, researchers plant leaner on 92 percentage of mobile phones they tested.

Worse nevertheless, 1 in 6 phones were contaminated with E. coli leaner (in other words, fecal matter), which can cause serious tummy bug that can be even more severe in babies.

Viruses like the flu tin live on some surfaces for a 24-hour interval or more.

And since babies explore with their mouths, why have the run a risk? Best not to give your infant your phone unless you've thoroughly sanitized it, and even then, information technology's better however to skip using information technology every bit a toy or distraction entirely.

Fun with mirrors

Your infant's preferred view: a human face. He'south not picky about whose face it is, though, so catch a mirror, and offer your baby a hazard to gaze at his own!

Here's how you can get in on the reflection fun, and assist bolster your baby's development:

  1. Prop a mirror against the wall and sit opposite it on the floor (non besides far away, since a baby'south eyesight is still a work in progress). Now plop your baby in your lap, leaning him back confronting your tummy. This also makes for a dandy sibling activity: Large brothers or sisters can hold a hand mirror in front of the baby while you provide the lap.
  2. Introduce your baby to his beautiful confront by pointing at his reflection. Touch his olfactory organ, stroke his hair, gently pinch his ears and name each characteristic as y'all go. Sure, your infant doesn't know what the words mean now, only he'll be delighted just the same!
  3. Fasten an unbreakable mirror to the side of your baby's crib, or prop one upwards in forepart of him during breadbasket fourth dimension sessions for even more cogitating fun. He may be more willing to stay belly-down (or coo contentedly in his crib — on his back, of course) if he has his own fascinating face for company.

From the What to Expect editorial squad and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Expect When Y'all're Expecting. What to Wait follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only apparent sources, such every bit peer-reviewed studies, bookish research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content authentic and upwardly-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Expect the First Year, 3rd edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, The four-Month Well-Infant Visit, February 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13), Feb 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) for Polio, March 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Rotavirus Vaccine, February 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Tummy Flu (Rotavirus Affliction) in Babies and Toddlers, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, How Much Should My Infant Eat?, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Here's How Much Slumber Babies Need, June 2020.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years and Younger, 2018.
  • National Sleep Foundation, How Much Sleep Does Your Baby Really Need?, 2020.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Starting Solid Foods, October 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Important Milestones: Your Baby By Four Months, June 2020.

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