Four month old baby development
It’s almost time for the baby to be four months old since he was born, and in this time he learned to be more receptive to environmental stimuli. Now, a new stage of changes in his habits begins, a growth that seems slower, but his psychomotor development does not stop advancing.
The first three months of your baby’s life have passed and a lot has changed since the day of his birth. He has grown and gained weight, he is no longer that small and fragile newborn that came out of the hospital.
You may notice that he is now more restless, he moves more and his sleeping habits, as well as his eating habits, are changing. That’s why it’s important to understand your baby’s evolution from month to month and learn about the changes ahead so you know what to expect. Here we explain in a general way what you need to know about 4-month-old babies.
weight and growth
If in the first 3 months of life your baby has increased up to 200 grams per week, you will begin to notice that he is no longer gaining as much weight and that is that from the second trimester the growth of the little one slows down.
Therefore, on average, the weight of a 4-month-old baby does not exceed 6 kg, since at this stage the baby can weigh 7 kg at the end of the second trimester of life. Clearly, this is a subjective aspect because it varies from one baby to another, depending on certain factors such as birth weight, whether it was a premature birth or not, and the type of feeding that is maintained: exclusive breastfeeding, mixed breastfeeding or with milk formulas..
What we want to clarify is that if the baby’s weight gain was very noticeable in the first months, after the fourth month of life a large-scale increase in kilograms will not be seen.
The same happens with the growth of the baby at this stage, since it can grow between 5 or 7 cm more during this new trimester, unlike the more than 10 cm that usually grow in the first three months of life.
With regard to feeding, remember that until 6 months of age it is not advisable to introduce solid foods, so at this beginning of the second trimester exclusive breastfeeding and on demand should be maintained .
sleep habits
Regarding the sleep of 4-month-old babies, many specialists mention an alteration that is very common at this stage, even though there are cases of children who manage to sleep from 8 to 10 continuous hours at night, while during the day they can sleep up to 2 naps.
In the case of sleep disturbance, four-month-old babies are more sensitive to any discomfort, such as a wet diaper, as well as increasing infant colic or gas that prevents them from falling asleep.
These situations must be ruled out before offering the baby food again, as many parents believe that the baby cries and does not sleep because he is still hungry.
On the other hand, we cannot forget to mention that the baby may start to wake up more often due to the change in his sleep patterns, due to the development of his neural activities. Another aspect that can influence this alteration is the fact that, from this age, many mothers must go back to work, so it is normal for the baby’s anxiety to increase at bedtime.
Although it may seem difficult to understand, from a very young age babies can perceive these changes and reflect them in their daily habits.
Psychomotor development of the 4-month-old baby
As we mentioned at the beginning, from the second trimester babies become more active, they begin to want to roll over and we must always be attentive to any reflex. We can no longer rely on leaving them asleep in bed and using the nursing pillows as a barrier, as some babies may wake up, start to move and kick the cushions, leaving them unprotected and exposed to incidents.
In this sense, it is normal to see a four-month-old baby raising the trunk, holding on with the strength of the forearms. And, if he is lying on his back, he can kick very hard by moving his lower limbs and arms rapidly. He is also able to hold his head up if he is helped to a sitting position.
During this stage, the exercises for the 4-month-old baby should be aimed at stimulating his physical development, expanding his movements and showing him what he is capable of doing, since the baby is still discovering the function of his limbs.
At the end of the bath, you can place him on his bare back on the changing table or a flat surface and, letting him hold your fingers tightly with his hands, try to sit him down for a few seconds. Then slowly lower him into his position to work his abs and build strength. Repeat this exercise 3 times and make it an after-bath routine.
It is very important to stimulate the development of the 4-month-old baby in all sensory aspects: give him soft and brightly colored toys, sing songs, talk to him about the names of the parts of the body, tell him stories before bed and much more.
Discovering textures with the mouth
Among the things that a 4-month-old baby does is take everything in his hand to his mouth. This is a natural instinct of perception that allows you to relate to the environment. Therefore, it is important to offer soft toys with different textures to promote sensory stimulation .
Also, the baby begins to develop the ability to pass objects from one hand to another, as well as to perceive that their actions have reactions, such as shaking a rattle.
In general, these are the main aspects that can be observed in a 4-month-old baby, remembering that each little one is unique and their growth occurs at their individual rhythm, it only remains to accompany them in this evolutionary process and be participants in the discoveries of the world that the baby performs day by day.
