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Four months means your baby is ready to show more emotions and a lot of growth. So be prepared to fall in love with your baby all over again through their smiles and laughter. Now that you know all about 3 months baby milestones, it is time to check out what's ahead. Since this is new for both you and your baby, it is quite natural to be concerned and curious to know how your baby is progressing and seek answers for what do 4 month old babies do.
We try to make this month a cakewalk for you by equipping you with scientifically and statistically backed data from the 300,000+ user base of babies aged 0-3 years on the BabyG App. We also provide you with a milestone tracker that can help you understand your baby's growth against 1000s of other babies who are at the same stage. By now you'll have a million questions looming over you, but worry not because the BabyG team will always be available via our 24x7 chat support on the app. Our experts help parents with all their queries, no matter how big or small.
Note: In the case of premature babies, the baby’s ability to achieve the milestones is calculated from the due date, not from the birth date.
Your baby at 4 months will get a head start in their physical development with lots and lots of movement in the form of rolling over, grabbing, and reaching. Buckle up, because your baby is going to keep you on your toes. Here are the main physical milestones for 4 months
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 82% Babies
Importance:This milestone signifies that your baby has better neck control and the shoulder muscles are developing on track. These are the stepping stones for gross motor development in your baby.
Here’s a video to help you understand this milestone better.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 79% Babies
Importance: Your baby’s neurological system is still developing, and being able to complete this milestone shows that your baby is on the right path. The neck flexor muscle responsible for head on neck contact will gradually strengthen from now on.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 66% Babies
Importance: Babies develop stronger arm and back muscles with this milestone, which allows them to have better motor development later in life.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 79% Babies
Importance: Only if your baby has reduced palmar grasp at this stage will they be able to open and close their hands more freely to do other things. Otherwise, they’ll always hold their hands in a clenched fist, which will delay fine motor development.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 81% Babies
Importance: This is the foundation for all other movements your baby will be able to do over the next few months. If you see limp muscles or failing limbs, it could be a sign of hypotonia which is a serious concern that needs to be dealt with immediately.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 77% Babies
Importance: It's an important milestone for them to achieve improved body balance, which will help them move ahead and walk and run later on.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 60% Babies
Importance: This is a gross motor skill that is important to improve two kinds of senses- Vestibular which is when your baby understands balance, and Proprioceptive which is when your baby has body awareness to understand shifting their body weight.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 44% Babies
Importance: This milestone is essential for your baby to figure out their legs and think of ways to use them. Trying to chew on them is the first step and is a part of self exploration.
Frequency: A couple of times a day for few weeks
Frequency: Once a day for few weeks
Frequency: Once a day for a week
Since your 4 month baby’s eyesight is better than ever, they’ll start associating whatever they see with whatever they feel in terms of taste, sensation, and hearing. Here are some of the cognitive milestones in 4 months
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 94% babies
Importance: Your baby’s vision is blurry beyond 8 to 12 inches at birth, and this is the first time they can make out what’s going on beyond those 8 to 12 inches. They are curious, and staring at faraway objects will strengthen their vision and ability to focus on objects.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 80% Babies
Importance: Repeated motions indicate that your baby is on the right track to developing their brain, as memory is a very important function.
Now that their primitive reflexes are subduing slowly, you’ll notice them replacing these with voluntary movements like opening their palms in anticipation of grabbing a toy.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 74% Babies
Importance: This means they are developing their brain and have started having interests like favorite toys, etc. This also shows a physical milestone because a reduced palmar grasp will help your baby hold onto objects willingly.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 83% Babies
Importance: The sooner they adjust to the daytime and nighttime sleep schedules, the better. Otherwise, they’d have sleep regression, which is an irregular pattern of sleep, and this will be difficult for both you and the baby.
Frequency: Every week 3 to 4 times a month
Frequency: Once a day for a few weeks
Your 4 month old baby will try to make all sorts of sounds, like the good old “aa eee oooh”. They may even say “dada” or “mama," but trust us when we say they don't mean it. They don't associate it with you and are only making random sounds with their mouth.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 91% Babies
Importance: Your baby is learning to communicate by observing and imitating the way we speak.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 71% Babies
Importance: They are learning to communicate what they like and don't like by giving you cues. These cues will help you understand your baby better.
Frequency: 3 - 4 times during the week
This is the start of the journey where you can have a lot of fun with your baby because they have started to learn social skills that will help them mingle with you and other familiar people. These are some of the milestones that mark four month old behavior changes.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 91% Babies
Importance: They will grasp that different emotions have different expressions. This also improves their visual learning skills and their ability to take cues from you to understand different kinds of emotions.
Completion Rate on BabyG App: 94% Babies
Importance: Lack of such expressions may indicate a developmental delay.
Frequency: Multiple times every day for the next 2-3 weeks
Every baby has a different growth curve, so you only have to worry if you see that they differ by a huge amount from the vitals stated below.
Average Weight for 4 Month Boy: 7 kg / 15.4 pounds / 246 ounce
Average Weight for 4 Month Girl: 6.4 kg / 14.1 pounds / 225 ounce
Average Height for 4 Month Boy: 63.9 cm
Average Height for 4 Month Girl: 62.1cm
Average Head Circumference for 4 Month Boy: 37.1cm
Average Head Circumference for 4 Month Girl: 36.4cm
All 4 month olds aren't the same, so you would definitely need to tweak these according to your baby’s needs. A healthy weight gain over time and the number of diaper changes, which should be around 10, should tell you a fair share of their development. Here’s a definitive schedule to know whether your baby is on track
Breastfed Babies: 6 -10 feedings per day, each feed of 10-20 minutes
Formula-fed Babies: 5 - 6 ounces (120-150 mL), 5-6 feedings per day
Now that your baby is four months old, they'll likely sleep through the night for a span of 4 or 5 hours at the very least. Apart from this, they’ll sleep for 9 to 10 hours during the day, which means they’ll be asleep for almost 15 hours a day. You can check if your baby is hitting the required time for sleeping using a newborn baby sleep tracker.
Your baby may not complete some of these milestones, which could point towards developmental delays. If you see any of these signs, consult your pediatrician immediately
4 months is the time when you can have maximum fun with your little one. They are very excited about their environment, and they’ll make sure you know they are excited.
One thing that you should maintain from here on is conversations with your baby. Keep talking, and eventually they’ll start making sense of it. Talk with expressions and different voices, which is very important for your baby’s development. Also, try setting a routine, which will help them start aligning with your routine.
Apart from this, they are also strengthening their muscles and cognition, all of which needs to be noted and tracked. We’ve made the 4 month old baby milestones checklist so you don't have to worry about any developmental delay and can easily spot red flags, if any. And even if there is a problem, there isn't anything that a little activity can't solve, which is also given milestone wise on the BabyG app.
Apart from this, understanding poop, pee, and sleep patterns can tell a lot about your baby, and logging them would surely be helpful. We equip every parent with resources in the most simplified way possible to save both your time and energy, which could be better spent on your baby.
Oh boy, 5 months is a crazy ride altogether! To know what lies ahead for your baby check out milestones for 5 months baby and gear up for the next big step.
20-30 minutes a day is good enough for them to exercise their muscles and build a stronger body.
Yes, babies can sense when their mother is stressed, anxious, or feeling any sort of negative emotion. Babies absorb energy from every little activity they are exposed to. This is why it is important to create a safe and healthy environment around them which includes happy mothers as well.
Tummy time is usually uncomfortable, so it is okay if your baby cries. Try to comfort them using toys or songs rather than picking them up.
It is still gibberish, and it doesn’t mean anything. You can hear them say vowel sounds like aaah ee ooo but apart from that, they are not really a part of any language.
It is still limited to babbling and cooing, so technically, it is not talking. Apart from this, they’ll whimper and make sounds like aa eee ooo.
A fair amount is okay because they are developing their salivary glands, but too much of it can mean they're not able to swallow, which is definitely something you need to discuss with your pediatrician.
No. This increases the chances of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), so they should always sleep on their backs. Chances are they’ll roll over, so you should switch them back onto their backs.
For a 4 month old, these are their feeding schedules
Breastfed Babies: 6-10 feedings per day, each feed of 10-20 minutes
Formula-fed Babies: 5-6 ounces (120-150 mL), 5-6 feedings per day
Since all babies are not the same and their needs differ, look out for signs that tell you your baby is hungry, like licking or puckering their lips, sucking on their thumbs, or moving towards your chest.
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