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

So be prepared for lots of laughter (his and yours!) as he tries out his new personality. And get ready for more than amazing milestones on tap in the coming weeks and months.

Here'due south what you accept to look forward to with your 4-month-old infant.

Your four-month-former baby'due south development

At a Glance

Sleeping nuts

By about four months one-time, near babies sleep 10 to 12 hours at night, waking upwards for a feeding or ii, and nap for three to five hours a day, spaced betwixt two or three naps.

Feeding basics

Breastfed babies should get 24 to 36 ounces of breast milk a twenty-four hours spread out over about v or six feeds. Formula-fed babies should take 24 to 36 ounces of formula in about five feeds of half-dozen to eight ounces per session. Some babies first solids at this age, though doctors recommend waiting until baby turns half dozen months quondam. Only if yous are offering solid foods now, your infant doesn't demand more than than 1 tablespoon of food twice a day.

Did you know?

Past iv months former, your lilliputian one tin observe differences in shades of colour (especially red and green) and may fifty-fifty begin favoring specific ones. He can too rails faster movements with his eyes, perceive depth and even grab at moving objects.

By this historic period, your baby tin raise upwards on his arms when placed on his tum and go along his head level when propped in a sitting position.

He can also roll over — though if he's had little in the manner of tummy time, he may reach this milestone after — and reach for an object.

Half of all babies this age will exist able to acquit weight on their legs when held upright (try it with your little one!) and many babies will play with their toes and even mouth them. Call up of them as built-in toys!

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

His babbling may also include more than vowel and consonant combos, and you lot'll soon be hearing baby babble similar "ga-ga-ga" or "ba-ba-ba."

That ways hearing the sweet call of "Mama" and "Dada" is non then far backside!

Your 4-calendar month-one-time baby'south growth

A 4-month-onetime baby will still be on a liquid-but (or mostly) diet. Some parents choose to begin solids at the 4-calendar month mark, but cheque with your doctor commencement. Experts recommend that most babies expect until they're 5 or 6 months onetime to start eating regular food.

If yous do decide to spoon up solids starting now, proceed in mind that your baby doesn't demand more than a tablespoon of food (baby cereal, fruit, vegetables) one time or twice a day. Plus, those solids will only be for do, non for nutrition.

Your baby'south growth volition exist fueled by the still-important-every bit-ever breast milk or formula. If you lot're nursing, count on an boilerplate of v to vi feeds a day to keep upwardly with baby's growing needs. That'll come to most 24 to 36 ounces of breast milk a solar day.

If you're formula feeding, you'll be serving up the bottle an average of 5 times a day, with effectually 6 to eight ounces of formula per canteen for a full of 24 to 36 ounces of formula a day. All that food will assistance to continue baby at a healthy weight and height.

For girls, that should be somewhere between 10 and nineteen pounds and between 22 and 26.5 inches. Boys will likely be weighing in somewhere between eleven and 20 pounds and measuring between 23 and 27 inches.

Recall that if your baby doesn't fall into this average range, and if your baby'due south doctor isn't concerned, you lot shouldn't be either. Every babe'due south growth pattern is different, only as every baby is one-of-a-kind.

Your four-month-old baby's health

Become ready for baby'southward four-month well-baby visit — along with a risk to learn his latest weight, length and head circumference.

The four-month well-baby visit

This month, you'll take babe to the 4-month checkup to find out most growth, development and milestones (and also get another round of vaccines). At the doctor'due south office you might too have a conversation about baby's sleeping habits, especially how many naps your petty i 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'due south oral fissure. Your infant likely got his first dose at 2 months, and so depending on which vaccine he gets, the iv-calendar month dose may be his final one. Read More

Stomach bugs in babies

Rotavirus disease is a contagious viral infection and a leading cause of stomach bugs in infants. The good news: The rotavirus vaccine can help protect babies against the it (if a vaccinated baby does get sick, he's less probable to be severely ill). Read More

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine

At 2, four and 6 months, and so again between 12 and 15 months, baby will become a dose of the pneumococcal cohabit vaccine (PCV13). Pneumococcal infections are acquired by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, and are a common crusade of ear infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections. Read More

IPV vaccine

Your picayune one volition also get the second dose of the polio vaccine, which helps protect against the poliovirus. While the U.S. has been polio-free for more than 40 years, the disease notwithstanding occurs in other parts of the world — so getting vaccinated is very important. Read More

Postpartum & new baby tips

Your 4-calendar month-former's tricks

Your baby's working on lots of new physical skills — from grabbing toys to doing his faux of a turtle on its dorsum.

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

If you put him on his tum, he'll work on pushing up his caput and chest, equally well equally flipping over onto his back, where he'll brainstorm to elevator his head and shoulders if you gently pull him upwards.

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

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

Otherwise, yous tin can assume he'due south comfortable and ready (and he'll probably enjoy the modify of scene.) If he does start fussing — or slip-sliding away — option him up and attempt again another time.

Make a doctor'due south appointment

Sure, yous saw your doc at your postpartum checkup, but it's a expert idea to stay in close-ish touch throughout the outset year.

Why? Your body and listen take a lot to go used to, and you'll take tons of questions, similar: What type of birth control is correct for me now? or, I've been feeling really cranky and sorry — could I have postpartum low?

How to encourage infant talk

Follow these tips to get your baby talking:

  1. Inquire lots of questions, then follow up with answers. Yup, yous're talking to yourself, but you're also modeling the discussion of conversation.
  2. While keeping up a steady stream of spoken communication helps your infant beef upwards on vocabulary, he too needs time to effort his own paw (or oral fissure, rather) at talking. When he starts yakking, interruption, look at his face and really listen as he tries to main an "mmm" or an "ahhh." He'll be delighted that you lot're paying such close attention.
  3. Stumped for a topic of conversation? Just tell your baby what you (and he) are doing. "I'k zipping up Mommy'south jacket — zzzip! — to keep Mommy nice and warm."
  4. What's that racket? Bespeak it out to your infant — "Listen, a doggy is barking!" This is great practise for the toddler and preschool years, when y'all'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 babe. Try plant nursery rhymes, sturdy board books, fifty-fifty whatever's on your own nightstand.
  6. Repeat your baby'due south sounds exactly as you lot hear them. That will encourage him to coo, blubbering and talk even more than.

Safe cleaning

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

Brand certain soap, water and clean towels are always available (avert antibacterial soap, but you tin use hand-sanitizing gels on your easily if you don't have admission to water).

Grow plants for baby

Bring nature indoors and your baby'southward lungs will thanks.

Air-cleaning plants don't just brand your rooms await pretty, they detox your home by removing pollutants like ammonia (plant in cleaning products) and formaldehyde (found in article of furniture).

An assortment of fifteen to 20 plants should do the trick in a two,000-square-pes firm. Rather than handful single plants around, create group displays in each room for maximum air-cleaning consequence.

The best antitoxin (and nontoxic) choices co-ordinate to NASA: spider plants, philodendrons and safety plants.

To go on your infant safe from leaves that he tin nibble on or pots he can topple, put plants out of reach or block them with a kid'due south safety gate.

Giving infant your phone

Your smartphone carries germs. Fifty-fifty if you wash your easily religiously, y'all yet transfer bacteria and clay to your telephone when you employ information technology.

In one British survey, researchers found leaner on 92 pct of mobile phones they tested.

Worse nevertheless, 1 in half dozen phones were contaminated with E. coli bacteria (in other words, fecal matter), which can crusade serious stomach problems that can be fifty-fifty more than severe in babies.

Viruses similar the influenza can live on some surfaces for a day or more.

And since babies explore with their mouths, why take the gamble? Best not to give your infant your phone unless you've thoroughly sanitized information technology, and even and so, it'south better yet to skip using it as a toy or distraction entirely.

Fun with mirrors

Your babe's preferred view: a human being face. He'southward non picky about whose face information technology is, though, so grab a mirror, and offering your baby a chance to gaze at his own!

Hither's how yous tin get in on the reflection fun, and help bolster your baby's development:

  1. Prop a mirror against the wall and sit down opposite it on the floor (not as well far away, since a infant'southward eyesight is still a work in progress). Now plop your baby in your lap, leaning him back confronting your breadbasket. This also makes for a keen sibling activity: Large brothers or sisters can hold a mitt mirror in front of the baby while you provide the lap.
  2. Introduce your baby to his beautiful face up past pointing at his reflection. Touch his nose, stroke his hair, gently compression his ears and name each feature as you lot go. Sure, your infant doesn't know what the words mean now, merely he'll be delighted just the aforementioned!
  3. Fasten an unbreakable mirror to the side of your baby'south crib, or prop 1 up in front of him during tum time sessions for even more cogitating fun. He may exist more willing to stay belly-downwardly (or coo contentedly in his crib — on his back, of course) if he has his own fascinating face for company.

From the What to Look editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Look When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only apparent sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and upwards-to-appointment past reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Await the Get-go Year, tertiary edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, The 4-Month Well-Baby Visit, February 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13), February 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine (IPV) for Polio, March 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Rotavirus Vaccine, February 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Stomach Influenza (Rotavirus Illness) in Babies and Toddlers, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, How Much Should My Baby Consume?, Apr 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Here's How Much Sleep Babies Need, June 2020.
  • American University of Pediatrics, Recommended Immunization Schedule for Children and Adolescents Aged 18 Years and Younger, 2018.
  • National Sleep Foundation, How Much Sleep Does Your Babe Really Demand?, 2020.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Starting Solid Foods, October 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Important Milestones: Your Infant By Four Months, June 2020.

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