Your Four Month Old
Your baby's entered the interactive stage and interact she does with her whole body! She mimics mouth movements when you are talking particularly if you exaggerate your own mouth. Not only does she answer you, but attempts to start a chat! Add to that the ability to entertain herself for minutes at a time in an bouncer/exerciser seat!
Jump to these developmental stages:
Social/Emotional | Language | Cognitive | Large Motor Skills | Fine Motor Skills
Social/Emotional Development
When he sees a familiar face, he throws his hands in the air to greet. Perhaps manners aren't a high priority quite yet as he grabs at your face, glasses, mouth and hair. He doesn't mean to be rude or hurt you; it's just you are so fascinating! Have you noticed that he turns when you talk and watches your mouth movements. You put stuff in your mouth just like he does. He may even show interest in your food, even though he's not quite ready to start solids.
To your four-month-old, the world is a huge game. He loves to play peek-a-boo, bounce the conversation ball, sing a song, dance, find my foot, play with mommy, play with daddy...
Language Development
In addition to enjoying her own voice, she babbles to get attention. There are some new sounds -- she's adding consonants (ba-ba-ba). While she has been trying for weeks to mimic sounds, now she is copying your inflections and gestures. Have you noticed she vocalizes different sounds for different needs?
When babbling gets old, she experiments with volume. Gone are the days of that quiet newborn whimper. Welcome to the world of screams and squeals! Those unexpected squeals can startle you and she might even scare herself.
Cognitive Development
He has learned which sounds and gestures get a response. Both you and he are happier now that he's able to communicate many of his wants.
He's aware of colors now. That certainly opens up a new world. Favorites are bright natural colors -- especially red and blue. Because he now has depth perception, he might be afraid of heights.
Large Motor Skills
She is able to sit propped on floor with pillows or in the high chair. Now she can work on coordinating those hands!
The foot-pushes the last couple months have paid off! (The ones that you have been tempted to calculate the pressure in foot-pounds because it is beyond comprehension that anything so small can push so hard!) She can support most of her weight. Bouncing in your lap or a bouncer is a favorite activity.
Other accomplishments you might see this month? She does push ups and might actually get some of her tummy off the floor. She might wriggle a few feet forward -- encourage with toys slightly out of reach so long as it isn't frustrating. Rolling from her tummy to her back is an accomplishment many active babies reach. If your little one is mellow you can help her by laying her on a blanket and gentle raise the edge till she rolls over. Cheers, hugs and kisses make this turning over game even more exciting.
Fine Motor Skills
She reaches with one hand and her aim is improving. Keep your hot drinks and breakables out of range! She's able to transfer toys from hand to hand and might play with blocks.
Her mouth is still her favorite tool for exploring. She's starting to compare what she feels with what she sees. Sometimes you notice that she plops her pacifier out, holds it up and stares cross-eyed, then starts sucking on it again. "Ah...so that is how it looks."
