Baby.mobi
As your baby develops you need to enjoy the changes you see on an almost daily basis. These are the things that will sustain you when the going gets tough. Smiles become more frequent, your baby's nervous system develops allowing them to handle changes in routine, abrupt sounds, smells and events in their stride.
Your child will most certainly have found their hands and feet – and the love affair that developed in the womb between your baby's mouth and their hands will grow! Your baby will start grabbing anything they can find – and bringing them to their mouth. Their grip will be committed … and strong!
MILESTONES
Motor skills: Your baby will show signs of thriving by putting on more weight and showing further signs of increased muscle strength. Sucking is a primitive – but necessary – calming mechanism. If there is no breast or bottle to suckle, the next best thing must be a hand, fingers, foot or toes! Don't deny your baby these pleasures. It is the first step towards self soothing which, in turn, means baby will sleep for longer periods and when they are awake, they can be entertained by their environment for longer periods.
Most four-month old babies can sit with support and are even able to raise themselves up on their elbows. Some very agile babies can even roll over at this time.
Hearing: From three months, your baby will be able to laugh aloud and actively search out sounds (turning their head) especially in response to parents. They will make sounds in response to you and will 'take turns' listening and 'talking' to you
Vision: Your baby's vision has improved significantly. By four months, your baby is making regular eye contact with you – and anyone who talks to them regularly. They constantly follow activities with their eyes and are fascinated by movements around them.
You could notice your baby shuddering, vibrating and becoming very excited by a bowl of brightly coloured fruit or large objects – even those a fair distance away! It's almost as if they were seeing colours for the very first time.
Communication: Your baby has become a social being – able to look, laugh, kick, smile, coo and express their likes for things like baths or being undressed, and grasping objects.
They are able to react to sounds – and search for others – and really enjoy 'talking' to their parents and close family. They are very vocal and love the sound of their voice and the reaction it gets from their parents.
Note: All children are different and develop at different rates. So if your child does not do all the things listed above, it may be because your child is working on some different area of his learning and development at present.
However, if your child is very different from other children of the same age, if you are worried about your child's development or if it seems to go backwards, you should seek the advice of a health professional.
If there is anything wrong, getting help early is best. Otherwise it is good to have reassurance that your children are developing normally in their own unique way and to remember that what matters is to support them on moving forward from where they are now.
