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Your Baby’s Fourth Month
By: Mary
Your baby this month
Your baby this month may weigh between 12 and 16 pounds, and be between 23 and 26 inches long.
Most babies at this age can now lift his head and shoulders high up off the ground when placed on his stomach. Some babies can even roll over at this age! He may also be able to reach out and grab objects. After studying the toy for a few minutes, your baby will most likely than put the toy in his mouth.
Your baby may also start laughing out loud. Nothing can bring joy to a stressed parent more than hearing their baby laugh for the first time. You may even hear a squeal of delight coming from your baby as well.
Researchers also believe at 4 months of age, most babies can understand the basics of language. Color difference to your baby is also becoming clearer, and your baby may like to look at objects with different colors on it.
Baby games
Belly time is an important part of your baby’s life now. To encourage your baby to lift her head up high, you can place a book of colorful pictures on the floor in front of your baby. She will lift her head and be amazed to see the pictures on the floor.
You can also take a rattle and shake it in front of your baby to help her develop her reaching. If you move the rattle from side to side and up and down, you will further fine tune your baby’s hand-eye coordination.
To help ease separation anxiety, try playing a few games of peek a boo with your baby. Cover yourself up with a blanket, and call out “Where’s mommy” or “Where’s daddy”, then take the blanket off your head and say “boo” For a different variation of this game, you can cover your baby’s eyes and say “Where’s baby”
Nutrition
When your baby reaches four months old, what he should or shouldn’t be eating becomes a huge debate. Some mothers start their baby on rice cereal when they turn four months old, and some mothers decide to wait for two more months.
Currently, the AAP recommends that all babies wait until 6 months of age until beginning solid foods. Delaying solid foods decreases the risk of your baby developing food allergies, and becoming overweight later in life.
Your baby has a bigger stomach now, which in turn can hold more food. If bottle-feeding, your baby should be eating between 4 and 5 times a day. If you are exclusively breastfeeding, your baby will be eating on average 6-8 times a day. Your baby’s feedings can become frustrating at the time, as the baby is now discovering the world around him, and likes to stop eating to look around. If this happens a lot, you can take your baby into a dim room, with no distractions, and let him enjoy his food.
At the doctors
At your baby’s 4th month doctor’s visit, your doctor will check your baby’s height, weight and head circumference which will be plotted on a growth chart. You will be told how your baby is growing. Your doctor will also check for normal function of your baby’s eyes, ears, heart, lungs, abdomen, arms, legs, and hips. Your doctor will also check your baby’s soft spots to make sure that they are getting smaller. They may also check to see if your baby has any signs of teething, but not all doctors chose to do this.
Your doctor will also ask you if you have any concerns about the baby, and talk to you about proper feeding and crying. Your doctor will also ask you about what your baby can and can not do, such as holding his head up or rolling over.
Your baby will also receive immunizations at this visit. The immunizations most likely for your baby to get are DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and pertussis), Hib (Haemophilus influenza type b vaccine), IPV (Inactivated Poliovirus Vaccine), and PCV (Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine). Your baby may or may not get the Hepatitis B vaccine as well.
Safety concerns
Your baby may now be mobile by rolling! While this is an exciting time of life, it is also dangerous for your baby. Never leave your baby unattended on a bed, changing table, table or couch. While changing your baby on the changing table, make sure that you always have one hand on your baby, and keep dangerous objects, including baby powder, baby oil, and diaper rash cream, far out baby’s reach.
This may also be a good time to get some outlet covers, if you haven’t already. Cover all outlets that your baby will have access to. Make sure that all small objects are way out of baby's reach. Anything that can fit inside of a toilet paper tube is a chocking hazard for your baby.
Baby walkers can also be dangerous. If you chose to use one, always keep your baby near you. Make sure that your baby is not near any stairs that she can fall down. A better substitute for a baby walker is a stationary exersaucer. It will help your baby’s legs develop, but also keeps your baby in one place.
Never leave your baby unattended in the bathtub, and also keep one hand on the baby. As your baby learns more about their body and the fun things that they can do with them, he will also become more mobile in the bathtub.
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