Babies 4th month

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Jennifer Ann Steinort studied health economics and is a state-approved nanny. She mainly writes on real-life topics, and experiences from working in health facilities and her own family life with three children flow into her work.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Baby's 4th month of life is all about discovery. Hands and mouth are the most important tools your child can use to explore the world.And another event is coming up: teething. However, this can give parents sleepless nights. Read here what progress your four-month-old baby can look forward to and how you can support your child.

Babies 4th month

In the fourth month, your baby is particularly dedicated to hand-mouth coordination and exercises his senses. His ability to communicate is also getting better and better. And: Your own will is becoming more and more evident.

4th month - physical development

The previously so rapid growth slows down from the 4th month of life to two centimeters per month. Because your baby is very active at four months and therefore uses a lot of energy, he no longer gains as much. It stores less fat reserves than in the months before.

Motor skills and reflexes

An important step in your baby's development at four months old is hand-mouth coordination. The grasping reflex slowly disappears and makes room for conscious grabbing:

Even if it is not yet able to take a targeted grip, the child puts all the objects it can grasp into its mouth. At four months your baby can hold onto objects well. When letting go, however, the grasping reflex is sometimes still in the way. This also applies to someone else's hair, which it grabs and pulls out to the chagrin of those affected.

Now, at four months old, your baby can hold his head safely. It pushes the legs through when it feels solid ground under the feet - an important training for later standing and running.

The development of the senses

Your four-month-old baby's most important organ of perception is his or her mouth. With him, it explores all possible objects in detail. Your child's sense of taste is more pronounced in this phase of life than ever again later.

In addition, your baby has been training his television senses in the past few weeks. In the 4th month of life, it actively turns to sources of noise and listens attentively. Vision has also improved: your child can now recognize you from a distance.

4th month - mental development

What can a baby at four months do and what is his mental development like? Your baby has already absorbed and processed a large number of stimuli from its environment. This process also allows it to continue to mature spiritually. Your four-month-old baby can now more easily detach his attention from objects and turn to other stimuli.

Emotional development

In addition to joy, your baby can also experience frustration. If, for example, a desired object is out of reach, your baby will become restless and, in the further course, often impatient and whimpering until it finally starts to scream.

This behavior of the child is an appeal to you to recognize the frustrating situation and to help him. It relies on you because the bond between you and your four month old baby is strong. No wonder, after all, you are in close contact with him on a daily basis.

Babies at four months have a more intense emotional world than adults. The grown-ups are therefore often unable to understand the reasons for a baby's dissatisfaction. However, it is very important that your baby find comfort and understanding when they are dissatisfied.

Your baby is now able to calm itself down well. Do you see your baby sucking his fist for this? Do not stop this behavior, as this will strengthen hand-mouth coordination.

Social development and communication

At four months old, your baby is still intrigued by the ability to communicate. It therefore looks carefully at the area around your mouth and would like to take part in the exchange.

This will change decisively in the next few weeks: instead of expressing yourself with you at the same time as before, it is now time to exchange ideas with you. In other words, if you speak to them, the child will answer you in their own language.

4th month - this is how you support your child in a playful way

Do you love to have fun with your baby? We have the right tips for this:

Soap bubble party: Your four-month-old baby will be amazed when the shimmering soap bubbles fly in and burst on their little legs. Your child will try to reach for them and will be watching the bubbles carefully. This promotes hand-eye coordination.

Rocking songs: Babies four months old love rocking movements. You can make yourself comfortable together in a rocking chair. As an alternative, you can also cradle the baby in your arms. You can sing to him, recite rhymes or play a finger game. This will train your baby's hearing and logical thinking. Songs that include people they know are particularly popular with children. An example: "Tschutschutschu, the train, who wants to go home" n, I don't want to drive alone, so "I'll take the (the name of your baby, mom, dad, grandma, grandpa) with me."

Visit to the pediatrician in the 4th month

If the U4 check-up has not yet been carried out on your child, it is due now at the latest. According to the vaccination calendar, the next 6-fold vaccination (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Hib, polio, hepatitis B) is due in babies 4 months old.

If you have decided to have the rotavirus vaccination, the next dose of the vaccine will be given at the doctor's appointment.

Even if you only have one vaccination appointment with your baby, the doctor will carry out a growth and development check on the occasion.

Which vaccinations are due when? Read more about this in the vaccination calendar.

Some children already begin to teething at four months. Even if the first teeth usually only show up around the age of six months, the teeth in the jaw are already migrating towards the surface. This can cause increased salivation and mild pain. Offer your baby a chilled teether that will provide relief.

Further information on the subject of teething can be found in the text Teething.

Tips for the 4th month

A regular daily routine is good for your baby. At four months, he not only benefits from regular sleeping and drinking times, rituals also create peace and familiarity.

Rituals: Always the same lullaby is boring? Not for a four month old baby! It loves the routine. Find a very individual ritual for you and your offspring: This strengthens your relationship.

Baby courses: Would you like to enrich your everyday life with activities? There is a wide range of courses for a four-month-old baby. The courses develop your child's cognitive and motor skills. Baby massage, baby swimming and other ways in which your child can try out their skills and meet other babies are popular. Find out more about the offer and if you like, just try something out.

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