4 month old baby: Development & nutrition advice
4 month old baby: Development & nutrition advice
Say it again
Sitting, seeing and rolling at 4 months
Your intelligent 4-month-old baby is now able to learn from the things you do. Talking, singing and reading out loud can help them recognise sounds, while their newfound ability to roll over and sit up all adds to their increasing independence. This extra activity may lead to a bigger appetite, but weaning is not recommended until six months and certainly not before seventeen weeks of age.
Brighter futures start here
Discover more about infant development to help shape your baby's future
What’s happening this month?
Your 4-month-old baby has been developing dramatically, and you will notice plenty more over the next two months. Now they are able to learn from you, hearing your voice and seeing how you do things is as important as ever to enhance their developing skillset.
What to feed your 4-month-old baby
While you may be tempted to satisfy their increased hunger with
Finding their voice
Every parent longs to hear their baby’s first words. As your 4-month-old starts to experiment with sounds they can make easily on their lips, you may well hear them utter ‘ma’ and ‘pa’.
This experimentation often comes at a time when they start to cry less and ‘talk’ more, using body language to help them communicate2. Over the coming
Your baby’s developing eyesight
At 4 months old, your baby’s depth of perception begins to develop. Up until now, they will have had difficulty locating the exact position, size and shape of objects around them. But that is all about to change as they master the skill of binocular vision – the ability to use both eyes together – which will enable them to accurately track moving objects and people2. As this skill develops, you may begin to see signs that your baby is improving their
Their improved vision helps the world around them seem more inviting. And as they start reaching out for nearby things, you might want to tie your hair back and keep your glasses (if you wear them) out of reach.
The importance of LCPs is clear to see
When it comes to your 4-month-old’s nutritional needs, two LCPs in particular – AA (Omega 6) and DHA (Omega 3), found naturally in breast milk – are still vital to ensure the continuing development of your baby’s brain, eyes and nervous system. Including salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel and other LCP-rich foods in your breastfeeding diet can help encourage your baby’s visual and brain development and movement skills.
Ways to stimulate your baby’s speech and sight
Although they might not understand you, talking, reading and singing to your baby all help them process the sounds they will eventually learn to copy. Similarly, games like the mutual gazing game can help improve their ability to track objects with their eyes2. To play, simply capture your 4-month-old’s attention, then tilt your head and wait for them to copy you. Then rotate your body, and watch them turn their head to keep you in view.
Last reviewed: 13th August 2014
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