MumCentre Essentials

2 to 3 years | 3 to 4 years | 4 to 5 years | 5 to 6 years

Month 4 | Month 5 | Month 6

Your baby will soon be amazing you with his/ her developing language skills. Yes, those chuckling, sputtering, blubbering sounds are actually precursors for speech! So keep speaking to your child and don’t forget to applaud his/ her every attempt at copying you!

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Lifts head up by 90 degrees
• Has stronger neck support
• Is able to follow objects with eyes in a 180-degree arc
• Clearly recognises bottle or breast
• Recognises that people have labels (that you are ‘mama’, father is ‘dada’ etc)
• Likes to explore things by putting them in mouth
• Reaches for favourite objects
• Responds more actively to rattle or bell sounds
• Makes gestures such as waving arms to be picked up
• Supports weight on legs with help
• May sit with support
• May roll over from stomach to back

Language and emotions
• Makes sputtering sounds
• Babbles more often
• Experiments with new noises by changing shape of mouth
• Laughs when tickled – may even belly laugh!

Sleep
Babies usually sleep for a stretch of at least six to eight hours a night by this age and take two or three naps in the day.

Ideal toys for this age
Toys with flashing lights and sounds

Useful tips
Do you know that baby can enjoy a good book even at this age? Don’t worry if he/ she is more interested in eating it than reading it. Choose colourful board books, such as books about shapes and colours or books with different-textured fabric swatches.

Now is usually the time when many parents attempt weaning. Do not be discouraged if baby reacts negatively to solids. It is quite a strange experience for baby’s taste buds after all. If baby doesn’t like it, leave weaning attempts aside for a while and try again a week or two later.

What your child might do:

• Experiments with concept of cause and effect
• More observant of small objects
• Able to see clearly across the room
• Uses hands more confidently (usually in a raking fashion) to bring objects closer
• Transfers objects from hand to hand
• Pushes away if he/ she dislikes what you are doing (wiping off drool, etc)
• Plays with toes
• Sits with support
• Rolls over from stomach to back
• May begin teething
• May be ready to wean

Language and emotions
Tries to imitate sounds

Feeding
Solids should be introduced very cautiously. Signs that baby is ready to begin weaning include:

• Being able to hold the head up well
• Being interested in solid food
• Having a good tongue reflex to push solid food in or out (to aid swallowing and prevent choking)
• Being able to open mouth to receive a spoon

Ideal toys for this age
• Squeeze toys with squeaky sounds
• Handheld musical toys such as toy telephones

Useful tips
Notice how much your child loves to watch you? Now is actually a great time to try baby sign language. Teaching baby simple signs with facial expressions and hand movements can help enhance communication skills even at this pre-verbal stage. Don’t worry if baby doesn’t pick it up right away. Consult a baby sign language book for more information (available at most bookstores).

Your baby is ready to hit a number of important milestones this month. Don’t worry if baby doesn’t achieve all the milestones listed below. This is completely normal. In fact, some babies lag behind in certain areas while shooting ahead in others. Always check with your paediatrician if you are worried about your child’s development.

What your child might do:

Physically and mentally
• Keeps head level when pulled to a sitting position
• Sits with minimal support
• Holds bottle for feeding
• Drinks from a cup with help
• Opens mouth for spoon
• Rolls over and back
• Begins teething

Language and emotions
• Combines vowel-consonant sounds
• Makes two-syllable sounds (e.g. ma-ma)
• Imitates facial expressions

Sleep
Are you still co-sleeping with your child? While there are many bonding advantages to this, do try teaching him/ her to sleep independently. The older baby gets, the more resistant he/she will become towards sleeping alone.

Ideal toys for this age
• Board books
• Stacking toys
• Child-safe blocks

Useful tips
Enhance baby’s gross and fine-motor skills by stacking up a block tower together and letting him/ her knock it down.