My Life and My Child: My 4th Month Birthday

My 4th Month Birthday

Body Movement

Arm and leg movements are better controlled. Rolls over from tummy to back with ease. When lying on tummy, his legs straighten, and he will make swimming movements with both arms and legs. Holds head erect when sitting. Kicks legs a lot. Splashes hands and feet in bathtub. top of page

Eye-Hand Coordination

Head and eyes move in coordinated motion. Both hands grasp at approximate size of object to manipulate it, then baby puts object in her mouth. Easily tracks objects with her eyes. Watches moving people and gazes across a room. Explores own body with hands. Looks for complexity and novelty in surroundings.

Thinking Skills

Mouths everything to explore objects. Prefers bright colors of red and yellow to black and white. Begins to realize he is distinct from objects "out there" and to realize his actions cause something to happen. Enjoys listening to speech and music. Babbles for his own pleasure with chuckles, giggles, shrieks and laughs. Listens to himself talk. Says "da, ba, ma, pa, ga" consonant sounds. Notices how his speech influences adult actions -- "m-m-m" brings Mom to feed him. Looks around to find source of a sound. Is quieted by music. top of page

Emotional Development

Responsive to play for one hour at a time. Shows signs of being tired -- will yawn, rub eyes, refuse to play, suck thumb or become restless and irritable. May drool and be fussy if teething. Is developing her unique personality within a predictable daily routine -- how active she is, how intensely she responds to things, what her patience and tolerance for frustration are. Senses if her behavior is unacceptable to parent during daily interactions. Reacts to your tone of voice and expression. Expresses joy, unhappiness, contentment, tiredness. Crying decreases as she expresses feelings with new sounds, gestures. Recognizes family members with whom she lives. Loves to laugh and play with people. Vocalizes more to real person than picture. Demands social attention by fussing. Cries if play is disrupted. Attempts to soothe self when crying. Yells, fusses if frustrated. top of page