Growth and development: Infants 4 to 6 months
Congratulations, you survived many sleepless nights, diaper changes and late night feeds.
Over the past few months your baby has been learning how to interact with their new environment and has begun to develop a stronger bond with you and the other caregivers they trust. Not only is your baby developing their own little personality, they are forming their very first caring relationships with the people around them. Remember that even in the early stages of life, your interactions with your baby will have a positive lifelong impact.
You are now able to understand your baby’s language a little better than those first few days after birth. You may have noticed that your baby is starting to communicate with you and the world around them by smiling, cooing, babbling and laughing.
The journey of growth and development continues.
Attachment and bonding
Your baby has begun to strengthen their special relationship with you. As you meet your baby’s physical needs, by changing their diaper or feeding them when hungry, remember; it is also about meeting their emotional needs too. Meeting these emotional needs are necessary to make a baby feel secure. A family environment can also affect a baby’s ability to develop a secure attachment and bond.
As a parent and/or caretaker, you hold the key to ensuring that your baby feels safe, loved, secure and happy. You can do this without words, simply communicate with your baby by changing the tone in your voice, using a soothing touch or looking at your baby using a relaxed and happy facial expression. By providing all of these “feel good” experiences, your baby will trust that you will regularly meet their emotional needs. They will learn that the world around them is safe. When they cry and you respond by cuddling, rocking, singing or soothing them, they will learn that someone will consistently be there. Connecting with your baby and meeting their emotional needs early in life will begin developing the brain. This will impact their future emotional, social and mental wellness through positive serve and return experiences.
Your child’s milestones
Physical development is important to monitor and measure. Keep in mind that every infant is unique and grow and develop at different rates. Monitoring your infant’s physical growth will help you to understand the realistic expectations according to their age. Check out your child’s 4 to 6 month milestones.
The Nipissing Developmental Screen is a tool you can use to track and monitor your baby’s growth and development. Visit ndds.ca and have the screen sent to you for a complete picture of the milestones according to age.
This item was last modified on June 4, 2018