The fifth month is the beginning for your baby serious changes. It is at this time that children begin to actively crawl, and some even, to the surprise and endless joy of their parents, utter their first words. What else can a 5 month old baby do? And what changes should occur in its development in the coming period?
What a 5 month old baby can do: leg activity and manual dexterity
A five-month baby's weight ranges from 6,700 to 8,400 g and from 64 to 68 cm. This means that the child already weighs slightly more than two times more than at birth and has gained about 14-16 cm in height - that is, this is already quite big toddler!
Some children at 5 months are already able to roll over from their back to their stomach and back. As soon as they discover that they know how to do this, they begin to actively “work” with their legs - it’s fun to shake them and take a “frog” pose as if they are going to “go on a big swim.” In fact, these reflex movements eloquently indicate that the baby is about to “take off” and begin to crawl.
Remember, once you have discovered that your five-month-old baby can roll over, from that moment on he should not be left alone on the bed or on any other surface at any height. Unfortunately, a fall even from a height of 30-40 cm can cause serious injury to the baby.
The baby still cannot sit without support (and there is no point in trying to sit the baby up supposedly to “train” the spine). However, the child feels comfortable in a semi-sitting position - in a special chaise lounge (this best option in relation to supporting the baby’s back), “in pillows”, etc.
At five months of age, you will also find that your baby can make a fairly tight fist. You can also confidently take objects with both hands at once, bring them closer to your face, and even transfer them from one handle to another. In addition, the child begins to show the first signs of infant maturation - babies, starting from about 5 months of age, already know how (and love!) to hold a bottle with formula or water on their own.
The development of a child at 5 months becomes more and more dynamic: every day the baby demonstrates new emotions and a desire to communicate...
Baby development at 5 months: sleepy kingdom
Most children are already 5 months old. But still not everything. , organize a routine for going to bed. Start with a warm bath in the evening, after which you rock your baby for a while, sing him a song or tell him a story.
Remember to put your baby to bed when he or she falls asleep, not when he or she is already asleep. In this case, the child will be forced to learn to fall asleep on his own, and not always rely on your help.
During the day, five-month-old babies usually sleep twice, little by little - once in the morning and again in the afternoon. Try not to delay short nap until the baby is tired and begins to be capricious. Put your baby in the crib at the first sign of sleep.
What color is the world around you?
During a baby's developmental stage of five months, his vision continues to improve. Of course, at this age it is not yet 100% in children, but they can already see objects at different distances and can focus their vision without squinting their eyes.
The baby's color perception changes radically! If at 4 months a toddler is already able to notice a large red button on a red fabric (that is, he is already able to distinguish volume and texture in one color scheme), then by 5 months the child can quite freely distinguish several shades of the same color. Although children under the age of six months still react most to bright, contrasting colors- red, blue, yellow.
Speech development of a child at 5 months
At the developmental stage of 5 months, the child is already babbling with all his might. And some of the sounds made may even sound like words. A five-month-old baby is able to add vowels and consonants (something like “ba-ba”). Don't get too excited when you hear something that sounds like "pa-pa" or "ma-ma." These are just sounds; at such a young age, children do not assign any meaning to such sounds. Wait a couple of months, and these “pa-pa” and “ma-ma” will already acquire exactly your features in the mind of the talkative little one.
By the way, the world for a 5-month-old baby takes on new shades not only due to the development of color perception, but also because the baby begins to distinguish the nuances of all kinds of sounds. For example, if previously for him a dog barking and a car alarm were a single auditory stimulus, now these sounds are perceived differently in the child’s mind.
Gradually, the baby begins to “get carried away” with sounds - to recognize them and react to them differently. Some sounds clearly entertain him - they make him laugh, surprise, delight. He may not like others - the child frowns “in response” to them, becomes capricious, and may even cry. As a rule, the most pleasant sound for a child is the melodious voice of his mother...
- 1 As early as 5 months, children begin to actively respond to music. Play melodies of various genres for your baby, from classical and jazz to pop music. The child will smile, wave his arms, and maybe even make sounds, following the beat of the melody.
- 2 A 5-month-old child is very curious and willingly examines new objects. Every time you give him something in his hands, say the name clearly and loudly, like: “This is a ball,” “This is a rabbit,” “This is your hat.” This will help the baby speak faster, train his memory, and help him learn to quickly recognize various objects by their names.
- 3 Remove hanging toys from the crib. As soon as the baby learns to stand on his own legs and hold the side of the bed, he may become entangled in them.
- 4 By the age of 5-6 months, the child shows noticeable interest when seeing himself in the mirror. Don't deprive him of this pleasure - get him a toy that has a safe mirror.
- 5 If you still haven’t made your apartment safe for your child, take care of it. Hide all electrical outlets and keep them out of reach. detergents and in general any objects and substances that may be dangerous. Including small parts, which can cause a child to choke. Do not forget to promptly remove cups with hot drinks or switched-on irons with dangling cords - your child is quite capable of pulling them off the table.
What a child should be able to do at 5 months: skills in a nutshell
5 months in a child’s development is such an important and touching period when gradually from a tiny helpless lump the baby begins to turn into a fairly mobile and sociable person. To summarize in a nutshell, What should a 5 month old baby be able to do?:
- The child already knows how to roll over from his back to his tummy, and perhaps even back again;
- If you hold the baby by the arms, but he is able to stand on his legs for several seconds;
- With back support, the child can for a long time sit. Some children already know how and love to sit up, holding on to the arms or the side of the crib;
- From several toys, a child is able to choose first one, then another;
- Confidently holds objects with both hands;
- A child at 5 months recognizes several shades of the same color, and also distinguishes sounds;
- The baby “loves” to make all kinds of sounds and syllables. However, the conscious first words are still to come.
At five months the baby becomes active and mobile. He sleeps less, moves more and makes sounds. Moreover, sounds and movements acquire meaning and purpose. The baby actively repeats sounds and pronounces syllables easily, rolls over and even tries to sit up. Some babies are already starting to cut their first teeth.
The development of a child at 5 months is the time of consolidation of skills acquired earlier and the transition to a new stage of development, which begins after six months. After all, after six months, the baby can already sit and begins to receive his first complementary foods. But in this article we will look at what a child should be able to do at 5 months.
What can a 5 month old baby do?
- Recognizes the mother or the person caring for the child, recognizes familiar voices and faces;
- Recognizes familiar toys and melodies, follows the movement of objects and people;
- Looks at the pictures with interest;
- Pronounces sounds and some syllables, tries to repeat words after adults;
- He leans and raises himself on his arms, lying on his stomach. At the same time, the baby can hold his head up;
- Grabs and holds, reaches and touches objects with hands;
- Rolls over from stomach to side and back;
- He tries to sit up, pulling himself up with his arms. By the end of the fifth month he can sit with his back supported and his hands holding onto something. Remember that it is not recommended to sit your baby down before 6-7 months!;
- Handles toys independently for 5-10 minutes;
- In a vertical position, supported by the armpits, he can stand straight and practically not bend his legs, touch the surface with his legs and push off;
- Raises his arms and legs, lying on his back, examines his body parts.
Features of child development
Physical development, in particular an increase in indicators such as height and weight, gradually decreases. This is due to the fact that the baby leads a more active lifestyle. So, the baby gains 100-160 grams per week, whereas up to 4 months he added 140-200 grams. Average weight a baby at five months weighs 7 kg, height – 65 cm. According to pediatricians, the baby’s physical development has the following indicators.
Mental and emotional development The baby is characterized by the fact that he distinguishes many colors and perceives up to six colors at the same time. At the same time, he recognizes familiar voices and faces, recognizes people, objects, toys and melodies. At this age, the child clearly pronounces the syllables “ma”, “da”, “ba”, “nya” and “pa”. The baby listens carefully to speech and understands intonation. He may experience fear and resentment, joy and interest. Laughter and smiles become conscious.
At five months, some children are already starting to cut their teeth. As a rule, the first teeth appear after 6-7 months, but may appear earlier. There is nothing wrong with this; teething also depends on the individual characteristics of each child’s body. During this period, the child experiences pain and itching in the gums, so he behaves restlessly and is often capricious, sleeps poorly and refuses to eat. To help your baby, you can lightly massage the inflamed gums with a clean finger and give teethers.
The baby's sleep and routine differ little from the routine at 4 months. On average, a child sleeps about 15 hours a day, 10-12 of which occur at night. Your baby's routine may vary, as everyone is different. Some may sleep more during the day and less at night. If the baby feels comfortable and normal, there is nothing wrong with it. But it is better to put your baby to bed before 23:00, as later he becomes overtired and falls asleep worse.
We offer an approximate daily routine for children aged 5 months:
6:00 – first feeding;
6:30 – morning wakefulness (hygiene procedures, educational games and massage)
8:00 – morning sleep;
10:00 – second feeding;
10:30 – wakefulness (walk, gymnastics and educational games);
12:30 – afternoon nap;
14:30 – third feeding;
15:00 – daytime wakefulness (walk, educational games and activities);
17:00 – evening sleep;
19:00 – fourth feeding;
19:30 – evening wakefulness (bathing, hygiene procedures and getting ready for bed);
22:00 – night sleep.
Don't forget to follow the rules of hygiene. Bathe your child regularly, wipe his face, eyes, ears and nose. When washing, use clean water, wash your baby with soap no more than twice a week. Do not use cosmetics and detergents with chemical components, as they often cause an allergic reaction in young children.
Trim your nails at least once a week, because during this period of life the baby begins to actively explore his body and may accidentally injure the skin or mucous membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth. Monitor not only the baby’s hygiene, but also the cleanliness of toys, baby dishes and other items that the baby comes into contact with!
Gymnastics, massage and walks
The development of a baby cannot be imagined without walks, gymnastics and massage, swimming. Developmental activities and games are of great importance. Full development have a positive effect on the well-being and mood of the baby, provide normal height and weight, strengthen the immune system.
Walks are 2-3 times a day for 1.5-3 hours, depending on the weather. Pack your child carefully and take him for a walk drinking water, wet and dry wipes, diapers and diapers. In the summer, use a mask net for the stroller; in the rain, use a special awning; in cold weather, cover the stroller with a shawl.
In hot and sunny weather, walk before 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Sun rays not too active. Use children's sunscreens and make sure that soft skin the child was not burned. In winter, dress yourself first, and then dress your baby so that he does not sweat. Read more about how to dress a baby for a walk.
The child’s physical development is supported by special developmental gymnastic exercises. In this case, the main attention is paid to the back muscles and the musculoskeletal system. Every day, do gymnastics in combination with massage for 20-30 minutes. Be sure to do backbend squats once a day. Lightly move your fingers along the spine.
A great exercise is to have your baby crawl on his belly behind a moving toy. Let the child crawl and grab the toy. Massage exercises become more complicated at 5 months. In addition to rubbing, stroking and effleurage, you can include tingling.
Educational activities and games
Constant physical and emotional contact with mom remains key point, which determines the development of each small child. During this period, it is important to talk with the baby, tell fairy tales, rhymes and nursery rhymes, sing songs and turn on music. It is advisable that the melody includes the sound of one musical instrument, so it is easier for the baby to perceive the sound. When communicating with your baby, use different intonations, movements and facial expressions. But don't raise your voice or shout!
At five months you can start placing your baby in a playpen. Small dolls, bright colored rattles and musical toys are used for games. Cards with pictures, on which the names of the pictures are pronounced, will accelerate the development of speech. At active exercises The baby will begin to speak faster. For development fine motor skills use bags and Stuffed Toys with special filler, patchwork quilts and rugs.
Games involving clapping hands and imitating animal sounds are good for development. Play with your child in front of the mirror. After all, at this age children become interested and begin to study their image. By the way, until the age of 1.5-2 years, children do not understand that in the mirror there is only a reflection. Therefore, if you show a toy in the mirror, he will try to grab the object in the reflection.
What should a child be able to do at 5 months? To independently assess the psychomotor skills of an infant, you need to conduct observations when the child is healthy, alert and ready to communicate. It is also important to remember that an objective assessment general development The baby should be carried out by a pediatrician and a specialist during a routine examination.
A five-month-old baby feels great when lying on his stomach. After all
opens before him good review. And it’s even better if mom or dad takes you in their arms. Traveling around the house becomes an unforgettable adventure. The baby looks at bright objects with interest. Also, without the participation of adults, he can play independently, namely: holds a rattle in his hands, turns it, throws it, shifts it, examines it, puts it in his mouth.
New discoveries in movements
What should a child be able to do at 5 months? What innovations appear in his motor activity?
- Rocking on your stomach. The baby is no longer interested in the position when he rests his forearms on hard surface and lifts the chest. Now the baby performs the “boat” exercise: lifts his bent arms and legs up, balances on his stomach. This new discovery greatly amuses the baby. In this position, the baby trains the muscular system, develops pushing-extension movements, which he will need very soon. It must be admitted that the “boat” exercise requires a lot of energy expenditure and coordination of movement. The baby manages to stay in this position for a short time - about 2-3 seconds. If a baby does not have such movements at this age, this does not mean a delay in motor development.
- Passive rollover from stomach to back. You can observe that when rocking, the baby accidentally turns over on its back. At 5 months, the baby is quite active; he should not be left alone unattended. At this age, the first and unexpected falls from heights most often begin. This cannot be allowed. The baby can be taught to passively roll over onto his back. To do this, you need to show the toy to the child and at the same time move it up above the head and behind the baby’s back. He will follow the movement of the toy, turn his head and body, and in this way make a rollover from his stomach to his back.
- Vertical head position. Saved in any position. The baby confidently holds his head level on his stomach while in the arms of an adult. If the baby is carefully lifted from the back by the arms, his head will no longer tilt back, its position will remain in line with the neck and spine.
- Sitting position. A baby at 5 months should not yet be able to sit up on his own; you should not sit him down too early. Sometimes the baby can be placed in this position to observe some motor skills. The baby needs to be seated on the mat and supported by the shoulders, slightly spread to the sides. From this position, you need to tilt the baby to the left and right and observe. At the same time, the head does not fall towards the tilt, but is kept level. This is an important achievement! If you let go of the baby's hand, he will not use it as support when tilting his body. This skill will come later.
- Improving eye-hand coordination. Even at 4 months, the baby could grab a toy or small item who was in front of him. At 5 months this skill is consolidated. For training, you need a bright toy with a diameter of about 3 cm. You need to show the baby the toy at a distance of 30 cm from the face. The child's first reaction is concentration, which does not last long. The next step is for the baby to quickly reach out with his hand (usually two) towards the desired goal. It is important that this is a purposeful, meaningful movement. The baby cannot always grab an object; sometimes he only touches it with his palm.
- Crawling skills. Lying on his stomach, the baby tries to make crawling movements. The baby moves, leaning on his forearms, but cannot yet get on all fours. If you put it in front of it a bright toy, the baby will have a tempting incentive to move forward and grab the toy.
- Straightening the legs when supporting. If you take the baby under the arms and place him in vertical position with the feet supported, he will begin to straighten his legs. In this case, the baby does not yet place his entire foot on the surface, but rests only on his fingertips.
Also, a baby at 5 months can hold a bottle in his hands, independently pulls the pacifier out of his mouth and accurately puts it back. These activities confirm how much eye-hand coordination has improved.
The baby is still interested in the mother's face. But if before he only contemplated and smiled, now he examines the face with his palms, feels his nose, touches strands of hair, and puts his fingers in his mother’s mouth. The baby loves to be played with, talked loudly and emotionally, lifted, rotated, tickled - usually he reacts to all these actions with a ringing laugh. But any change in appearance loved one(hairstyle, hair color, hat, flashy makeup) can alert the baby and even frighten him.
5 month old baby’s perception of the world around him
What should a baby be able to do at 5 months and how does he learn to perceive the world? How it develops emotional sphere, tactile sensations, visual, auditory reactions?
- Focus on everything new and unusual. If new objects come into view, the baby will certainly concentrate his attention on them. The baby is interested in objects that move, make sounds, and demonstrate some new properties. He is able to distinguish large details on toys, and color perception already includes the entire spectrum of colors. The baby reacts differently to new objects and phenomena: some cause joyful exclamations, and some cause fear and crying. The baby also notices when a toy changes or objects are rearranged. At this age he is already attracted bright pictures in books.
- Development of the emotional sphere. Emotions, like motor skills, are formed gradually. At 1 month of life, primitive emotions were associated with organic, but not social reasons. The smile was unconscious. A 5-month-old baby is able to react emotionally to situations; his experiences become socially conditioned. Motor activity and emotions at this age are strongly interconnected. Emotions also become more and more apparent when communicating with loved ones.
- Negative and positive emotions. If the baby tries to roll over on his stomach, tries to grab a toy, but nothing works, you can see how the child gets nervous and cries. But you can also see positive emotions when the baby succeeds at something. Psychologists say that the feeling of joy in babies lasts for a long time. A positive experience encourages the baby to repeat the movements again and again.
- Auditory response test. All babies are auditory learners, their ears are sensitive to new sounds, timbre, voice intonations, various noises, and music. There is an assumption that the main channel of perception of the world (auditory, visual, kinesthetic) is laid down in infancy. How to check auditory response? You need to put the baby on his back, remove all external stimuli and distractions, stand behind the baby’s head and rustle the paper from one ear, then the other. The child should turn his head towards the source of the noise. The baby also reacts to turning music on and off, noise during work household appliances, phone call.
- Tactile sensations. The child reacts to temperature changes, compares hard, soft, fluffy surfaces. To develop his tactile sensations, it is recommended to purchase toys from various safe materials and give objects to his hands various shapes. A child of this age already reacts to tickling with laughter.
The psychomotor development of girls and boys proceeds at the same pace. It is preferable to talk not about gender differences, but about individual characteristics baby, his innate temperament, body type, which can affect the formation of skills.
What's new in speech development
A baby at 5 months has not yet entered the stage of pre-speech development, which is called babbling. But the articulation of sounds is already slowly approaching the sounds of native speech. How do baby's speech skills develop at 5 months?
- Such vowels are already pronounced: “and”, “s”, “e”, “o”, “a”, “u”.
- Such consonants are already pronounced: “d/t”, “g/k/x”, “v/f”, “s/z”, “b/p”, “m”.
- Intonation in the voice. The tone of the voice is related to emotional state baby. With his voice he can show joy, delight, dissatisfaction, anxiety.
- New syllable chains: “ba-ba”, “ma-ma” (unconsciously yet), “yes-yes”, “me-me”, “give-give”, “mem-meme”.
Another one characteristic feature at this age - the appearance of stress in syllables. Therefore, the baby's humming takes on a rhythmic coloring and intonationally begins to approach the rhythm of native speech.
What can a 5 month old baby do? It is noticeably enriched physical activity and emotional sphere. Movements become more coordinated, dexterous, and accurate. A baby’s hands can already do a lot of things: pull, push, swing, hold, turn, throw. But my favorite movement is to grab.
When your baby is four months old, he should weigh about six kilograms. But if the child’s weight is less, this is not yet a reason to be upset. Physical development depends on many conditions - also on the initial ones, for example, on the weight and length of the body at birth; Heredity plays a big role - meaning the constitution. Inherited physical characteristics remain for life.
By the fifth month, the baby's weight should be approximately double its birth weight. That is, your baby already weighs about seven kilograms. If you want to know how much weight your child gains per day, you can make a rough calculation. You will get about twenty grams. But you already know that these numbers also vary for different children. One child gains 19 grams per day, the other - 23 grams. Both are the norm. Until about the ninth month of life, the child gains 16-18 grams of weight every day. In two weeks approximately 250 grams. Based on these numbers, you can make some calculations.
If you regularly weigh your baby and plot his weight curve as before, the curve will show a smooth and constant rise. Must not be sharp changes- sharp teeth. Also, there should be no long-term (more than a week) freezes at one level, indicating that for some reason the child has stopped gaining weight. If you notice that your weight curve has plateaued, consult your pediatrician.
At this age, weight gain per week is not always the same. One week the gain may be 190 grams, and the next - 230. Don't worry about this, this is normal.
You have already noticed: as soon as the child realized that his hands obeyed him, he was at first very surprised, and then began to increasingly use his hands for their intended purpose, that is, he began to grab everything with them, feel them, and pull them towards him. The baby already comprehends the world around him not only through the organs of vision and hearing, but also by touch. And after some time - and after a taste, he pulls all the objects into his mouth. It is useless to prevent him from doing this - the baby is at the mercy of instinct. Your task is not to give your child any object that contains too many microbes (microorganisms are present in small quantities everywhere, except, of course, for objects that have undergone special treatment).
You will soon notice that the child puts not only objects into his mouth, but also his hands themselves, and he develops the habit of thumb sucking. This must be prevented in every possible way, since this habit intensifies the baby’s salivation process, and over time, the jaws (and subsequently, the teeth) are formed incorrectly. In addition, the fingers that the child has chosen for sucking are noticeably bent.
As soon as you notice that your child is sucking his fingers, remove them from his mouth. Do this assertively, but not harshly.
However, you cannot go up to your child every minute and pull his fingers or fist out of his mouth. You have many other concerns. Try putting cotton mittens on your child.
Also be careful about the pacifier. There is no need for the child to suck on it day and night. The child has already grown noticeably and can easily do without a pacifier. Try to wean your baby off the pacifier. The pacifier only benefits the mother, but does nothing but harm to the baby.
How to wean a child off a pacifier?
Only by calling on patience as an assistant. The child asks for a pacifier, is capricious, and you distract him with games and toys; you know that a pacifier can be harmful - the child will eventually develop an abnormal bite.
Some mothers, at the instigation of their grandmothers, in order to wean the baby off the pacifier, smear the pacifier with mustard... Don’t do this, it can have a bad effect on the baby’s stomach. Remove the pacifier so that it is out of your baby's eyes.
How to direct your child's wakefulness and sleep patterns in the right direction?
Sometimes it happens that a child confuses day and night. You go to bed, and after one o'clock in the morning your baby wakes up and starts active life: he babbles something, knocks with his hand on the rattles suspended above him, begins to crawl in the crib... And dad has to work early in the morning, and when he wakes up, he can’t fall asleep, he’s nervous, angry. Mom also wants to rest; for her, night rest is even more important: after all, she is breastfeeding the baby; and if mom chronically does not get enough sleep, her milk may disappear... Be patient. Don't swear at your child. Moreover, he still does not understand what they want from him. Don't even raise your voice at him - you'll only scare him.
Try to find irregularities in the already established routine of day and night. Think about it: why does a child already feel rested and looking for communication by one or two in the morning?
Perhaps your child sleeps too much during the day because no one is studying with him. This is one of the most probable causes. The child is left to his own devices, he is tired of the toy that lies in the crib, and he does not even look at this toy. And without playing, without moving, he does not get tired.
There are more important point: sometimes someone close to you plays too actively with the child at night and overstimulates him. For example, dad: came home from work, had dinner, rested a little on the ottoman and then decided to play with the heir. And he shakes the baby, and laughs, and spins, and even throws him up to the ceiling. The child obviously likes this. But after such fun he cannot sleep at night.
Some parents (let's hope there are few of them), getting irritated with their child for any reason, hit him. In all likelihood, not much - but still! Such a child, of course, will sleep restlessly and wake up at night, incurring even greater anger from his stupid parents.
Your child is four months old, he has grown up after the maternity hospital - even you notice this, although you see the child every day. However, your baby is still too weak and requires careful handling - always remember this. When you take a child in your arms, hold him correctly so as not to damage or bend the spine - he is still so tender. Your child should already be able to hold his head up well.
If you need to hold the baby in your arms, then let him lie with his shoulder blades and back on your forearm, and hold his lower body with your free hand. Don't restrict his movements. The baby wants to move his arms and legs - let him move; If he wants to stretch, let him stretch; his muscles may have become stiff from lying for a long time, and it’s so nice to stretch.
But don't hold him in your arms all the time. This will only harm both yourself and the child. But he should not remain alone and lie in one place all the time. Be sure to buy a playpen, you can move it around the apartment, and the baby will always see his loved ones, and your hands will be free for other things.
Your child becomes very curious. He can no longer lie quietly in place. He turns his head back and forth, examines objects, and tries to reach them. Sometimes he even tries to sit up. This is, of course, a reason to rejoice for parents. But don’t rush to sit your child down. If the child has not yet sat down on his own, it means that he is not ready to sit (the spine is not strong enough, the back muscles are not strong enough). Sometimes parents cover the child with pillows so that he can sit. Do not do this. Rushing can cause harm. Nature will prepare the child’s body, and he will sit up on his own.
However, sometimes you can kind of help the baby sit down. This will be a kind of game that strengthens the child’s back muscles. You offer him your fingers, he grabs them and tries to sit up. Let him sit for a second and put him down again. Come back to this game from time to time.
After the age of four months, do not restrict the baby’s movements in any way. Let him jerk his legs and arms to his own pleasure. This is necessary for proper physical development.
Turn the baby from side to side, lay him on his tummy. You will notice how, while lying on his stomach, your child arches his back, turns his head left and right - perhaps these movements occur because the child does not want to lie with his nose buried in the sheet. From these movements, the muscles of the back and neck quickly become stronger. You can please your baby with a light back massage. Children really like massage.
Change your baby's position often when he is lying in the crib. Sometimes he sleeps on his left side, sometimes on his right; When awake, he will lie on his back. Such a change in body position is important because congestion in the muscles is eliminated in time, and therefore the muscles do not become too tired. In addition, the child’s head is not deformed (sometimes some flattening of the back of the head is observed when the body is positioned uniformly on the back).
You can already assess the psychophysical development of your child yourself. At four months of age, a baby can normally do the following:
- lying on his stomach, turns on his side;
- when you pick him up, he holds his head well;
- when he lies on his back, sometimes he raises his head and tries to sit up on his own;
- while awake, actively moves arms and legs, grabs all objects that are nearby;
- lying on his stomach, rests his hands on the mattress and slightly lifts his torso;
- is very interested in everything that happens around him; looks around, recognizes the voice, responds with a smile; determines where the sound source is and tries to turn towards it;
- tries out his voice, babbles, laughs;
- is very interested in toys, expresses joy when a new toy appears;
- if music starts playing in the next room, the child freezes and listens with curiosity.
There is a pattern: the more care and attention you show to your child, the better he develops psychophysically. You are the source from which the baby draws. You must be open. Don't be lazy, do more with your baby. Talk to him, sing songs to him - and not necessarily just lullabies; show toys, name colors, draw bright pictures. A child is like a sponge, he absorbs all impressions. Perhaps he is not yet able to demonstrate the stock of his knowledge, but rest assured - something has been put aside.
You have noticed more than once that a child babbles. The sounds he utters do not yet carry any meaning. This is only a voice test, a test of the speech apparatus. It will take him a long time to learn to speak and memorize new words and is still only at the beginning of his journey. Folding your lips in a certain way, pressing your tongue against your gums and making a certain sound is so interesting. This is an entertaining game for a child. Take part in this game, set the tone - pronounce different sounds, but so that the child can see your lips.
Talk to your child in a calm voice. He feels more confident when he sees that you are calm. This is inherent in nature: a child is a small mirror of your condition. If you are worried about something, your child will quickly notice and become worried too.
When talking to your child, point to the objects you name. In the future, this knowledge will help the child speak faster.
But don’t forget about a sense of proportion. Don't tire your baby too much. The limits of his capabilities are still very small. By being too active with such a small child, trying to make him a child prodigy to please your own ambition, you can only do harm.
If you notice that your child has lost interest in the subject of the conversation, do not overdo it. The child was simply tired - filled to capacity with impressions. He needs some time to digest these impressions.
Some mothers act wisely, starting from the fifth month to accustom their baby to a cup. One or two sips of boiled water from a cup is all that is required to get started. But this will significantly expand the child’s horizons. The baby will already know that food can be taken not only from the breast or bottle. Over time, it will be easier for you to wean your baby.
First, you hold the cup yourself and press its edge to the child's lips. Then you give the cup into the child’s hands - for example, a plastic cup (if the child lets it go, he won’t break it). So gradually the baby will learn to handle the cup on his own.
Show your baby how you drink from a cup yourself. The object lesson meant a lot to him.
Of course, the child will spill the contents of the cup on himself more than once. No one gets by without such “accidents.” Control yourself, don’t get angry with your child, don’t yell at him, make an effort on yourself and stay calm. Change your child's clothes and talk to him like an adult. Children of all ages love to be treated like adults. And, perhaps, there is no child in the world who would love to be coddled (why do some adults think that children should be talked to this way?).
Stick to your child's chosen daily routine. The body loves rhythm. By adjusting to the rhythm, the child’s body, as it were, predicts itself for the near future and prepares for it. With such preparation, the course of many physiological processes is greatly facilitated.
What can a child do?
In the fifth month, the baby will even more surprise and delight you with increased activity. He will make his first bid for independence: you have just laid him on his back, and he himself turned on his side, then on his stomach. And on his stomach he already lies differently - he rests not on his forearms, but only on his palms, he holds his head freely, high. This pose is becoming a favorite - you'll see more this way! It is interesting to watch the baby’s reaction to some object or toy that attracts his attention. At first he looks at it very seriously, then, holding out his hand, bends his fingers, as if trying to take it, smacks his lips, as if tasting it, and, finally, if it is available, he takes it.
Now toys can not only be hung up, but also placed in the crib, right and left. The child gropes for them, picks them up, drops them, picks them up again. It’s good if there are toys or objects suitable for play different shapes, With different surface- soft and hard, smooth and rough, smooth and ribbed. You can take one by using your hand like a scoop, but with the other you will have to tinker, work with your fingers - spread them apart, close them, bend them, straighten them. New tactile sensations and subtle movements of the hand enrich the child’s experience and stimulate the speech areas of the brain.
The child “talks” more and more, cries out joyfully if something surprises him, repeats vowel sounds melodiously, you can catch in his “vocals” a new iridescent sound combination, such as “al-de-ly-agy-ay” - experts call this “ appearance of the pipe." Health portal www.site
It's time to spend part of your waking hours in the playpen. This gives the child more freedom of movement, teaches him to have fun on his own, and, at least a little, frees up the mother.
Place the playpen so that the baby has a viewpoint from all four sides. He is a little explorer; he is extremely interested in looking at a new environment for him, seeing what is happening around him, and watching the adults moving around the room.
Place three or four toys in the playpen at such a distance that, with a little effort, he can get them. If there is no playpen, temporarily turn it into a crib - take out the mattress and replace it with a wooden board covered with a blanket. But the crib will very soon become too small for “hanging out”, and it is advisable that the child gets used to the upcoming separation: one place for games, another for sleeping, then putting him to bed will be a signal for him: it’s time to sleep!
You can use a wide and fairly flat ottoman or bed as a substitute for a playpen, but here you will have to sit next to him without moving away - the child is already quite mobile. If you turn away for a minute, he will be on the floor.
It is especially risky to leave a baby on a changing table: from about the fourth to fifth month, falling from such a table is the most common injury in children.
Complementary feeding: strategy and tactics
From the middle of the fifth month, a new era in nutrition begins, complementary foods can be introduced. If diluted juices and grated apples were and remain useful and pleasant additions to breast milk or formula, then complementary feeding dishes should gradually replace these infant products, preparing the child to part with mother's breast or a bottle of formula. But this is a distant, strategic goal.
First of all, complementary feeding is necessary as a source of substances that are already lacking in breast milk. And, first of all, these are mineral salts, because they are intensively consumed for the development of bone and muscle systems, the heart, and the brain. In particular, the concentration of iron in mother's milk does not meet the physiological needs of the child infancy. Iron is stored by the child's body during the gestation period and by 4 months this depot is critically reduced, and very little iron is supplied with mother's milk. The result is anemia in the baby. According to WHO recommendations, complementary foods are introduced no earlier than 4, but no later than 6 full months. Look at your child when exactly he needs complementary feeding. If development begins to lag behind generally accepted norms or blood counts change, then the moment has already arrived. If everything goes according to plan, we wait up to six months.
Of the two possible options first feeding (porridge or vegetable puree) after long discussions, experts gave preference to vegetables. Properly prepared puree is full in composition, is well absorbed, has a beneficial effect on digestion, and does not pose a threat of excess carbohydrates, unless, of course, it contains more than 40-50% potatoes. The puree can be enriched and varied using a variety of vegetables - carrots, white cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, zucchini, green pea, even beets and spinach.
Of course, all the vegetables are not cooked at once. For starters, you can take, say, carrots and cabbage. All this is washed and cleaned, taking “anti-nitrate measures” just in case: the core is removed from the carrots, the leaves adjacent to the stalk are not taken from the head of cabbage, the part at the root is cut off from the beets. You can use some potatoes to make mashed potatoes.
Boil vegetables cut into small pieces, covered. Not everything is put into the saucepan at once: what takes longer to boil, for example, carrots, is added earlier; whatever comes first comes later, potatoes come last. The prepared vegetables are pureed while they are hot, adding (also hot) milk. The puree should be thin, fluffy, without lumps.
A full serving requires approximately 100 g of vegetables, 20 ml (tablespoon) of milk or mixture; add 1/2 teaspoon to the finished puree vegetable oil, it is more important for a child of this age than creamy. Complementary foods are introduced with half a teaspoon, gradually increasing the portion.
Or buy ready-made puree for baby food according to the age.
Especially about salt
Important question! The child did not yet know the salty taste; he was becoming familiar with it for the first time. And I really want him to begin to develop a normal taste perception of salty and unsalted from now on.
A person cannot do without salt; it is necessary both for the regulation of water-salt metabolism and for the production of gastric juice. But its excess is extremely harmful. First of all, because it helps to increase blood pressure. A person who perceives moderately salted food as unsalted, who is accustomed to reaching for a salt shaker without even trying it, is a candidate for hypertension. You don't want your child to become like this!
The common recommendation in recipes for children's dishes, “salt on the tip of a knife,” is not suitable. This is still relative, because there are different knives, different presentation about the amount “at the tip”. Experts who have studied children's diets in detail advise both for accuracy and for hygienic reasons that for children under one year of age, salt should be used only in the form of a 25% solution, and sugar - in the form of syrup.
The saline solution is prepared as follows: dissolve 25 g of salt in 100 ml of water, boil for 10 minutes over low heat, add boiling water to the original volume, boil again and strain through two layers of gauze. A maximum of 3 ml of this solution is added to the puree - approximately half a teaspoon, but if possible, if the child eats without salt - less. Vegetables contain required amount salt.
By introducing new complementary foods, you are doing another important thing - you are forming new taste sensations in the child, establishing eating habits that will be of great importance for his entire subsequent life and even, strange as it may seem to think about it now, for life and health your grandchildren...
Lunch and after
The range of healthy eating habits also includes the ability to eat slowly, with taste, and with pleasure.
Do not start feeding your child when he is crying, irritated or dissatisfied with something. Calm down first. When preparing to eat, sit him on your lap, say cheerfully and affectionately: “Now we’ll eat, look how delicious the puree is!” It doesn’t matter that he doesn’t understand words yet, but he reacts superbly to intonation and catches his mother’s mood. For greater comfort, you can even turn on some soft music.
Scoop some puree into a spoon and bring it to your baby’s mouth, but don’t try to push it into that little mouth faster! Forced feeding is unacceptable. Lightly touch the edge of the spoon to upper lip child, encouraging him to remove the puree with his lips.
Maybe he will immediately understand what is required and will be willing to eat. But he can close his lips and begin to turn his head, turning away from the spoon. Wait a minute! And then patiently, calmly start all over again. Please note that when it comes to food, young children are terrible conservatives. They are scared off not only by a new taste, but by an unusual color or smell, they are even alarmed new cup or a bowl. Maybe the spoon is uncomfortable? A standard tea spoon is still too big for such a child; you need a coffee-type spoon and, if possible, as flat as possible.
Now you can feed your baby not 6, but 5 times a day with four-hour breaks, that is, approximately 6, 10, 14, 18, 22 hours. It is best to give puree at 14:00, first before breastfeeding or formula feeding and, like everything new, carefully, little by little - half a spoon on the first day, then one or two spoons, then gradually more and, reaching 150 on the 7-10th day d, feed only one puree. You can add the prescribed portion of mashed yolk to it, and give the child to wash down the puree with juice. Why not lunch?
Don't be alarmed if you see signs of vegetables in your baby's stool. This is natural, as is some change in the color of urine - from beets, for example, it can become reddish.
Only possible allergic reactions, the appearance or intensification of diathesis require attention. The most harmless vegetables in this regard are zucchini and cabbage, the most common allergen is carrots. Some children don't even tolerate potatoes well.
A child can receive meat only after six months! Before this period, it will create an excessive protein load on the body. An exception can only be made in special cases, if, for example, the child has very low hemoglobin. And the doctor must resolve the issue. In general, every complementary food has its time.
Massage and gymnastics - every day!
Yes exactly. If you want to see the effect of massage and gymnastics, do it daily (except, of course, for those cases when the child is unwell). The complex is now a little more complicated; more intense rubbing is added to the stroking techniques. Carry it out carefully, carefully, so that the child likes it.
1. Starting, as before, by stroking the hands, then cross them 6-8 times on the baby’s chest, alternately placing one on top of the other and spreading them apart.
2. You can no longer just stroke your belly in a circular motion one palm clockwise (8-10 times), but also lightly rub along the midline with both palms moving in the opposite direction (6-8 times), then from the lumbar region to the middle, so that the fingers of your hands connect above the navel , and then stroke again.
3. After stroking your feet, first rub them small movements palms from foot to hip joint, along the outer side of the lower leg and thigh, then with spiral movements of the large and index finger both hands - on the outside and inside lower leg and outer thigh, from the foot to the groin area.
4. Even if the child has already mastered turning from back to stomach, it’s a good idea to practice, especially since he usually prefers one position, and now, with your help, he will have to turn 2-3 times to the right and left. A bright toy can be a stimulus.
5. Rub your back (stroking it as before) 4-6 times with both palms from the neck to the buttocks and back, on both sides of the spine.
6. Repeat exercise 9 from the previous complex (third month).
7. With the baby on his back, use the palms of both hands to stroke chest along the way pectoral muscles, towards the armpits.
9. Massage his feet by stroking, rubbing and lightly tapping them back side middle and index fingers.
10. And in conclusion - let's dance! Taking the child under the armpits, let him rest his feet well, and he himself will begin to joyfully bend and straighten his knees.
The entire lesson should last 8-10 minutes. Be sure to find these minutes in your daily routine!
What should a 5 month old baby be able to do?
- At 5 months, the baby not only already recognizes people close to him, but also shows great interest in strangers. From this age, the baby perceives the person’s face as a whole.
- The baby begins to distinguish close people from strangers. Seeing a new face, he freezes and peers carefully into the face. A frowning expression most often causes fear in a baby. Only trusted people are now approved by a smile! Many children from this age become frightened and begin to cry at the sight of a stranger. Most often, parents at this age ask the question: “Why is he afraid of his grandparents who come to visit them?” It should be emphasized here that kids friendly recognize only those people who constantly surround them. It is clear that if grandparents visit the baby once a week or even a month, they will be perceived by the baby as strangers.
For the development of the baby, this phase of alienation plays great importance. At this moment he "discovers" something like a sense of his own Self. This is a huge step in his social development! Feeling afraid of strangers indicates deep emotional connection with people close to him (mother, father, or another person close to him). - From 5 months, the child is able to continuously watch an object for 10–15 minutes. If earlier he looked at what most attracted his attention, now he himself chooses an object on which he fixes all his attention. Of course, his greatest interest is still attracted to attractive toys. Make your baby's world diverse and beautiful! Let gentle and loving voices, pleasant music and mother’s smile be always nearby. After all, interest and knowledge of the world around us begins with interest and love for mother.
- At 5 months, your baby can clearly distinguish the voices of people close to him. He can distinguish between strict and affectionate intonation of speech - he will smile in response to a gentle voice, but will respond to a strict one with an offensive grimace and may even cry.
- The child hums for a long time and melodiously. These gentle and soft sounds in all possible combinations delight not only those around him, but also himself! The baby, playing with sounds, accumulates experience to master speech. Talk to your baby, call him by name, ask how he feels, what he wants. Let your speech be calm and accompanied by facial expressions, so the baby will quickly understand its content.
- Starting from the 5th month, the baby is already able to a short time overcome your weight by leaning on your elbows and rising with outstretched arms. Some babies begin to master turning over from their back to their tummy.
- Lying on his back, he increasingly strives to raise his head and shoulders. He tries to get up. If you support him under his arms, he will stand straight and stable for 3-4 minutes. The time for complete helplessness is over! The baby is growing and gaining strength to sit, crawl and stand.
- By 5 - 5 and a half months, your baby will begin to intently try to grab the toy. Don't even doubt that he will succeed! Now he will grab it and hold it on his own, like a human being, opposing his thumb to the others. Such voluntary grasping of an object and mastery of it is important stage in the development of your baby! This is the stage of active cognition of his environment.
- From this age, the baby will be able to grasp thick food with its lips. But just recently he could only suck! Invite him to lick a piece of peeled vegetable or fruit, he will like it, he will reach for it again and again. This is the age when many babies begin their first experience of complementary feeding. Mom proudly gives the baby a small spoon of porridge. And he likes it, he is ready to try something else besides mother’s milk. His ventricle is preparing for adult food.
From the first days of life, the baby develops in different directions. Activity progresses every month and brings to light more and more new abilities. In parallel with physical development, the baby is developing both mentally and emotionally. Careful observation allows us to divide the stages depending on age. Likewise, 5 months of age requires special attention.
From this article you will learn:
Natural development is the growth of a small person, changes in his weight, and head circumference. Sizes directly depend on gender. Boys tend to develop in this regard faster than girls, because they then grow into heroes and defenders of the weaker sex.
The following indicators are typical for girls:
For boys the indicators will be different:
These average data were established by domestic studies and may vary individually for each child.
Child's physical achievements
It is at this age that coordination of actions begins to appear. The baby is already clearly beginning to coordinate the movement of all parts of the body to achieve the goal.
His abilities are not limited to turning the body from the stomach to the back - some children are able to turn in the opposite direction.
Characteristic movements for the age of 5 months are:
- Ability to half sit- brings significant relief to parents. In this position, the baby is able to observe the actions of others and examine objects. This allows you to occupy him for a while and free up a few minutes for household chores.
- Move by crawling- both forward and backward. Different children have their own way of crawling: some push off with their feet, while others pull themselves up with their hands.
- Attempts to grab any object, within reach. True, this is not always possible, since the mobility of the hands is not yet fully formed.
- First beginnings in playing with your favorite toys. The baby already distinguishes color and image, as a result of which he develops preferences and chooses the specific toy he needs.
When getting acquainted with new things, the child can already distinguish its state, warm or cold, by feeling the surface. Children may also exhibit other amazing abilities, as development occurs faster and faster every year.
Development 5 one month old baby also reflected in the ability to actively lift limbs. The baby can pull up his body, holding on to the parent's finger and try to sit up. But he won’t be able to stay in this position, and it’s too early to sit the child in an even position.
In case of forced sitting, for example, in pillows, the spine may become bent. While doing pull-ups on your own will only benefit the development of his muscles.
In this way you can observe possible deviations in development. If the baby does not perform any actions characteristic of his age, you can identify weak parts of the body and strengthen them through regular massage.
Getting to know each other
The inquisitive age of 5 months attracts the young researcher to study people. He likes to watch them, catch any movement, hear the conversation. But at five months the baby already clearly knows his close circle of people and can distinguish strangers.
It is important for parents not to become “strangers” to their child. This can happen due to limiting your communication with him. The closer the contact, the closer the parent becomes to the baby. Not only are they important emotional relationships, but also physical touch.
There is no need to forbid your child to ruffle his hair, grab his nose or ears, because he is interested in all this - this is how he tries to convey what he cannot say in words.
In order not to lose the thread with the child, still in early age it is necessary to follow the path of mutual knowledge:
- Talk more– this way his own language will form faster. Over time, the baby will increasingly pronounce vowel sounds, and perhaps even simple syllables.
- Participate and invent cooperative games – everything is individual. By experimenting, you can find out the games you like best. Most love it when their parents toss them up or tickle them a little.
When planning your daily routine, you need to devote any free minute to communication, and not just to the necessary care of him.
Feelings in the formation of a child aged 5 months
During this period, changes also occur in vision. If previously a newborn was able to see only at a distance of no more than 50 cm, now his vision is fully developed. He can observe movement and objects at any distance.
All children really like to watch themselves in the mirror. Thus, they seem to study themselves:
- changing your facial expressions;
- hand movement;
- conveys the mood to its reflection.
The sense of touch at five months occurs almost through the lips and mouth. Any small object that the baby can grab, he unconsciously pulls into his mouth. And this is due not only to possible teething. This is how the child explores objects.
Also at this age, children are very sensitive to their own sounds. By publishing them, the baby himself rejoices at his own successes. And the baby will repeat the ones he especially likes repeatedly until he masters a new sound.
What is the best activity to occupy a child at this age?
First, you can try to teach him the concept of cause and effect. For example, rolling a car down a hill without using your hands. Also all children like bubble, namely how they burst in contact with the body. Watching their flight, the child will receive unforgettable joy for a long time.
One of the educational types of toys for the age of 5 months can be sound toys. And not only those that make sounds on their own, but also those that squeak or scream only when you press them. This way, the researcher will be able to independently select the frequency and sequence of sounds.
Development methods for a 5 month old baby
In order for the baby’s ability to master motor skills to actively develop, the help of parents will be required. There are several methods in game form, which will bring the muscles to a state where it will be possible to freely control body parts:
- Raise and lower your hands, while massaging and stroking them;
- Shake your head from side to side.
- Massage with light body pats;
- Help the child crawl;
- Pull your legs towards your stomach.
For the baby’s mental development, you can use the game of children’s hide and seek “peek-a-boo”, when you should hide from the child by closing your eyes. Gradually he will adopt the movements and repeat the same actions, and possibly accompany them with sounds.
Working regularly with the child, devoting all of your attention to him free time, you can get in return not only a strong growing body and healthy active development, but also the incomparable love and joy of the baby. From the first days, children adopt all the habits and moods of those around them, so a smiling and happy child will be a worthy reward.