By the time your baby has reached the age of 5 months, you have had time to get to know him and you may feel more relaxed about being a parent. At this time of rapid change, you will notice his new skills almost every day, and you will want to know that your child is developing as expected. By understanding the things most babies can do at 5 months, you can check on his progress.
Identification
As well as physical growth, you will see changes in your 5-month-old's feeding habits, sleeping, mobility and dexterity. Her intellect, language development and social and emotional skills are other key areas of development. This is a particularly important time in your child's life, as she is starting to develop her core attachment to her parents, according to the "Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry." Building your close relationship with her will help her future emotional development.
Features
At 5 months, your child will be reaching out and grasping toys, stretching and kicking and supporting his upper body on his arms. He will like to sit up, supported, to see what is happening around him. He is likely to begin babbling and will copy some of the sounds you make with him.
He likes to watch someone's face closely as that person talks, and he begins to enjoy playing with other people, smiling, laughing and cooing at them. You will notice that he can follow a moving object with his eyes. He will be sleeping less, with just two or three naps during the day.
Considerations
According to NetDoctor, your baby can begin to move on to some solid food at around this age. His rapid growth, alert wakefulness and new activities mean he has a big appetite. A teaspoon of cereal can help him feel satisfied.
Playing with your baby comes naturally to you both. Now that he is awake for longer periods, you can help his development by enjoying picture books together, singing rhymes and simple songs. Let him play with a variety of toys to stretch his new abilities. Rattles are favorite noisemakers at this age.
Expert Insight
Starting your young child on solid food can be a messy business. It is important to go slowly. According to BabyCenter, a good way to begin is with a thin porridge made with ground rice. You might follow it with oatmeal and other cereals and then pureed vegetables.
Offer your baby only a small amount of soft food on a teaspoon at first. It is sensible to breastfeed or give her some formula first, so she is not too hungry when she tries the first tastes of solid food. Take it slowly to let her get used to one taste over several days before introducing the next.
Prevention/Solution
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains that babies vary in their rate of development, so a description of one child at 5 months will differ from that of another. This is quite normal. It is important to speak to your health care provider if you are worried that your child does not turn toward sounds, watch people's faces, follow bright colors or smile at you when you smile at her.
References
- "The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry"; Controversy, Theory and Social Context in Contemporary Day Care Research; H. McGurk, M. Caplan, E. Hennessy and P. Moss; 1993
- NetDoctor: Feeding a Baby
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Learn the Signs. Act Early
- BabyCenter: Age-by-Age Guide to Feeding Your Baby
