Your baby is all personality this month, and you lot're reaping the rewards, taking in all those giggles and adorable tricks that you lot probably can't go plenty of.

By now, your baby should be settled in to a sleep and feeding schedule and calming bedtime routine, plus there are plenty of fun firsts yous take to look forward to. And the brand new world of solid foods is just around the corner!

Here'due south what else you tin can wait this month.

Your v-month-old baby's development

At a Glance

Sleeping basics

About babies this age sleep 10 to 12 hours at night and, fifty-fifty though information technology'southward unremarkably not necessary at this point, wake up for a feeding or two. They also nap for three to five hours a day, spaced between two or three naps.

Feeding nuts

Breastfed babies should get 24 to 36 ounces of breast milk a day spread out over near 5 or six feeds. Formula-fed babies should have 24 to 36 ounces of formula in about 5 feeds.

Did you know?

Your baby will honey playing games like peek-a-boo and hibernate-and-seek every bit she begins to grasp the concept of object permanence.

These days, your infant will love putting the "boo!" in "peek-a-boo!" These kinds of hide-and-seek games start to become giggle-producing favorites as your baby begins to grasp the concept of object permanence.

More signs of baby's burgeoning intelligence: She can discern tiny items and lots of colors now, as well as runway moving objects.

Your trivial i is likewise gaining manual dexterity and may now exist able to laissez passer a toy from one paw to the other or rake a small object and then pick it upward. She's a large babbler as well, then encourage baby's chatter by talking up a storm yourself.

Your babe's hearing and vision are almost completely developed by at present. And that name you then thoughtfully chose and take been lovingly maxim for months? She just might recognize it now and turn toward you when you say information technology.

Your piffling explorer is eagerly taking in everything she sees — assisted by new motor skills, such every bit confident head command and strong push-ups — and trying to make sense of the world.

Your v-calendar month-old babe's growth

Your baby continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and somewhere betwixt 4 and 6 months your baby will be gear up to take on a brand new feeding frontier: solids.

Call back, though, that while these first feedings are an exciting first step to a lifetime of eating, they're less about nutrients and more about gaining feel.

Breast milk or formula will proceed to provide much of your infant's nutritional requirements until the end of the first twelvemonth.

So that means that yous'll be starting small at present, serving up about 1 tablespoon of pureed baby foods or babe cereal (mixed with a small corporeality of breast milk or formula) twice a solar day.

As your infant gets used to solids and expresses an eagerness for more, you lot tin can expect the corporeality baby takes to increase gradually up to 4 tablespoons per meal.

Baby cereal (whole grain oat, whole grain barley or brown rice) is a common first nutrient — and a good source of iron for breastfed babies — only you can too cull to feed your little eater soft vegetables (like sweetness potatoes, squash, carrots, peas and green beans) and fruits (including pureed ripe avocado, finely mashed bananas, or baby applesauce, peaches or pears).

It's a good idea to introduce i new food every three to v days to see if any allergies or other reactions announced. And talk to your doctor nearly the right time and place to give your baby solids. Most recommend waiting until she turns half-dozen months old.

Your 5-calendar month-quondam baby's health

Babe isn't due for a well visit for some other calendar month, merely at that place'south still enough going on with your little one'southward wellness.

Are Teething Gels Safe?

To help ease teething hurting, yous can give your little one something to chew on, like a teething ring or toy, or something common cold, similar a partially-frozen wet washcloth (frozen teething items are also hard for babies' tender mouths). Merely don't utilise benzocaine-based teething gels or those labeled homeopathic to numb the pain. Read More

Could infant take allergies?

It'southward possible (though rare) for babies to develop allergies to irritants such as pollen, mold, pet dander and grit mites. Allergy symptoms in babies tend to resemble those of cold symptoms, and include runny noses, sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and congestion. Read More

Hand, foot and mouth affliction

Contrary to its dire-sounding proper noun, paw, foot and rima oris affliction (HFMD) is very common in babies and children under the age of 5 and tends to be a fairly balmy infection. The telltale sign is a painful, bumpy, scarlet rash or blisters that announced on — you guessed information technology — the easily, soles of the feet and inside of the mouth. Read More

Vaping around babies

Vaping — i.e. inhaling the vapor from e-cigarettes such as JUULs and vape pods — exposes your baby to toxic chemicals like smoking does, so do your best to avoid it at all costs. Read More

Protecting babies in the oestrus

If the temperature is xc degrees Fahrenheit or higher, your baby shouldn't play outside for any prolonged period of time. When the rut alphabetize is below ninety degrees, you lot should notwithstanding limit sun exposure as much as possible between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and be certain to bring sunscreen and plenty of water if you do need to go out in the sun with her. Read More than

Postpartum & new baby tips

Infant'southward night routine

A lifetime of good sleep for your baby will depend on your little ane learning how to fall asleep unassisted.

And that means it'southward important to give baby the tools she needs to autumn asleep (and back to sleep) solo.

That includes establishing a bedtime routine (one that doesn't include nodding off at the breast or bottle), and embarking on a slumber grooming (or sleep teaching) mission.

It besides involves learning and responding to sleep cues (eye rubbing or crankiness, for instance), putting baby downwards to sleep while she'southward still awake, leaving baby'south room and being prepared for some tears.

Sitting upwards

It varies from baby to baby, merely most piddling ones will exist able to sit up with aid between 3 and 5 months old, either by propping themselves up on their hands, or with a piffling support from you or a seat.

Past the time she'due south vi months old, your baby will probably have developed the neck, upper body and dorsum muscles to be able to sit without support.

As soon every bit your babe has mastered lifting and holding that cute head upwardly, yous tin help your little ane acquire to sit up. Prop your babe up in a seated position in an babe seat, a stroller or your lap.

Sitting upwards with support in the stroller while yous take a neighborhood walk is an peculiarly skilful way to encourage this milestone.

As y'all walk, bespeak out all the new things she can see from an upright, sitting position, like dogs, cars and other babies in strollers.

Stick to a vaccine schedule

Make sure your infant has appointments scheduled for all upcoming vaccinations.

Vaccines protect kids from more diseases than ever before — 14 by the historic period of ii. And by keeping your child's immunizations up-to-date, you'll be helping to proceed this amazing health care track record going strong.

Talk to your pediatrician about what shots are needed and when.

Household objects as toys

No need to visit the toy store! When your baby tin sit up, she'll beloved a drawer to explore (or a cabinet or shelf— only make certain the contents are infant-rubber).

Keep your plasticware and some lightweight pots and pans in a depression cupboard in the kitchen and you'll take a low-tech way of keeping baby tickled while yous're cooking or washing up ("Look at that really prissy square container and lid y'all've got there!")

Those plastic containers, forth with a plastic cup and a gear up of measuring spoons, can travel to the tub for some bathtime water play, where they can become props for scientific experiments ("Permit's run into how much water you can pour into this container!") or some pretend cooking.

And pots and lids exercise double-duty by letting your baby brand music — at that place's nothing like the audio of bangs and clashes to bring out your kid's inner composer. You tin can sing along too!

How much to pay a babysitter?

The best way to decide how much to pay a bodyguard is to ask other moms in your area (try the members of your local What to Expect group, along with mom friends) what they retrieve is reasonable.

Rounding off the current minimum wage in your state is probably a skilful starting point. But any the going charge per unit happens to be, don't stray also far beneath it. You want to find the all-time sitter yous can, and offering competitive wages is part of the deal.

You lot can also bank check out babysitting sites (like Sittercity.com) for going rates from local sitters. About of those sites permit postings only from sitters 18 and older, but you'll still become a full general idea of how much other families in your surface area pay.

And you may detect a terrific 18- or 19-yr-erstwhile, since many college students dearest the hours and flexibility of babysitting.

Tips for smart snacking

  1. Mix it upwards. Go along boredom at bay past trying new combos or flavors. For case, snack on a whole wheat pretzel dipped in spicy mustard or a handful of blackberries mixed into lemon yogurt.
  2. Brand smart substitutions. Craving chocolate? Opt for a hot cocoa (an 8-ounce mug has 140 calories and 3 grams of fat) over a chocolate bar (230 calories and 13 grams of fatty). Some other smart-snacking ideas: Bandy nonfat frozen yogurt or sorbet for ice cream, broiled tortilla chips for Fritos, pretzels for potato chips.
  3. Read labels. That package may look small, but cheque the serving size. If there are two (or more) servings in there, you'll get double (or even triple) the corporeality of fat, calories and sugar if you lot swallow the whole thing.

Set for first feedings

Skip the silver spoon Aunt Martha sent; a small plastic-coated model is much easier on tender gums. Count on having several on hand during feedings — one for you, one for your baby — to foster the sense of independence and avoid power struggles (yes, those may happen, even at this tender age).

For you, choose a long handle for ultimate maneuverability, and for your baby, a short, curved handle is easier for tiny fingers to grip and will aid prevent your babe from getting injure.

Just before you're set to start, put a bib on your piddling eater (yours is optional!).

A word to the wise: Get your infant into the bib habit right from the start or she may resist information technology after. Information technology tin exist made of soft plastic, cotton or paper — as long as it's large enough to cover the chest and tummy, you lot're good to become.

From the What to Expect editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, writer ofWhat to Expect When Y'all're Expecting. What to Look follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such every bit peer-reviewed studies, academic enquiry institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how we keep our content accurate and upwards-to-appointment by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Expect the Beginning Year, third edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, When Do Babies Start Teething? Basics, Symptoms and Signs, Apr 2018.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Are Teething Gels Safe?, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, The Danger of Vaping Effectually Babies and Kids, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Manus, Foot and Mouth Illness (Coxsackievirus) in Babies and Toddlers, Nov 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Protecting Young Children From Extreme Rut, July 2019.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Seasonal Allergies in Babies and Toddlers, Oct 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, How Much Should My Babe Consume?, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Here'due south How Much Sleep Babies Demand, June 2020.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Teething Pain, December 2018.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Getting Your Baby to Sleep, July 2018.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Brilliant Futures Parent Handout 6 Month Visit.
  • Stanford Children'south Health, Feeding Guide For The Start Year, 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Important Milestones: Your Baby Past Iv Months, June 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Milestone Moments.
  • Mayo Clinic, Infant and Toddler Health, June 2020.
  • Mayo Dispensary, Helping Baby Sleep Through The Night, September 2020.
  • National Library of Medicine, Teething, December 2020.

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