Developmental Milestones: 4 to 6 months

4-to-6-months

Parents of babies age 4 to 6 months know that this is a very busy time for developmental milestones. If you recall, during the first two months, not a whole lot happened outwardly. Even the 2 to 4 month developmental milestones seemed to focus more on very basic skills, like learning how to master holding up their heads or managing to focus on a toy for longer than a few seconds. The milestones that your baby experiences from 4 to 6 months build quite a bit on those earlier milestones, but you’ll also start to see a lot more physical activity. Your baby’s personality will really start to emerge throughout this time too. It’s definitely a fun stage to experience!

Developmental Milestones: 4 to 6 months

Gross motor skills
  • While lying on his back and holding onto your fingers, your baby will try to pull himself into a sitting position.
  • Lying on his back, he raises his head, puts his feet in his mouth.
  • He starts rolling from back to stomach and from stomach to back. This, of course, opens up a whole new world of possibilities, as he’s finally a bit mobile! Don’t expect him to stay where you put him anymore!
Fine motor skills
  • Around 4 months: he squeezes objects and hold them in a closed fist.
  • Around 5 months: he goes for objects and gets them. He puts objects in his mouth.
  • Around 6 months: he starts picking up small items like raisins. He transfers objects from one hand to another.
Communication and language developmental milestones
  • He experiments different sounds when playing.
  • He roars with laughter and sometimes shouts for fun.
  • He loves when you answer his babbles. He finds out that he can interact with the people around him
Cognitive development: understanding
  • He understands that when moving a rattle, it will make a noise. Try introducing a fun new crinkling rattle for him to experiment with. He does not look for toys dropped.
  • He loves playing with colored objects.
  • He babbles to get your attention.
Relationships: social and emotional development
  • He will be more active in seeking your attention.
  • He cries to get your attention in order to play with him.
  • He may react differently to the voice of a stranger than to your voice.
If your baby seems to be a bit behind in these developmental milestones, don’t panic. All babies develop at their own pace. However, if he is very behind, or if you are just concerned, contact your pediatrician.