At 4-6 months, babies are more alert everyday as they observe and learn rapidly in their environment. This guide will cover a variety of topics to address expected developmental milestones and possible red flags for a baby’s motor, feeding, sensory, speech, communication, social and emotional, and sleep development. Some of the topics that will be discussed through video, written guides, and downloadable resources include:
Rolling: Babies are beginning to develop stronger muscles in their neck, shoulders, arms, and back. Rolling is a natural part of this developmental stage as babies learn to control their body movements. Rolling is to be expected after baby has developed strong neck and upper body muscles from establishing head control, tolerating tummy time and side lying position. Rolling from tummy to back typically happens first at 3-4 months, followed by rolling back to tummy around 4-6 months. In our guides, expert videos will demonstrate how baby shifts his weight and learns to push off with his arms and legs to guide the movement, including red flags to promote developmentally appropriate and strong movements and fun toys and strategies to encourage rolling.
Sitting: When babies demonstrate good head and neck control, they can push up on their arms during tummy time and they show interest in sitting upright they are ready to try supported sitting, typically around 4-5 months, given support from cushions or adults. Followed by propped sitting and independent sitting. Our guides will demonstrate how to progress baby from supported sitting to independent sitting while encouraging optimal development of core, neck and back muscles.
Supported standing: refers to holding a baby upright on their feet while they are securely supported by an adult or a sturdy surface. At 4-6 months old, babies aren't ready to stand independently but benefit from experiencing weight on their legs with help. This helps develop the muscles needed for crawling, standing and walking. Supported standing helps baby learn to manage his body weight and give sensory input by feeling different surfaces with their feet. Our guides will show safe and developmentally appropriate ways to encourage supported standing, fun toys and tools to engage baby in this skill and also awareness of red flags to set parents up for early intervention and success.
Food introduction: At this age, breast milk or formula may not meet a baby’s growing needs for iron and other nutrients. Food introduction can be exciting and overwhelming. We are here to help with readiness signs, how to progress with single ingredient foods, portion size, textures and optimal seated position for ideal core and oral support. The guides will highlight foods to avoid, how to safely present foods to baby, how to spoon feed for optimal oral development and swallow posture and feeding schedules.
Oral exploration: Oral exploration refers to a baby's tendency to explore objects by putting them in their mouth. This behavior is a key part of how infants learn about their environment. This skill is important for sensory learning so baby can feel a variety of textures, shapes and temperatures in his mouth, teething relief to soothe their gums and motor skill development to practice hand to mouth coordination, a crucial fine motor skills for eating. We will provide safe strategies, tools and toys for optimal oral development.
How to soothe baby: At this stage, babies are becoming more aware of their environment but still need consistent reassurance. There is a variety of ways of soothing baby at this stage which can be difficult as a parent to learn what baby needs as they change, grow and develop more every day. Our guides will cover how to recognize cues, a developmentally appropriate environment, gentle touch, rhythmic movements, play gentle interaction for optimal sensory development, the sucking reflex and establishing a routine. Soothing baby is a revolving door for the first year. We are to support parents and baby to establish what is best for them through videos, written guides and online support.
Safe sleep for baby: Sleep for a 4-6 month old baby involves helping them develop healthy sleep habits and routines. As a parent, providing soothing actions and cues to guide baby is beneficial now and as they grow. Our guides will explain through written text and videos how to create a calm sleep environment, introduce sleep cues, appropriate comfort items, naptime, self-soothing and understanding sleep needs. Babies typically need 12-16 hours of sleep, including 3-4 naps a day, this can be a daunting task whether it is the first baby or baby number 3, the family schedule is ever changing. We are here to guide parents through these obstacles…so everyone can enjoy deep sleep!
Toys + equipment: At this age, babies are gaining better head control, rolling over, reaching for objects, exploring with their hands and mouths, developing vision and beginning to recognize colors. There is an abundance of toys on the market for babies, we are here to help establish which type of toys are best for optimal development for sensory stimulation, motor skills, tummy time and vision, while also creating those sweet smiles and baby giggles. Our video guides will show how to engage baby using a wide range of toys to strengthen visual, sensory, musculature and oral developmental skills.
Pacifier weaning: Weaning anything can be an overwhelming process for any parent but it is an achievable goal since attachment is still developing at this age. At this age, a pacifier mainly serves to soothe. Identifying other soothing methods (like rocking or gentle singing) helps ease the transition. We recommend weaning from the pacifier at this age to promote optimal mouth closed oral rest posture with the tongue resting up on the palate to best soothe baby. The guides will walk parents through gradual reduction, consistency, oral intervention, alternate forms of soothing and support for responding to fussiness calmly