Development

Babies at this age enjoy cooing and laughing as well as seeing and communicating with people. In fact, they are so interested in the world that they often would rather look around than eat. If your baby is not interested in eating, try feeding him or her in a darkened room or use a receiving blanket to gently cover your baby's face to encourage him or her to focus on feeding.

Spend time talking and laughing with your baby. Make a funny face or noise and see if your baby will copy you. When your baby makes a sound, you can copy it. Speak to your baby in long sentences to help your baby learn language. This is a great time to begin reading stories to your baby and enjoying picture books together.

Beginning at 6 to 8 months of age, try using a hand signal every time you use a word like "hungry" or "tired." Babies may use sign language before they can talk. The book "Baby Signs" has other ideas for using sign language with babies.

Sleeping

By 4 months of age, most babies are capable of sleeping for at least six to eight hours a night. Everyone wakes up during the night, but we learn to settle ourselves and go back to sleep. If you respond to your baby's every squirm and sound, you're not allowing him or her to learn this important skill. If your baby is still waking at night, there are several things you can do to help your baby settle down and sleep longer:

• Develop a soothing nighttime routine for your baby. Sing or read to your baby or rock him or her at about the same time each evening.
• Try to place your baby in bed while still slightly awake so your baby won't be frightened when he or she awakens.
• Try using a night light.
• When your baby awakens, try to settle him or her without feeding. If you are bottle feeding, try giving your baby some water instead of formula. If you are breastfeeding, try feeding from only one breast. By decreasing the amount of food eaten at night, you will help your baby go longer between feedings.
• Try to delay the middle-of-the-night feeding by holding your baby, using a pacifier or letting your baby suck on your fingers. Even if your baby still needs to eat after 10 or 15 minutes, prolonging the feeding will help your baby sleep a little longer the next night.
• For more information, see the books Helping Your Child Sleep through the Night, by Cuthbertson and Schevill, or Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.

Feeding

Breast milk or formula has all the nutrition that your baby needs for the next two months. Your baby does not need any additional food until he or she is 6 months old. Babies at 4 months of age still have an immature intestinal system and cannot control their muscles for chewing and swallowing, and therefore they are not ready for solid foods. In fact, giving your baby solid foods now may increase his or her risk of developing food allergies.

Safety

Here are a few extremely important safety tips:

• Falls — Your baby is becoming much more active and cannot be left alone on a high surface like a bed or changing table. If you have to leave your baby alone, put him or her on the floor.
• Hot Liquids — Your baby can reach and grab objects now, so don't hold any hot liquids or sharp objects while holding your baby.
• Car Seats — Your baby should always be in a car seat when traveling by car or taxi. Your baby should still be facing backwards. Remember that you need to buckle up too. Babies who are accustomed to car seats behave better during car trips when they are older.
• Small Objects — As your baby learns how to hold on to objects and put them in his or her mouth, keep small, potentially dangerous objects out of reach.
• Pacifiers — Don't tie or pin pacifiers to pajamas as this may cause strangulation.
• Cribs — Crib toys that stretch across the crib should be removed as your baby begins to learn how to sit. You may need to lower the mattress so that your baby cannot roll out.

Immunizations

Your baby will receive the second set of immunizations at 4 months of age, followed by another checkup at 6 months. Please bring your baby's immunization card to each visit.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated January 20, 2010

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your doctor or health care provider. We encourage you to discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.