How is a 5-month-old baby developing?
At this age, your baby can often surprise you with new tricks, as his motivation to discover, practice and learn new things is so strong that when he is not sleeping, he is moving almost constantly. He can even sit up, start to crawl, roll from tummy to back and back again. He listens, imitates, often to the point that even breastfeeding becomes a real torture.
He is slowly preparing for solid foods: after a few weeks of drooling, the first incisor tooth will emerge from the bottom, followed by the second one after 2-3 weeks. At the same time, he starts to show interest in adult food, and if he tastes it, he no longer rejects it as he used to. However, this varies from person to person, there are babies who do not yet ask for new foods and flavors, and they should not be rushed. Every child develops at a different pace, so the timing cannot be predicted in advance, but it is good to know the individual stages so that you can notice if something is missing.
Source: Agnes Vida
How does a baby see at 5 months old?
He can already recognize his mother's face, follows moving objects with his eyes and head. He likes to look at his hands and the movements of his fingers. He now explores toys not only with his eyes, but also by touching them in his hands and mouth, which improves hand-mouth coordination.
Mouthing is a natural way to learn about the environment and is important for development. This way, he can gain quite detailed information about the given objects, but he not only learns about them, but also sucks and chews them. This also strengthens the muscles around the mouth.
He notices objects that are further away and, being very curious, he will do everything he can to reach them. But even if he just watches them from afar as they move in space, his vision will still develop. When you put him down on the mat, remember to leave enough space for him to notice toys that are further away and even reach them.
Be careful with small items! When your baby is lying on his stomach, he can notice even the tiniest specks of seaweed on the carpet, pick them up with his tiny fingers, and put them in his mouth. Don't leave any small toys out!
Source: Early Childhood Program
Familiar and unfamiliar sounds?
Sure, he can already distinguish sounds he has heard many times from those that are still new to him. But most of all, his parents' speech, tone, style, and intonation. When he hears his father's voice from a distance, he reacts with joy and excitement. Since he is interested in everything, a new sound prompts him to turn in his direction, hoping to see where it comes from. Even if he doesn't see it, he will realize that the thing itself exists even if he doesn't see it. Object permanence is developing.
Sounds and melodies also affect him on a spiritual level. If his mother sings to him, he feels calm and listens, and he clearly feels good. But that's not the only reason they are important. He already recognizes the intonation of sentences, the changes in tone and rhythm. He learns emotions from his parents' voices. That's why his mother needs to talk to him all day long.
He also recognizes familiar rituals simply by the sounds associated with them. For example, when the diaper bag rattles or the water starts flowing into the small tub, he immediately knows what is coming next.
Physical contact plays an important role in communication.
The baby now responds to touch and caressing of its own accord, reaching out and clinging, as the grasping reflex has disappeared. It maintains contact with its parents in verbal and nonverbal ways.
When it is babbling, it develops its speech organs and produces increasingly varied, rhythmic, and expressive sounds.
To keep communication going, we should always maintain interest and responsiveness with our child. The response can be a smile, a touch, a caress, or a hug. But we can also communicate with sounds and speech.
When and where you start may vary, but suddenly, after the cooing, babbling appears. You'll notice that your baby is no longer just making sounds, but also making sound connections that he's taken from his own native language. These will later become words.
Source: Early Childhood Program
Is the baby bored?
From the age of 5 months, there may be a small period in the life of the baby when we see that he is frustrated, dissatisfied. Because he wants to learn new things, but he cannot change places yet. He is so smart that he would like to learn much more new information and experiences, but he cannot obtain them. He sees well, he hears, he has a will, he wants to do something, but he cannot yet.
This state will eventually tip him out of the situation, he will start crawling and climbing. If we want this motivation to really work well, then we should not try to entertain him. Let's see if he is active or wants to be hugged? He will continue to receive physical contact in the same way as before, this is an important aspect.
Has your baby rolled over yet? This question is often asked. We look forward to this series of movements from the age of 4 months, but the time comes differently for each child, as does the way they roll over. Some turn from tummy to back, and some from back to tummy first. The technique can also be different: they roll to their side with their knees up, lie on their side with their feet on the floor, or push themselves off with their head.
Rotation is a complex movement that requires the coordinated action of the head, shoulder girdle, torso, and limbs. It often moves you out of place, so you always find yourself in a new position.
His primitive reflexes have disappeared. We can no longer find and trigger the grasping reflex, searching reflex, sucking reflex, walking reflex. He lifts his head even when lying on his back, for example, if we reach out to him, and he knows that we want to pick him up. He pulls his legs up and puts the foot in his mouth. His muscles are getting stronger and gradually gaining weight.
The gradual straightening helps the eyes and hands work together and the baby's orientation. He is now reaching for objects with increasing purpose, and when released, he opens his fingers. He is also able to pick up tiny bits of fluff and crumbs from the floor, and even puts them in his mouth immediately.
He really likes various objects besides toys, he often gets them from the kitchen, but there are mothers who make shakers with rice grains in a bottle, or fill a box with interesting things and put them in front of the little one. It's usually a big success!
Source: Ágnes Vida, Early Childhood Program
Free space is necessary for proper development
It is important that the child feels spacious around him and can be in several places in the apartment. We often limit his space because we are worried that he will get into trouble. His motor development is triggered by his attention and interest. Let him explore the apartment, and his motor development will become more secure and faster!
You can read about your baby's motor development in our previous article!
ProParent, Motor Development Consulting with Ági Ónodi
Is the baby ready for face-to-face communication?
If we make contact with him, he watches and interprets our gaze, responds to it, smiles, and is able to regulate his mood. Of course, we, as adults, also respond to this. He turns towards us more and more, initially with controlled and conscious behavior.
Our blog articles consciously build on your baby's development month by month , but if you're looking for a shorter version, we recommend our article on baby development !
