The first days of a child will be a blur of feeding, changing diapers, settling her to sleep and responding to her wails. In a matter of weeks, she will start to take notice of your voice, face, and touch. You will also begin to notice more things about her, like black and white patterns draw her attention. Her hearing also becomes developed, and she turns to familiar sounds. At 4 months old, your baby will like to play. She tends to become dexterous and start to do more with her hands like moving of toys and shaking of rattles.

Developmental milestone
At this stage, your baby can now engage with the world now: she laughs, smiles and babbles with you. There are a series of skills your baby will develop during this stage which are:
• Making ‘coo’ sounds when talking to him or her
• Can bear weight on legs
• Holds head up with ease
• Can now reach out and grasp objects or toys
• May roll over from tummy and lay on her back
• Imitates speech sound such as baba, mama and dada

Parent role
As a parent, there are specific roles that you must play to increase the bond between you and your child.
• Try to establish a routine for feeding, sleeping, and playtime.
• Your baby starts to thrive as she interacts with you, so play with him or her often.
• Shower her with smiles and cuddle
• Try to provide a variety of age-appropriate toys and also household objects for her to explore
• Make sure to childproof your home and keep her environment clean before she starts to crawl.
• Make sure to give her opportunities to strengthen her new physical skills.

Signs to be wary of
Without disregarding the fact that each child develops at his or her own pace, it is still necessary to be aware of these signs. Make sure to contact a pediatrician if noticed:
• Can’t hold her head steady
• Doesn’t respond to noise or smiles
• Can’t reach for objects
• Can’t sit on her own

On a final note, the average weight of a 4-month old baby is 14.2 pounds for girls and 15.2 pounds for boys. The average height is 24.4 inches (about 2 feet) for girls and 25.2 inches for boys.

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