This post is all about things to do with a 4-month-old.
14 Things To Do With A 4-Month-Old Baby
The 4th month of your baby’s life is yet another very exciting one as kids at that age change so much and become more social. They will probably laugh out loud for the first time as well. That’s so freaking precious and it’s amazing to witness! Read on for 14 fun things to do with your 4-month-old baby to provide them the best possible support.
Oh, what an exciting time this is…yet again! At 4-months your baby will become more social and will certainly be eager to explore and to learn.
Baby’s vision is improving a lot now and you will definitely notice that. Your baby will become more interested in certain toys, well, objects in general. And your face, of course!
They will also become stronger physically, they might start pushing themselves up on their elbows during tummy time as well as start rolling over.
But as with ANYTHING baby-related, I really want to encourage you to take it easy and don’t compare your baby to your friends’ babies or to what other parents share on social media. Let your baby grow and develop at its own pace. One way or another your baby is growing, developing, and doing a hell of a job, I’m sure about that! If they’re not mastering a certain skill just yet, it’s probably because they’re busy working on something else. No, that’s not science-based, that’s my personal mom belief, which I stand by and which helped me so freaking much and keeps helping me still, to no worry, not compare, not envy, etc. other…well babies. Unless there’s a real concern you have, just give your baby time (and plenty of love) to develop. They will roll over, walk, talk, and eat eventually. We all are, aren’t we? So why do parents push so much and hope so much that their baby will do all those things asap? Enjoy your squishy little funny thing as long as you can! They will become independent soon enough.
Ok, that was my little rent/ input, but back to the actual topic now.
14 Things To Do With A 4 Month Old Baby
- Tummy time, of course…
Tummy time is a great activity for your baby and you can start as early as their first week. It’s certainly a great activity for your 4-month-old and now, you can finally make it more interesting.
Your baby will slowly become more interested in objects around them, follow objects with their eyes, reach for things, and put them in their mouth. You can use all that curiosity to make tummy time more interesting.
Placing your baby on a hard surface will also give them the opportunity to practice rolling over.
- Let them explore objects with their mouth
Your baby will more and more often put their hands as well as different objects in their mouth. Let baby explore with their mouth in a safe way, making sure no sharp or small objects are in baby’s reach. - Use baby rattels/shakers
It’s around month 4 when your baby will be able to grab, hold and shake a rattle for the first time. So it’s time for this classic baby toy to come in use now.
- Let them explore different textures
You will notice your baby being interested in the texutre of objects they touch. Therefore, it’s a great idea to present them different once so they can explore. A great time to do so is during tummy time to encourage them to stay on their tummy as well as to practice rolling over. - Encourage reaching for objects
Again, as your baby’s vision, as well as ability to grab, hold and shake objects improves, they will be interested in things you place around them. That’s another way to make tummy time more engaging. You can use soft, colorful balls, rattles, and other rather small obejcts that are safe for baby to play with. - Introduce sensory bottles to exercise baby’s vision
Your baby will definitely be interested in visual sensory bottles like ones filled with water, glycerine, and glitter and/or sparkly beats. You can let them hold and shake the bottle, you can have them reach for the bottle during tummy time or you can move the bottle and you will notice they will turn their head in order to follow it.
- Show them high-contrast books
These are great for baby’s developement and give you another reason to talk to baby. You can describe the pictures to them, make up stories, and so on. - Play the classic, peek-a-boo
I’m sure you’ve already tried playing peek-a-boo with your baby and that’s great. If they haven’t been that interest in it yet, they definitely might start to be around the age of 4-months. That’s when they learn the concept of Object Permanence, that’s when their vision improves drastically and when they recognize your face more clearly.
Other than that, keep doing what you’ve been doing so far. That could be, as recommended in our post 24 things to do with a 3-month-old baby: - Make faces
Get up close and make different facial expressions. Your baby will love it! - Talk to them
Keep describing certain activities as you go about your day, talk to them during diaper changes, tell them stories, point to objects and explain them what they are and so on. This will not only help baby’s development immensly but will make your day more intersting as well. - Sing and make differnt sounds
There are so many benefits that come from singing to your baby such as that it helps them learn new words, learn rhythm, bond with you, develop listening skills.
What is great about making different sounds at this time is that your baby might laugh out loud for the first time! Hearing you baby giggle is incredibly precious and freaking funny!
My partner was making barking sounds and funny faces when our baby started to laught for the first time, but like really laugh to the point where he just couldn’t stop giggling. It’s still one of my favorite memories of our baby till this day. - Let them look in a mirror
Simply set up a mirror at baby’s eye level and let baby explore their own facial expressions. - Read to your baby
Reading promotes the developement of baby’s memory, listening skills and vocabulary. It’s a fun way to bond with your little one as well as to teach them about the world, to introduce numbers, colors, and much more.
- Play soft music and let them relax or have a dance party
Music does incredible things for baby’s development. Find out all about the benefits and the studies behind them HERE.
It is a great tool to do both, either calm your baby and help them relax or have a dance party and let them giggle and have fun.
Beyond the examples of things to do with a 4 month old listed above, just give your baby planty of time to simply be and take in the world around them. You don’t need any fancy toys or tools. Take them out for a walk and just cuddle them!
Besides, you know your baby best, so do what makes you both the happiest.
