All babies have their own timetable, but you can watch for certain developments in your 4-month-old. Celebrate with your baby as she reaches or nears these milestones.
Cognitive
- Begins to distinguish full range of colors (blue and red seem to be favorites)
- Interested in more complex patterns
- Distance vision improves to about 20/40 (able to see people and objects across the room, but still prefers looking at people close-up)
- Tracks quickly moving objects with eyes
- Tracks an object from one side to the other (180 degrees) when held 6 inches above her face
- Attention span increases
- Discovers cause and effect
- Begins to discover object permanence (an object is still there even when it can’t be seen, such as a toy dropped on the floor)
Motor
- Holds head steady without support when held upright in your arms or on your lap
- When on tummy, pushes up to elbows and arches back
- May rock on tummy, waving arms and legs
- May be able to roll from tummy to back
- Coordinates hands and eyes (sees an object, then reaches for it)
- Brings objects to mouth with good accuracy
- Uses hands to explore body; may grab feet when lying on back
- Grasps a rattle when held against fingers
- Pushes legs down when held over a firm surface
Communication
- Uses different cries to express hunger, pain, sleepiness, and boredom
- Listens carefully to your language patterns and copies sounds
- Babbling begins to sound more like real language
- First laugh
- May begin making more complex, two-syllable babbles that combine vowels and consonants (“ah-goo,†“bah-bahâ€)
Social
- Watches faces closely; makes and maintains eye contact
- Copies some facial expressions and movements, such as frowning and smiling
- Expresses happiness upon seeing you
- Can be soothed by your presence and voice when upset
