4 month old baby: Development & nutrition advice

Your 4-month-old baby has been developing dramatically, and you will notice plenty more over the next two months. Now they are able to learn from you, hearing your voice and seeing how you do things is as important as ever to enhance their developing skillset.

While you may be tempted to satisfy their increased hunger with a first taste of puréed food, it is worth remembering that the Department of Health and World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend breastfeeding as their sole source of nutrition until the age of six months old¹. However, if you do decide to introduce solid foods before then, certainly wait until after your baby has reached seventeen weeks of age.

Every parent longs to hear their baby’s first words. As your 4-month-old starts to experiment with sounds they can make easily on their lips, you may well hear them utter ‘ma’ and ‘pa’. This experimentation often comes at a time when they start to cry less and ‘talk’ more, using body language to help them communicate². Over the coming months this will improve, as they learn how to alter the sounds they make by changing the shape of their tongue and mouth².

At 4 months old, your baby’s depth of perception begins to develop. Up until now, they will have had difficulty locating the exact position, size and shape of objects around them. But that is all about to change as they master the skill of binocular vision – the ability to use both eyes together – which will enable them to accurately track moving objects and people². As this skill develops, you may begin to see signs that your baby is improving their hand–eye coordination. Their improved vision helps the world around them seem more inviting. And as they start reaching out for nearby things, you might want to tie your hair back and keep your glasses (if you wear them) out of reach.

When it comes to your 4-month-old’s nutritional needs, two LCPs in particular – AA (Omega 6) and DHA (Omega 3), found naturally in breast milk – are still vital to ensure the continuing development of your baby’s brain, eyes and nervous system. Including salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel and other LCP-rich foods in your breastfeeding diet can help encourage your baby’s visual and brain development and movement skills.

Although they might not understand you, talking, reading and singing to your baby all help them process the sounds they will eventually learn to copy. Similarly, games like the mutual gazing game can help improve their ability to track objects with their eyes². To play, simply capture your 4-month-old’s attention, then tilt your head and wait for them to copy you. Then rotate your body, and watch them turn their head to keep you in view.