By month five, your little one would’ve achieved new important milestones as part of the 5 month old baby development milestones. Let’s have a look at them.
In this article:
- Physical Development Milestones
- Cognitive Development Milestones
- Social & Emotional Milestones
- Communication Milestones
- Emerging Skills
- Advanced Skills
- Baby Care for Your Five Month Old
- What You Can Do As Parents?
- When to Be Concerned?
Physical Development Milestones
- Your baby will be able to see and distinguish the difference between many shades of the same colour
- Can hold his feeding bottle on his own, even if briefly.
- Can sit with just a little support or all by himself, as his core muscles are getting stronger.
- Will be able to roll to his left and right.
- Can shift his weight on both legs when held vertically.
- Will attempt to grab almost everything in sight as his grip is getting stronger by the day.
Cognitive Development Milestones
- Observes objects and people keenly and for longer durations.
- Will be able to specifically find out toys and objects that are even hidden partly.
- Can track moving objects with attention.
- Will start responding when told ‘No’.
- Will sleep for longer durations than before, especially at night.
- Can get easily distracted and fascinated by new objects, especially those that are colourful and makes sounds.
Social & Emotional Milestones
- Will love playing with his parents.
- Enjoys and smiles on seeing his reflection in the mirror.
- Responds to other people’s communication and emotions.
- The number one emotion he will display is happiness.
- Can make out your mood and emotion from the tone of your voice.
- Will begin to show signs of affection towards people and attachment to his toys. These are the first glimpses you get to see of your baby’s sensitivity.
Communication Milestones
- Your baby will babble ‘mamma’ and ‘dada’ repeatedly.
- Will raise and lower his voice as if he wants to have a real conversation with you.
- Actively responds whenever his name is called out.
- Uses his voice, sometimes loudly, to express his joy and displeasure.
- Recognises and listens to sounds attentively, be it peppy, melodious or melancholic, and even reacts to them.
Emerging Skills
- May be able to sit on his own without support for long periods of time
- Uses cause and effect (when a child discovers that some actions that they initiate has a certain effect) to perform more complex actions, often surprising or funny. This is an important five month baby milestone.
Advanced Skills
This is the month when your baby will actively start trying to crawl or even start crawling, though he may cover only a little distance.
Baby Care for Your Five Month Old
- Your little one will now start having conversations with you in his unique ‘language’. Just respond to his babbles in words or sounds similar to his and you’ll make his day!
- Get him some bright, colourful toys that can stimulate his brain and recognise colours.
- Reading to your baby can help him relate to your sound and recognise it better.
- Show bright and colourful pictures to stimulate his brain.
- Since he can roll over and sit up all by himself, keep his sleep area cushioned appropriately and uncluttered.
- Refer the baby weight chart provided by your doctor regularly and maintain a feeding routine.
What You Can Do as Parents?
- Play games and talk to your baby.
- Give him lots of tummy time.
- Give your finger for him to hold often. This will help his grip become stronger.
- Place toys out of his reach to improve his hand-eye coordination. This can also strengthen his arms as he tries to grab them.
- Show and read brightly illustrated books.
- Give him toys that make interesting sounds to improve his hearing and vision.
- Create enough opportunities to let him meet new people, especially kids around his age.
- Keep a close track of your baby’s development chart, vaccinations, etc.
When to Be Concerned?
- In case of poor grip and is unable to control his hands.
- Does not respond properly to different sounds.
- Is very quiet and does not babble.
- Cries often at night.
- Does not laugh and express joy or excitement.
- Reaches out to things using only one hand.
- Is not demonstrating affection.
Note: Each baby is different and therefore tends to grow at a different pace. Chances are that your little one may have crossed certain milestones already, or is probably a little behind on a few others, which is normal. If you still feel there is something of concern, do speak to your paediatrician/registered professional child healthcare provider.
