How long should a 4 month old baby sleep at night? How much should a four-month-old baby sleep and how to establish a sleep schedule

Find out how much sleep a 4 month old baby should have. The norms of sleep and wakefulness are in the table. Causes of poor sleep. Advice and recommendations from experts.

Sleep for a four-month-old baby is, in importance, on the same level as breastfeeding. Without rest, as well as without nutrition, growth and full development little man. After all, it is in sleep that the nervous and emotional system, growth hormone is released, the information received is absorbed, and strength for physical activity is accumulated. It is very simple to monitor how well your baby’s nutrition meets the requirements - just analyze the increase in height and weight. Assessing sleep quality is much more difficult. A guideline for parents is the average age norms, indicating how much sleep a child should sleep at 4 months.

What should an ideal dream be like?

Four one month old baby changed a lot: he grew up and gained strength, his cognitive and physical activity. This is too much of a burden on a small, fragile organism with an immature nervous system. Therefore, the child needs proper rest. Specialists based on age and psychological characteristics they say that:

Typically, 4-month-old babies sleep a total of about 16 hours a day.
10 hours is enough for a night's rest, and the baby wakes up only once to have a snack.
Recommended laying time is 20 hours.
Morning awakenings become early: at 6, and sometimes even at 5 o’clock, the baby is already waking up and ready to learn the world.
Due to the increased activity of the baby, the nap. Now this is a three-time rest for 1.5 - 2 hours, which is necessary for emotional unloading of the body. Optimal time for him - after morning and lunch feeding, as well as in the evening, around 16 hours.

IN daylight hours During the day, children are now awake for about 2 hours, and the mother has to fill this gap with educational activities and games.

Sleep regression

Upon reaching the age in question, the difficult adaptation process is left behind. The child is no longer bothered by painful colic - it seems that parents can breathe a sigh of relief. But it’s too early to relax - suddenly, without visible reasons, behavior changes, and sleep problems appear:

Don't be alarmed, this is a natural phenomenon that experts call sleep "regression." The baby seems to return to the time when sleep was not yet at all ordered. This condition occurs around the 17th week of a child’s life and lasts from 2 to 6 weeks. Therefore, moms and dads should be patient in order to survive the difficulties of “regression” without nervous breakdowns.

Thematic material:

Why is the sleep schedule disrupted in 4- one month old baby? The main cause of the problem is a sharp jump in his physiological and psychological development, the result of which is a change in sleep structure.

Now he goes through the same stages as an adult.

These phases are repeated periodically. The sleepy “hour” for a 4-month-old baby lasts approximately 40 minutes. Between cycles there is an awakening. Only an adult does not notice it, easily falling asleep again, but the baby does not yet know how to do this on his own, so he wakes up and attracts attention to himself by crying loudly.

Other causes of sleep disturbance Age norms

- This is a rough guide for parents, which indicates the approximate duration of sleep at a similar age. In case of deviation, you should definitely find the cause of the problem. In addition to regression, violations of the regime at this age can be caused by other reasons.

Psychologists talk a lot about the fact that deviations from the norm of rest by 2 hours more or less are not critical if the children are healthy, cheerful, active and cheerful.

How to overcome problems To help parents, there are special rules based on long-term observation of children of this age and allowing them to organize healthy holiday

baby at any time of the day. One more an important condition The microclimate in the family is essential for a child's peaceful sleep. The baby’s connection with his mother is still so strong that he subtly feels it emotional condition

: calm mother - calm baby.

Many parents who practice co-sleeping with their child say that the regression of four months has not affected them. Is it really? Research has shown that in this case: There is always a fear of crushing a child, but the benefits are co-sleeping , especially during his regression, is undeniable. The proof is, carried out in 1992. Special sensors monitored the state of the baby’s body, first when he slept with his mother, then separately from her. Interestingly, during those 6 hours while the child was alone in the crib, 53 cases of cardiac and respiratory rhythm disturbances were recorded, and no anomalies were observed during co-sleeping.

Scientists have come to the correct conclusion: the biorhythms of a mother and child who are nearby are synchronized. As a result, the baby sleeps and breathes without interruption.
By improving sleep, you will ensure healthy development for your child and peace of mind and balance for yourself.

Just recently you picked up your baby from the maternity hospital and rejoiced at his first knowledge of this world. And now your baby is already 4 months old. During this short period, many mothers were able to master the technique of caring for him and learned to endure sleepless nights. However, there is still a lot of unknown and new things ahead for both the baby and his parents.

One of the main questions that worries mothers during this period is “how much does a baby sleep at 4 months”? The baby is constantly growing, gaining strength, spending more time playing active games, and his diet is changing. It is these factors that can influence the daily routine in the first place. If the child develops correctly and nothing interferes with health, then the child’s sleep becomes stronger at 4 months. This cannot but please parents, who were pretty tired during the first three months and forgot about their own night sleep.

Sleep duration

On average, a child of this age should sleep for about 15-16 hours. It all depends on the child’s physiological data and his daily activity. Since sleep is an individual matter, you should not compare your baby’s rest hours with other children. This will not indicate at all any moments of development and the physiological state of the baby.

A four-month-old baby is actively exploring the world in all ways available to him. He develops hearing, smell, and visual perception. Environment the baby learns with his tongue, so mothers need to carefully monitor that the baby is in Once again pulled it into his mouth for examination. Due to such an interesting and busy schedule, children reduce their time for daytime sleep, gaining more strength during the night hours of rest. The child can sleep 2 or 3 times during the day. If it is more comfortable for a child to sleep three times during the day, then each such sleep will last approximately 40-60 minutes, instead of the usual 2-3 hours. After daytime dreams, the baby usually joyfully and actively participates in games, gets to know family members, and improves all his skills. Morning awakening may be less positive, depending on how the baby is feeling.

Night sleep for many children may vary and progress different scenarios. Many who practice co-sleeping and constant breastfeeding, complain about the interruption of the baby’s sleep, his moodiness or irritability. Only a small proportion of parents can breathe a sigh of relief and sleep uninterruptedly with their child throughout the night. Average night sleep a baby at this age should be 10-11 hours. An ideal option would be a one-time interruption of sleep for feeding. This will allow the baby to refresh himself and continue to sleep soundly until the morning.

How to lull a child to sleep

Most parents are firmly convinced that the baby needs to create special conditions. Often, for this purpose, they create ideal silence, carry the baby in their arms, rock him to sleep for a long time, or teach the baby to fall asleep during feeding. Such measures will definitely give results and will soon put the child to sleep. However, constant use of such rituals will lead to addiction. As a result, the child will not be able to fall asleep in other ways or on his own, causing discomfort to both himself and his parents.

Naturally, at this age it is quite difficult for a child to fall asleep on his own. To do this, he needs to be very tired or get a lot of emotions. However, there are others alternative methods, which will help the baby fall asleep soundly and allow parents to do useful household chores at this moment:

if you put your baby to bed at the same time, he will soon develop a certain daily routine, and he will begin to fall asleep on his own at the allotted hours;
Many parents try to take their baby for a walk in the fresh air before going to bed, after dressing as comfortably as possible. If the weather or conditions do not allow you to walk outside, simply roll out the stroller with your child onto the balcony or veranda. Sleeping in the fresh air is very healthy and sound;
Many children with great pleasure fall asleep to the monotonous and calm voice of their mother, who will read short fairy tales to the baby or sing lullabies. The main thing is to stop in time and not wake up the baby in the first stages of light sleep. Many people put music tracks, sounds of nature, or recorded lullabies on repeat. This will help the baby fall asleep quickly and efficiently even without maintaining ideal silence;
rocking. The baby will quickly fall asleep if you try to rock him to sleep using a special chair, in a crib, stroller, or simply in your arms. Many rock the baby while lying on their stomach. The latter is fraught with the awakening of the baby if you want to transfer him to a flat surface;

We hope this article helped you understand how much sleep a baby should sleep at 4 months. But keep in mind that sleep at this age is very individual and depends on the baby’s activity and his physiological needs. You shouldn't put him to bed early if he hasn't had enough sleep during the day. Perhaps he needs not 15, but only 13 hours of sleep per day. If necessary, the baby will always sleep on his own and get the rest he needs.

Blog Healthy and Smart / Newborn health

Mental and physical development child already with early childhood depends on many factors. In the first year of life, in particular, great value has a mode. Proper organization nutrition, sleep, wakefulness provide fast addiction child to a certain regime, and this is the key to strong nervous system and health in general. Everyone knows that sleep has a beneficial effect on a child, but many new parents wonder how much sleep a 4-5 month old baby should sleep. This is the age when the baby begins to actively react to others, recognize his parents, and roll over. But first things first.

How to organize your baby's sleep?

From the beginning of the child’s second month of life, you can begin to establish a wakefulness and sleep schedule. How smaller baby, the more time he needs to sleep. It is advisable for the child to have a separate bed. The room in which the baby is located should be regularly ventilated. Bedding also needs to be aired every day, but not in the sun or in a damp room. You cannot smoke in the room where the baby sleeps.

It happens that kids early age they confuse day with night, so how much sleep a 4-month-old child should have according to the schedule does not always correspond to the recommended standards. In this case, parents should help the baby enter normal mode. During the day, when the baby is awake, it is necessary to keep him active: play with him, turn on bright lights, do not reduce the level of normal noise (the sound of a cell phone, TV). At night, on the contrary, reduce the level of all noise sources, do not play with the child, and do not talk for a long time.

How to put a baby to bed?

Many mothers detect fatigue in their infants by their eyes. Someone sees how the baby turns his head in a special way, yawns, and rubs his eyes. A relaxing warm bath with string or chamomile has a beneficial effect on the child and helps him fall asleep easier. Don’t constantly rock your baby to sleep, give him the opportunity to fall asleep on his own - just put him down sleepy baby into the crib and dim the lights. Experts say that babies acquire sleep-related habits from early childhood, therefore, in order to avoid problems in the future, they advise not to rock or feed the child before falling asleep.

How long should a 4 month old baby sleep outdoors?

Sleeping in the fresh air is very important. It is always long-lasting, deep and healing. Sleeping in the fresh air not only strengthens the body, but also has a beneficial effect on the baby’s nervous system. In the summer, the baby can sleep for a long time in the fresh air, but parents should remember that ultraviolet baths have a positive effect on immune system child, but direct exposure to sunlight can negatively affect his health. Therefore, when a child sleeps outdoors, he must be protected from wind and direct sunlight. In winter, starting from the age of two weeks, provided that the child was born more than three kilograms, is active and eats well, you can start placing him outside at a temperature not lower than -10 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.

So, at 4 months, how much should a baby sleep? The table is presented below.

Night sleep	Daytime nap	Total time sleep	Total waking time
10-12 hours

But exceptions to the rules are also possible.

How much should a 4 month old baby sleep during the day and at night?

Four-month-old infants who are artificial feeding, can sleep 11-12 hours at night if the baby is breastfeeding- time of uninterrupted sleep decreases. During the day, a 4-month-old child sleeps for a total of 3-4 hours. The total sleep time per day is 14-16 hours.

The quality of daytime sleep and its duration plays a very important role for health and proper development for the baby.

Causes of sleep disturbances

Data on how much you sleep Small child the four months above are just averages. Each child is individual, so the schedule and number of hours of wakefulness and sleep for your baby may vary slightly.

Sometimes parents feel a problem such as a disrupted routine. They know how much a child should sleep at 4 months, but they cannot implement the rules. Several factors can influence how long you sleep. We need to find out the reason.

The very first thing parents should pay attention to when their child is not restful sleep or he cannot sleep due to duty - the state of his health. Maybe he is worried about colic (digestion problem) - in this case, you can give a light massage to the abdomen (stroking clockwise), put a warm diaper on the tummy or attach it to your body. Maybe teeth have begun to cut - in this case you should always have home medicine cabinet pain-relieving gels for gums. Or the baby just wants to be rocked and picked up.

Also the reason bad sleep is overexcitation. If the day turned out to be stormy, full of emotions, the baby received a lot of impressions, this can cause restless and short sleep. Therefore, before putting your baby to bed, you need to play quiet games, listen to soothing music.

Experts say that a person’s temperament also affects the duration and quality of sleep. For example, choleric people sleep slightly less than the average statistical norm, and phlegmatic people, on the contrary, sleep a little more.

Scientists also found that genetic predisposition bedtime also occurs. There is even a gene that is responsible for the quality and duration of human sleep.

All of the above suggests that the duration of sleep varies from person to person. Therefore, do not worry if your child's sleep schedule deviates slightly from accepted standards.

From 4 months, the child begins to strive to communicate with others. He smiles and laughs at them, squeals joyfully, and when cooing, he tries to repeat the intonations of adults he hears and imitate their phrases. Baby development is full on the move. Playing games and exploring the world around us already takes up quite a lot of time, so sleep becomes much shorter, especially in comparison with the first weeks after birth.

How much should a 4-5 month old baby sleep? The total duration of sleep per day should be about 15 hours at this age.

A 4-5 month old baby is more awake, strives to communicate with loved ones, and the duration of sleep decreases slightly

Sleep routine

Parents of 4-5 month old children usually enjoy the good and sound sleep of their little ones (we recommend reading:). At night they can sleep peacefully for up to 10 hours, but only if the recommended daytime rest regime is followed. Babies at this age need to sleep 3 times during the day:

In the morning - approximately 1.5-2 hours after waking up. At this time, mom has the opportunity to do household chores or devote time to herself. In the summer, it is worth putting your child to bed earlier in the day for the first time, especially if the rest is combined with a walk, in order to catch it before the onset of extreme heat (we recommend reading:).
In the middle of the day - usually right after lunch. At this time, you can go outside with your baby one more time.
In the evening - pediatricians recommend putting the child to rest between 17:00 and 19:00. Having rested a little and gained strength, the little one will be cheerful and active in the evening, and around 22:00 he will go to bed for the night.

The duration of each segment should be about 2 hours; try not to let your baby sleep longer than this time. By adhering to such a schedule, you will ensure yourself a restful rest throughout the night, because your little one will also sleep soundly in order to gain strength for the new day.

Features of sleep during a crisis

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This article talks about typical ways to solve your issues, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem, ask your question. It's fast and free!
It often happens that a baby at the age of 4 months begins to have problems sleeping. A sleep crisis at this age (maybe it started a little earlier or ended later) is a kind of diagnosis. Let's take a closer look at the causes of insomnia in children and the characteristics of their sleep.

It is at this age that a child may begin to have problems sleeping - the so-called crisis
Many parents are wondering what exactly this crisis is. It occurs differently for each baby, but we can distinguish a number of common features, characteristic of all:
change in appetite - it can either increase or almost disappear;
frequent awakenings at night - they especially bother parents, especially if before the crisis their child slept peacefully almost the entire night;
increased moodiness and restlessness, frequent crying, which you cannot cope with in the usual ways;
short sleep at night or lack thereof.

Sleep phases
All people alternate between deep and shallow sleep phases. During such an alternation, adults often toss and turn during one of the phases, straighten the bed, and may even check the time and continue to fall asleep. For babies aged 1-3 months, when they showed signs of anxiety, a pacifier or a short rocking motion was usually enough to sleep until the morning. At 4 months the situation changes - now the baby sleeps the same as adults. When falling asleep, he does not immediately sink into deep dream, therefore, while going to bed, he may wake up, if this phase has not yet arrived - then you will have to start all over again.
Falling into deep sleep
The deep phase of sleep in children at 4 months occurs quite quickly, approximately 30 minutes after falling asleep. As we grow older, this interval changes, reaching 45-50 minutes, after which the stage of shallow sleep begins. When transitioning from one phase to another, the baby begins to worry and may even wake up. In general, the deepest sleep usually occupies the first part of the night and after the first alternation of cycles, the child can sleep peacefully for a couple of hours.

The quality of a child’s sleep depends on the phase in which his consciousness is currently located.
Many parents are familiar with this situation: you put your little one to bed for 30 minutes and wait until he falls asleep. Then, as soon as you put him down (after about 10-15 minutes), the baby picks it up and wakes up.
Sleep the rest of the night
The phrase “sleep all night long” for babies of the first year of life means continuous sleep for 5 hours, which many achieve as early as 2-3 months. The baby sleeps most soundly at the beginning of the night, and after about 5 hours the deep and shallow phases begin to replace each other, and restful sleep ends, the baby wakes up a lot and often.
Here we can draw an analogy with the process of putting a baby to bed. If he is not able to fall asleep on his own in the evening, then he will need your presence when he begins to wake up during the alternation of phases closer to the morning. The most restless period occurs between 4 and 6 am, only closer to the time of rising the child again enters the deep phase.
Many babies get up quite early, but here it is necessary to check whether the child is actually awake or whether his sleep has entered the deepest phase. Parents often note that their little one jumps up literally half an hour after waking up - this happens in cases where the next change in sleep phases is mistakenly taken for “getting up.”
Causes of poor sleep
Every child experiences sleep changes, sometimes with disturbances. At the same time, the reasons why a baby is restless and sleeps little are always individual.

For some children, the crisis period lasts only a couple of weeks, when they are very moody, restless and sleep poorly, after which everything returns to their previous state. For other babies, this time is extremely difficult; sometimes a couple of months pass before the regime returns to normal, but night rest will become calm and without constant awakenings.
How to help a child if he sleeps poorly and restlessly at 5 months? To answer this question, you must first identify the cause similar situation. Often it becomes an analogy with the procedure of putting to bed - children who are accustomed to rocking or continue to eat their mother’s milk before bed because they are breastfed (more details in the article:). When sleep problems arise, such children need the constant presence of their parents nearby. Those simply are not able to constantly stay awake and constantly put the baby to bed again. As a result, all family members quickly accumulate moral and physical fatigue.
It is quite difficult to recommend anything in such situations; most often it is enough to just wait a few weeks until the problems disappear on their own. If this does not happen, you should try to influence the situation: you need to start by weaning the child from the association of falling asleep. You can follow the advice of Dr. Komarovsky, seek help from a doctor, and even create an individual sleep plan for a child at 5 months. At the same time, there are cases when parents wait for the natural cessation of sleep problems in children at 8 months and even at one and a half years.

For many children deep sleep associated with already developed rituals - for example, rocking in the arms
Does your child sleep a lot?
When your baby constantly sleeps and has difficulty waking up, and waking him up even for feeding is very difficult, you should show concern. Perhaps your baby is simply phlegmatic, so he prefers to rest longer, but it is likely that depression syndrome or problems with neurology manifest themselves in this way. It would be best to consult a neurologist and devote more time to daily activities and activities with the child.
Does your child cry in his sleep?
Crying and screaming in a sleeping child may indicate that the baby is overexcited and emotionally overloaded. If at 5 months your baby sleeps extremely restlessly, you need to reconsider his workload and daily routine - perhaps he is simply overtired due to visiting crowded places or educational activities, as well as his own activity. An overabundance of new information does not allow his nervous system to process all the new impressions, which is manifested by peaks in the activity of the cortex and leads to crying or screaming. Other reasons for this concern may be teething, abdominal pain and illness of the baby. It is worth taking your child to the doctor if nighttime crying has become too frequent or daily.

A four-month-old baby delights his parents with the emergence of new skills and discoveries. He grew up and became stronger, and began to stay awake more during daylight hours. There are some changes in the daily routine compared to. He still alternates between periods of sleep, feeding, daytime activities and hygiene. The main changes will affect only the duration of these periods of time.

Approximate daily routine at 4 months of life

At the age of four months, the little man can clearly distinguish the faces and voices of adults. Among those around him, he easily recognizes his mother. Sleep time decreased from 16 to 14 hours, and wakefulness increased by 1-2 hours. The child grows, gains weight and height in a special rhythm programmed by nature.

The baby's daily routine undergoes changes, and at four months it looks something like this:

Time	Regime processes
7 hours	Waking up, first feeding, hygiene procedures(washing, changing diaper)
7 hours 30 minutes – 8 hours 30 minutes	Playing in the crib, staying awake
8 hours 30 minutes – 9 hours 30 minutes	Morning dream
9 hours 30 minutes – 10 hours 30 minutes	Second feeding, games and communication with mother
10 h 30 min – 12 h	Sleep (preferably outdoors)
12:00 – 14:00	Third feeding, gymnastics, light massage and air baths
14:00 – 16:00	Sleeping during an afternoon stroll in a stroller
16:00 – 18:00	Fourth feeding, staying awake, listening to children's songs, spending time with adults
18:00 – 19:00	Dream
19:00 – 20:00	The period of wakefulness calm communication and games
20:00 – 21:00	Bathing, fifth feeding, getting ready for bed
21:00 – 7:00	Night sleep

The baby already distinguishes between light and dark times of the day, and wakes up at night less and less often to feed, preferring to get enough sleep until the morning. During the day he is able to play and spend time without sleep for about 3 hours in a row. The baby is no longer interested in lying around doing nothing; he loves to listen to adults talk and perks up when they turn to him. During the daytime hours of wakefulness, the baby explores the world through touch, examines surrounding objects and listens to new sounds.

Baby 4 months old: (mother’s experience):

Baby sleep at 4 months

Need for long sleep in children at this age there remains still high level. After eating, the baby willingly falls asleep and can take a short nap in the evening. The sleep pattern will be established by itself no later than six months, but for now a mother cannot always predict at what exact hour her child will fall asleep. Remember that the baby is still too small, and in every situation it is not advisable to follow a time schedule. It is enough to observe the required total duration of daily sleep.

Daytime sleep norms

When answering the question of how long a four-month-old baby should sleep, it is worth noting that the baby should spend at least 14-15 hours a day sleeping. At the same time, at least 5 hours are spent on daytime sleep, the remaining 10 hours are spent on night sleep. The duration of daytime wakefulness increases with each week, and sleep patterns change with this. For some children, four periods of daytime rest are replaced by three.

On a note! If you see that the child wants to sleep, then do not wait for the right hour “according to the schedule” and put him to bed. It is more beneficial for the baby’s nervous system to lull him to sleep at the first signs of fatigue than to try to do this over time, preventing the child from satisfying his need for rest.

Baby nutrition at 4 months

The feeding regimen established for a 4-month-old baby involves a smooth transition to eating five times a day. This is the main difference between the daily routine and previous weeks. Today, mothers have the opportunity to choose nutrition for their baby - through breastfeeding, mixed or artificial feeding.

Nutrition while breastfeeding

The most suitable food for children of this age is breast milk. The baby needs to be fed every 3-4 hours. At night, the interval between breastfeeding becomes longer - about 7 hours. The daily routine during breastfeeding is most often established no earlier than 5-6 months, because the baby still prefers to feed not according to the clock, but on demand. Meanwhile, the number of meals during breastfeeding is reduced compared to previous months.

On a note! Contrary to many opinions, a 4-month-old breastfed baby does not need complementary feeding. Up to six months of nutritional value of mother's milk for healthy development and the growth of the baby is quite enough.

Formula-fed nutrition

When bottle-fed, nutrition is provided exclusively with an adapted formula, or with formula and mother's milk, the amount of which does not exceed 200 ml per day. At this age, the starting (initial) formula marked “1” is suitable for the child. Required amount mixture depends on the weight and health status of the little child. Based on these data, the doctor calculates the approximate volumes and frequency of meals per day.

An approximate nutritional plan for a 4-month-old bottle-fed baby looks like this:

Important!If a mother feels that her baby does not have enough breast milk, she should not immediately try to feed her with an adapted formula. First, you should consult a pediatrician or a breastfeeding consultant. A specialist will tell you how to increase lactation and determine whether your little one is eating enough.

First feeding on IV

For children fed with formula, the first complementary foods are introduced at 4 and a half months in order to replenish the body with all the missing substances. Pediatricians recommend introducing “adult” food with caution, gradually introducing one-ingredient vegetable purees into the diet, then cereals without milk and gluten, and then fruit juices for baby food.

Acceptable products for introduction into complementary foods for children over 4 months old:

The baby's reaction to complementary foods is of paramount importance: the product must be to his taste. Starting with ½ tsp. new food, its amount increases daily by 1 tsp. After ten days, the volume of the administered component should be 120-150 ml. Thus, four feedings a day remain exclusively milk, and the fifth is replaced by a newly introduced product.

Feeding your baby from 4 months – what to pay attention to:

The daily routine on artificial feeding has its own characteristics:

As a rule, infant formula takes longer to digest than mother's milk. Consequently, infants remain well-fed longer, and it is easier to establish a routine with such babies.
In infants on IV with a properly selected formula, colic goes away by 4-4.5 months, thanks to which children sleep at night many times more peacefully than their peers.
Intake of formula milk may vary from meal to meal. The baby ate 160 ml in the morning, but at lunchtime he didn’t even manage 120 ml? This is normal and may not be due to a lack of appetite, but to the time of day or even the baby’s mood.

Mixed feeding

The mixed feeding diet means that the baby receives breast milk (at least 1/5 of the daily volume) and an adapted formula. If a four-month-old baby is on mixed diet, it needs to be fed on demand. In this case, pediatricians advise giving the diluted mixture from a spoon, and not from a bottle - getting used to it can have a bad effect on breastfeeding. It is easier to drink from a bottle, and soon many children flatly refuse to latch on to the breast.

Walking with a child

The toddler begins to show an active interest in the world around him. While walking, try to tell him about everything that comes along the way: children playing ball, animals, plants and transport. You need to go out into the fresh air with your daughter or son at least twice for 1.5-2 hours a day.

Child mode in winter and late autumn may vary depending on weather conditions - in severe frost, wind and heavy rain it is better to stay at home. Also, the child’s regime in the summer can be adjusted on days that are too hot, which are safer for the baby’s health to spend in a ventilated room.

Pros and cons of walking in different conditions temperature conditions can be seen in the table below.

Outdoor air temperature	Features of the walk
-8°C and below	Babies still have a rather weak nasopharynx. Walking at low temperatures can lead to illness respiratory tract. If going outside is necessary, then take care to warm the air the child inhales. Wrap the baby in a fur envelope with a hood, creating an air cushion near the face. You can be outside with your baby at this temperature for no more than 20 minutes.
From 0°C to -8°C	Short 30-minute walks will help your baby sleep soundly. Take care to protect your baby from the wind - use a warm blanket or a fur-insulated winter envelope for the stroller. Before going out, apply a special protective frost cream to your little one’s cheeks and nose.
+1°C to +8°C	At this air temperature, it’s time to take your baby on long, hour-and-a-half walks. Children fall asleep wonderfully in fresh conditions cool air, mothers can also relax and walk in the park with a stroller without haste.
From +8°C to +15°C	The air temperature is comfortable and conducive to walking. You should pay attention to ensure that the little one does not sweat from extra layers of clothing. Do not bundle up your little one; in case of unstable weather, it is better to cover him in the stroller with a spare blanket for insulation.
From +15°C to +20°C	In sunny weather it may seem that it is hot outside, but in the shade and in the presence of wind it is still far from summer. Before going out into the yard with your child, consider all factors - whether the sun is shining or cloudy, whether the wind is blowing. Don’t dress your baby too lightly; at +16 it’s still quite easy to freeze, especially if you’re motionless in a stroller.
From +20°C to +25°C	Days filled with sun and warmth are good for long walks with your baby. But direct sunlight can pose a danger to children's defenseless skin. Choose thin, breathable clothing, and lubricate unprotected areas of the body with sunscreen milk 0+.
From 25°C and above	The safe period for going outside is before 11 a.m. and after 3 p.m. In this heat, your baby will need extra fluids, so be sure to bring some with you. drinking water. When walking with a stroller, create shade in it by lowering the hood and opening a “window” with a mesh for ventilation. If the celebration takes place in the mother’s arms, then a hat and thin clothing that covers the body from the sun’s rays are required.

Physical development of the baby

Strengthening and developing muscles in small child It is important to exercise regularly and devote time to this not only in the morning. Gymnastics with a baby – important step on the way to preparing and mastering the skills of rolling over and crawling. Pediatricians consider a 5-7 minute load, performed with the help of the mother in the morning, afternoon and evening, to be optimal.

At 4 months, children tend to roll over to the tummy position on their own. By strengthening your back muscles, you can speed up the learning process. It is useful to play “ball” with your baby. When rolling your baby onto his tummy and back, accompany the activity with a fairy tale that he has become a ball and now wants to roll far, far away. This exercise makes the abdominal muscles flexible in children.
An exercise to strengthen the spine and arms will prepare the baby for the skill of sitting. The child grabs onto index fingers adult; then the parent carefully and low pulls the baby towards himself. After counting to ten, we lower it back to the lying position.
To encourage crawling, an adult can place a hand under the baby’s heels when laying it on its tummy. The toddler will use his palm as a support - trying to push off with his legs, he will try to move forward. To ensure that your child’s efforts are not in vain, make the surface comfortable for crawling - this could be a floor covered with a rug or blanket.

Gymnastics and possible exercises with the baby (video):

Games and development at 4 months

Four-month-old babies are awake for at least eight hours during the day. A selection of interesting developmental activities for your baby can be a good help for a young mother every day.

"Excursion"

The little one likes to spend time in her mother’s arms and look at everything around her. Give the younger family member walks around the house. “Traveling” in his parents’ arms, he replenishes his passive vocabulary with the names of various objects. All the information heard from adults is little by little stored in the baby’s memory, which you will soon be able to see - your child will turn his head towards the subject that was mentioned in the conversation.

“We rustle - we ring”

Fine motor skills and tactile sensations contribute to the development of intelligence. It is useful to introduce the baby to objects/toys that have different textured surfaces. Children enjoy rustling paper, kneading a teddy bear, and exploring a rattle with holes. It is important to focus on the material, and not on the color - toys oversaturated with shades distract attention.

"Musical Minute"

Rhythmic music is what delights four-month-old babies. Simply clapping your hands to the beat of the melody helps to form a sense of rhythm from the cradle. Just take your child in your arms and dance with him to lively music - this activity improves mood, develops memory and coordination.

"Magpie - white-sided"

Little ones are very amused by finger toys story games, such as “Ladushki”, “Hide and Seek”, “The Horned Goat is Coming” and various play actions with their legs and arms. In combination with funny faces and stroking fingers, the brain centers are activated - they are responsible for preparing the articulatory apparatus, and, in the future, speech.