4-6 month old baby

Feeding your baby

Once your baby is at this stage, you’ll be starting to think about preparing for weaning (government guidelines advise waiting until 6 months before weaning, and definitely not to wean your baby before 17 weeks). Milk will make up the majority of your baby's diet for some time yet, but as they become more active solid foods will become an increasingly important part of their healthy, balanced diet.

To understand if your baby is ready for solid foods, check out our tips for signs that they’re ready for weaning.

When you do start to wean, smooth purées, roughly the consistency of double cream, in gentle flavours are perfect for introducing your baby to solid food. Baby rice is an ideal first weaning food because you can make it with their usual milk for a familiar taste. This makes the transition easier and your baby will be more accepting of the unfamiliar feeling. To begin with, only try your baby with a teaspoonful or two a day to ease them in gently. Then build this up gradually with more feeds a day.

You might also want to consider using a follow-on milk once they are 6 months or over, developed specially to complement your baby's weaning diet.

Your baby’s development

Your baby is almost ready to sit up

It only seems like yesterday that you were leaving hospital with your new baby in your arms and now you’re on the verge of an exciting new set of developments! Your baby’s arms, upper body and neck are becoming stronger, and sitting up is just around the corner.

Your baby’s becoming more mobile

You’ll notice that your baby’s now gaining more control of their upper body and can probably sit without toppling over. At this stage you’ll also notice the little muscles in their neck, shoulder and chest gradually developing too.

As your baby gets more active you can expect plenty of wriggling and rolling during nappy changes! It’s a good idea to move the changing mat down onto the floor, and never to leave them alone for any length of time.

Make some time for play on the floor. Place your baby on their tummy and encourage them to stretch for toys that are slightly out of their reach. This will give them plenty of opportunities to show off their first ‘roll over’ and strengthen their muscles too!

A better grip and view on things

From grabbing at dangling objects, to holding her milk bottle with both hands, your baby is discovering how to use their hands and fingers. From now on, your baby’s natural grasp reflex will gradually turn into more controlled hand and finger movements. They’ll also explore objects by grasping and shaking them with their hands rather than using the tried and tested ‘sucking’ approach. 

Another exciting change for your baby is their ability to see further and focus better, so the world is becoming a more fun and colourful place! If you’ve got long hair or glasses, you’ll probably notice that your baby starts to grab at them. And, from 4 months, they’ll be able to focus as far as their toes – so your baby will soon have a real interest in grabbing their feet and putting them into their mouth, if they can! 

If you are using a bottle for feeding, you can use this time to help with your baby’s development too. Let them grasp their bottle with both hands – it’ll give your baby a little more hands-on experience and give you some freedom to prepare the family meal. 

Finding their voice

4 – 6 months is a magical time as your baby begins to find their real voice. New sounds will pop out all the time as your baby coos and babbles. Although you’ll probably start to hear a few little ‘ma’ and ‘pa’ words, it may be a while before your baby knows to call you ‘mama’ by name. At the moment, it’s still just a fun noise for them to make!

Perhaps the best sound you’ll hear for the first time is a real laugh or giggle. Try gently tickling your baby so you can enjoy the little laughs together. You might feel a bit silly, but chatting to your baby at this stage can help with their speech development.

Learning

There are many things you can do to help your baby learn new skills.Even though your baby can’t talk back, you should feel free to talk and smile as much as you want, as this will help their speech to develop.

Holding a sealed plastic container filled with rice or pasta will help them practice using their hand and finger muscles, and the new exciting noise will surprise and entertain them.

Bath time becomes more fun as your baby learns that when they move their body they can make things happen – like little splashes of water. Remember to keep extra towels handy!

 

Important Notice

Breastfeeding is best for your baby. Follow-on milk should only be used as part of a mixed diet and not as a breastmilk substitute before 6 months. Use on the advice of your healthcare professional.