While it may look like your affection is unreciprocated, it won’t be long before your baby begins to show his or her affection to you! Your baby may extend his or her arms towards you for you to pick him or her up – that’s a special moment. This guide shows some baby milestones to expect at five months old.
Senses at five months old
Sight
At five months old, your baby’s eyesight is still developing. Babies at this age can now see moving and smaller objects.
They don’t have a perfect vision yet, but they can see properly at varying distances. In addition, how your baby sees colours will sharpen. As a result, they can differentiate colours but will often gravitate towards primary colours like, blue, red and yellow.
Taste
Ever wondered why babies, at this age, often put things in their mouths? That’s because their mouth contains more nerve-endings than other areas of their body. So it’s an ideal way to know what objects feel like. Just ensure to wash your baby’s toys often!
Motor skills at 5 months old
Stability
At five months, the muscles of your baby will start getting stronger and will start advancing from resting on his or her back to laying on his or her front. However, babies will prefer sitting up at this age but you may need to prop your baby with cushions.
Sounds
Your baby will begin to gurgle, growl or squeak and you’ll find that your baby will repeat certain sounds as he or she begins to enjoy and explore their new skill.
Other five-month-old baby milestones include:
Laughter
Your baby will laugh at any funny sounds or when make funny faces are made at them. Don’t be surprised if your baby tries to make one too!
Sleep
At five months, your baby will sleep through the night soundly. This will help relax your baby and let him or her know that night time is for sleeping. Furthermore, your baby will start having one or two naps daily – one in the morning and another during the day.
How you can help the development of your five-month-old baby:
- To help your babysit, create a V-shape with his or her legs, (this will help him balance). Once he is in a balanced position, put a toy in front of him or her to play with
- Place a lot of cushions closeby to offer support
- Gently swing your baby up and down to improve his or her balance
- Put a toy on your baby’s hands. Take the same toy and put it on another hand. Over time, he or she will learn to pass it from one hand to another
- Although it’s early for your baby to stand up, help him or her to stand up and propel his or her legs. Do this by holding your baby by his or her armpits while having fun together
- During tummy time, place your baby’s toy farther away and watch him or her try to get to it. If your baby can’t, bring it closer so that they won’t give up
Every baby at 5 months are different
Continue to encourage your baby as all babies are different and will do things at their own time!