With the onset of the fourth month of life, the physiological and mental development of the child reaches a new level. Now the baby begins to grow up in front of his eyes.
Norms of weight and height
Currently, there are 2 types of standards for physiological indicators. The differences are only in the range of acceptable values that the child must meet (4 months): height, weight and other parameters. This also applies to the circumference of both the head and chest.
According to domestic experts, the weight of children at 4 months should be in the range from 5.4 to 7.6 kg. The minimum threshold for boys and girls is the same, and the maximum varies by 0.5 kg in favor of the former. Deviations up to 700 g are allowed if the baby was not born on time. Growth in boys can be from 58.7 to 64.5 cm, when in girls - from 58.4 to 64 cm. Head circumference values vary from 39 to 43.5 cm, breasts - from 38.6 to 44.6 cm. .
According to international standards, the weight of children at 4 months may be in the range from 5 to 8.7 kg. Errors and tolerances in girls and boys coincide with domestic standards. The growth of babies at this age can be from 57.8 to 68 cm. The head circumference is from 38.1 to 44 cm, and the chest is 37.3-45.2 cm.
Deviations from the norm of weight and height
The body weight of the baby directly depends on its physiological development, nutrition, heredity and pregnancy. If the birth took place much earlier than the deadline, then the weight of the baby at 4 months can be significantly lower than normal, as well as growth indicators. The situation is similar with transferred children when their physiological parameters exceed generally accepted standards. In both cases, the baby can develop normally, so you should not focus on errors.
At this stage, it is important to monitor the general condition of the baby. It should be understood that a more adult child (1 year 4 months) may be subject to such deviations. The weight and height of premature babies are often less than normal up to 2-3 years. That is why the development of such kids is closely watched by the attending physician.
If the weight of the child at 4 months exceeds the norm of more than 1 kg, then there is a chance of early obesity. In this case, it is necessary to change the regimen and dosage of food, switch to another feeding. If the weight of the children is 4 months below the generally accepted standards by 1 kg or more, urgently need to contact a pediatrician. Otherwise, this tendency to deviation may soon cause rickets and oxygen starvation.
Physiological development
At 4 months, babies' hair and nails begin to grow much faster. From this moment, the child needs additional care. Children already stop wearing scratches, so it is important to timely cut off the nails on the hands, otherwise soon not only microtraumas, but also subcutaneous itching will appear on the baby's body.
At this age, the main thing for an infant is its development: weight, height, head shape, elasticity of the spine, muscle mass, etc. In other words, all physiological indicators should be normal. With growth and weight gain, muscle mass, spine, cervical discs should be strengthened, the shape of the skull should be rounded. At this stage of development, the baby should already have everything in proportion.
The main problem that every parent faces during this period is the teeth. At 4 months, they are just beginning to erupt, so the child from itching and pain can not find a place: he is naughty, crying, refuses to feed, constantly wakes up at night. This is
in the order of things, but if necessary, the suffering can be alleviated with special freezing gels or potions. It is recommended to take any medications only after consulting a doctor.
Fortunately, by the age of 4 months, another parental headache, intestinal colic, practically disappears. At this age, the gastrointestinal tract was finally formed and cleared, so you can happily forget about this problem.
Mental development
Four-month-old children are already beginning to establish contacts with the outside world. Familiar people, especially mom and dad, they smile more, showing that they are very happy to see them. At this age, the child seeks to communicate, reacting to conversations, games and bright objects. Expression of emotions occurs in the form of separate incoherent sounds or even simple syllables. The baby also perfectly understands the intonation of circulation.
It is at this moment that the speech apparatus develops, so you need to communicate more with the baby, teach him to pronounce individual sounds. By the end of 4 months, the child will begin to entertain himself, take a long walk, babble something loudly. If at the same time the face and head turn red, you should not worry. The process of playing sounds is very popular with children, so they are often overworked. This is how the vocal cords develop.
Already, the baby begins to respond to his name - freezes, listens, turns, smiles. However, the emotional background remains unstable due to age. Children continue to react violently to any events. If something bothers them, then vagaries and cries begin, if they feel good, then their mood is elevated (smiles, exclamations of admiration, laughter).
At this stage, the feelings of the child develop. Now he experiences not only fear and hunger, but also surprise, resentment, curiosity, disappointment.
Optimal mode
At 4 months, the baby should have a clear and balanced daily and night schedule. Until six months, it is important to walk daily in the fresh air from an hour to three, depending on weather conditions. Daily extremity massage and bathing are also required. The more active and diverse the child spends the wakeful period, the better he will eventually sleep.
Between daily feedings there must be a dream (about one and a half hours). You can not force the child to stay awake for all 4 hours or more, as this contributes to overexcitation, the development of headaches, and crying.
Before going to bed at night, you should keep your baby as busy as possible so that he is more tired, but not overdo it. In this case, the night will pass quietly, without awakening and crying.
Proper diet
For a four-month-old child, it is important to organize the optimal mode and food menu. It is time to switch to 5-time feeding (the last - no later than 20.00 hours).
If the baby is still eating breast milk, then the diet should not be expanded this month. Otherwise, you should introduce complementary foods. Liquid vegetable purees are ideal for this. If the baby does not want to perceive feeding from a spoon, then you can go to the mixture for the bottle.
At this age, it is important that the toddler receive the necessary amount of vitamins and minerals. If a child (4 months), whose development, weight and height are normal, eats only one type of mixture, then by the year he may develop anemia and rickets.
Between feedings should be 4 hours. Deviation for 20-30 minutes is allowed, but no more.
If the weight of the children at 4 months is much lower than normal, the sixth feeding is allowed.