Your Growing Baby:
Beyond the “Fourth Trimester”
(Babies 4-9 Months)
by Mary Breithaupt
Photograph by Blue Egg Photography
The early weeks with your newborn (and even longer with a preemie) are often a blur. Endless cycles of long feedings, pooping, crying, changing, holding…but everyone says, “It will get easier at three months!” So does it?
Let’s review: At the end of the 3rd month you have finally mastered feeding, no longer fear baby’s head will fall off, can do diaper changes in your sleep, are out of the house before noon, have had a few longer stretches of sleep and are looking less at the books and the Internet and more to your baby for direction as confidence builds. Getting a little easier? Congratulations!
The next few months, however, are amazing. You will have a rolling (surely), sitting (likely), crawling (maybe), carrot-munching, opinionated little person in your house very soon!
MONTHS 4, 5 & 6: Be ready for that first giggle. And bring out those toys. They can now bat at them and hold them and stick them in their mouth, along with everything else… including your cellphone. And even on their tummies! They love watching people…and pets… and being outside. The world around them has become so exciting and stimulating that sometimes they forget or refuse to eat and nap because of distractions. Don’t worry – they will catch up at the next feed and are much more efficient now,often done in 5-10 minutes. Naps will become more regular in the second six months.
Pooping may be less frequent, going a few days in between. As long as they are feeding well and content, you only need worry about the impending bigger blowout.
Sleep is the most common topic at this age for moms in my support groups. Our hopeful expectations of more settled sleep may be shattered by more night waking as baby experiences increasing developmental leaps: learning to roll over, the drool-y hints of teething (so that’s what all those bibs are for), adjusting to other caregivers as mom returns to work, starting solids, and budding social and emotional growth. Psst, I’ll let you in on a secret, based on 18 years of teaching classes with new families and from what thousands of babies have told me (via their moms), it is NORMAL for babies, especially breastfed babies, to wake and feed at some point in the night throughout at least the first year. It is a biologically based instinct for survival and helps to maintain breastfeeding longer. Not what you wanted to hear, right? Lots of sleep advice is available but YOU get to decide what is best for your family.
The topic of feeding solids may come up at your 4-month well baby visit as many docs are moving back to a 4-6 month introduction period. Traditional baby food (purees first) versus “baby-led”(whole pieces of soft foods) is another decision for new parents. Wait until 6 months if you use the baby-led approach. Teeth, by the way, are not required with solids. (Making messes is.)
MONTHS 7, 8 & 9: Most babies are sitting well and start moving now, crawling, rolling, scooching, commando body crawl and the baby proofing challenge begins! Borrow a friend’s toddler and you’ll quickly
learn what needs modifying in your home for safety.
Emotionally, this age is exciting and challenging. They are discovering they are separate from you so being too far away or out of sight can bring tears. Reassure them and practice coming and going in small doses. Peek-a-boo gives them opportunity to rehearse that emotional swing of worry to relief.
Growing assertiveness also appears with refusal to get in the car seat or hold still for a diaper change. Distraction and singing are helpful tools for managing resistant moments.
Their developing cognitive or “thinking” skills mean they will try imitating things you do, talking on the phone, petting the kitty, putting on your sunglasses. They will practice cause and effect as they throw their broccoli off the highchair and watch the dog eat it…again and again! Try to ignore them (without laughing).
Did you just hear “Mama” or was it just babbling? Smile and respond and soon it will be your new name through association and reinforcement…for the rest of your life!
These are just a few of the changes ahead with your growing baby. So…is it easier? Maybe. Is it a whole lot of fun? Absolutely!
Mary Breithaupt is a Maternal/Child Health Instructor for Providence Health and Services. She has been teaching prenatal and postpartum classes for parents for 28 years in the Portland area, primarily New Moms’ Support Groups at St. Vincent’s and Providence Portland locations.
