What does a 5 month old baby look like? No longer a baby: what a child should be able to do at five months

Children grow up very quickly. It seems that quite recently a newborn was born, and already recognizes his parents, smiles happily at them, deftly turns over and starts playing with toys. The development of a child at 5 months is filled with joyful moments and surprises.

What should a 5 month old be able to do?

The height and weight of the baby at 5 months have changed so that it is noticeable to the naked eye. The baby grows by about 15 cm in 5 months and becomes twice as heavy. According to statistics, on average, boys at 5 months weigh 7.3 kg, girls - 6.65 kg. Deviations of 6-7% are the norm.

The baby easily turns on its side and can grab toys with its fingers. In general, the physiological development of a child of this age is characterized by the following indicators:

• when the baby is taken under the armpits, he tries to take steps;
• firmly holds objects in his hands;
• lying on his back, the baby raises his shoulders;
• lightly bites the toes;
• the baby is able to roll over from the tummy to the back and vice versa;
• the little one is actively trying to reach a bright object, for example, a toy;

lying on his stomach, the child firmly rests his arms on the surface.

The development of a child at 5.5 months is complemented by attempts to sit down. Specialists are constantly developing games that allow you to improve physical activity child, and stimulate the development of his thinking abilities, vision and coordination. The simplest game is to invite the baby to choose an object. The baby is turned over on his stomach and 2-3 bright toys are placed nearby. The little one will first reach for the object he likes, and then try to crawl to it.

At this time at baby hitherto unknown emotions are revealed. He is easily frightened, keeps his eyes on objects, tries to distinguish sounds. A baby at 5 months is already endowed with the following abilities:

• distinguishes between loud and soft sounds;
• distinguishes colors (but distinguishes blue, red and yellow from all others);
• recognizes close people, consciously smiles at them;
• may be wary of strangers, especially if they try to pick him up;
• pronounces several vowels (a, i, e, s) and a couple of consonants;
• listens carefully;
• hums, gurgles, laughs;
• looking in the mirror, recognizes his own reflection;
• squeaks or growls, demonstrating pleasure;
• does not give away toys, and when you try to pick them up, he starts whining or screaming loudly.

Specific norms for the development of a child at 5.5 months do not exist. At this time, the kids are already trying to get the attention of their parents. Their visual perception is highly developed. For example, remembering a mother with one hairstyle, the baby will be wary of a new haircut or unusual clothes.

A baby at 5.5 months can visually control the movement of his hands. That is, the child first looks at the toy, and then reaches for it. And it is to the one that interests him. This is another important step in development, associated with the formation of the ability to choose and fix attention.

Games for the development of a child at the age of 5 months

Very often, parents are interested in general what a child can do at five months, and whether their child is developing correctly. There are no clear rules here. Each child is unique and learns skills and abilities at their own pace. What fidgets can now, calmer children will master a little later.

Thinking about how to develop a baby at 5 months, you should pay attention to the following games:

1."Know Me". The main task is to determine whether a five-month-old baby can distinguish a person he knows. To do this, mom or dad needs to go to the crib and smile at the baby. The peanut should smile back. The parent then turns away and puts on a mask or wraps a scarf around their face. The right reaction is that the baby will not recognize a person in a new guise.

2."Grab and Pull".The purpose of the lesson is to introduce the baby to simple sounds. Showing a toy or a picture of a kitten in the picture, the mother says: “Meow-meow”, on the plane - “Uuuuuu”, etc. The child enthusiastically listens to new sounds and looks at new objects.

3."Grab and Pull". When a child grabs his mother by the finger, you need to shout “Ai!”, And if the baby grabbed the object, you should slightly pull it, but then give it back.

4."Come on, catch it!".You can throw a soft ball or a squeaker toy to your child. If the baby likes to throw things on the floor, you should pick them up with him. The baby is interested in doing something “like an adult”, and motor skills and coordination develop along the way.

5.Cubes. Soft and bright, they are perfect for throwing or reaching for.

6.Pillows of various shapes. You will need foam pads of cylindrical, triangular, round shapes. They should be soft and catchy - with a contrasting image or striped. The baby can be put on a pillow with his tummy, rolled left and right, put on horseback.

Development of a premature baby at five months

In the fifth month, babies born before 38 weeks almost catch up with their peers in terms of height and weight. There are also no serious deviations in their development and behavior. Therefore, when deciding what to do with such children, you can fully practice the games described above.

When parents think about how to accelerate the development of a child, they are faced with an abundance of recommendations and warnings. Some advise not to rush the process, while others insist on constant active classes with a baby to prevent developmental delays.

The notorious doctor Komarovsky recommends not to dwell on this. It's great if mommy makes light strokes for the baby, plays with him. But all this is only as long as it brings them both pleasure. If the baby is not in the mood - you do not need to insist on classes or massage, you should postpone them for a more suitable time.

Lyudmila Sergeevna Sokolova

Reading time: 11 minutes

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Caring and responsible parents often ask questions like "My baby is 5 months old (girl). What should a baby be able to do?" And their anxiety is not accidental.

Speaking about the development of a child in the first year of life, they mean a number of indicators of a physiological and anthropometric nature, as well as a set of speech functions, manifestations of sensory perception and psychomotor skills. The task of the whole complex of these skills and achievements is to help in assessing the development of the baby.

Everything has its time

There are indicators for each age. The achievements of a five-month-old baby are an order of magnitude more serious in comparison with what a child should be able to do at 1.5 months or, say, at 3. By this age, he has already gained good weight, rounded off, and became a completely reasonable little man. If all that a child can do at 1.5 months is to hold his head while lying on his tummy and smile with a physiological (not too meaningful) smile, then you can already really communicate with a five-month-old baby.

The age of about 5 months is one of the important stages child development. That is why it is important for parents to control the slightest probability of deviation from the norm in time. This is done in order to timely identify possible violations or hidden diseases, the result of which may be slow growth and lag in the development of the child.

In order to be able to give an independent assessment of the development of the baby, it is required to have an idea of ​​​​the skills and abilities that he is supposed to have at this age.

5 months old baby: what a boy or girl should be able to do

In fact, differences between babies by gender at this age are minimal. The most important skills that a baby has are those related to his motor and intellectual development. Moreover, when evaluating them, it is important to take into account the specific features of the innate character. We are also talking about emotional reactions and those behavioral changes that must manifest themselves according to age.

The foregoing does not at all mean the obligation of all children of the same age to develop in strict accordance with the theoretical standard adopted in pediatrics. But at the same time, deviations from the norm should not be significant. Below we list what a child of 5 months can do if he is born on time and does not suffer from diseases or pathologies of a systemic nature.

Ability to hold head in any position

This sign is one of the most important when it comes to what a child of 5 months should be able to do. Development, correct from a physiological point of view, obliges him to hold his head quite confidently, including being in the arms of an adult. In this case, there should be no tension in the muscles of the neck. In case of manifestation of signs of hypertonicity, a consultation with a neurologist is required to exclude possible disorders.

Standing leg extension on a hard surface

When the mother, holding her hands, puts the child on the floor (or some other hard surface), a healthy baby straightens the legs completely, while rising on his toes. What a child can do at 5 months, in the near future (after another 4-8 weeks) will become the basis of the skill to fully rely on the foot.

Moving the body as the beginnings of a crawl

If you put the baby on his stomach, he randomly rotates his pelvis, trying to simultaneously move his forearms forward. He seems to be trying to crawl. The activity of the baby increases if a bright or ringing toy enters the field of view. Some children at this age are already able to get up on all fours, but most of this skill is given no earlier than 6-7 months.

It is generally accepted that a boy-child can do more in terms of motor development than a girl at 5 months. Indeed, boys often look smarter than their peers. But there is no strict scientific data on this subject, everything is individual.

Lifting the body with support on the hands of an adult

This skill is one of the most important in the arsenal of a five-month-old baby. You pull the arms of the baby lying on his back, he grabs them and tries to pull himself up. Thanks to this exercise, not only the abdominal and back muscles are strengthened, but the future ability to independently take a sitting position is trained, which is one of the main skills of the baby.

Flip from back to tummy and vice versa

One of the most interesting actions that a child can do at 5 months. Its development already allows you to turn over well in both directions. From a prone position, the baby can often, after a few seconds of swinging, tip over onto its back with a sharp movement. That is why it is very dangerous at this age to leave him unattended on any surface from where there is a possibility of falling off.

Let's move on to speech and emotional development

What can a child at 5 months in the field of communication and speech? At this age, children begin to babble. What is babble? This is the name of the baby's ability to pronounce individual syllables: ba, ma, pa. This action is not yet realized by him, and his task is to train speech.

In addition, the child's emotions are expressed much more vividly than in previous months. You can observe his laughter or indignation (in the case of, for example, futile attempts to get a bright toy). The kid is able to recognize those who make up his inner circle, and to distinguish them from strangers, to whom he feels distrust. He can understand the different intonations of adult voices and express his own emotions. Among the toys, he highlights a few of his favorites. Gradually, communication in the form of gestures is being formed.

Again, there is an unspoken opinion among parents that a child-girl can do a little more in terms of emotions at 5 months. But this is optional.

All of the listed skills are basic, the possession of which at the age of 5 months is typical for 90% of healthy children who do not have age-related developmental disorders. If your baby does not do everything that a child should be able to do at 5 months, you should not worry. There are many factors that can affect the pace of development and growth. Not the least of these is heredity.

You should worry and pay a visit to the pediatrician with more or less significant deviations from the norm. As already mentioned, this is done in order to avoid the danger of missing hidden pathologies of the endocrine and nervous (or other important) systems of the body.

Let's talk about deviations: when to start worrying

It is very important to be able to recognize signs that may indicate possible deviations and disorders in child development. Indeed, a completely harmless-looking behavioral reaction, which can be easily mistaken for an individual feature of a particular baby, can act as the first bell. The task of attentive and responsible parents is to carefully monitor any changes in the growth and development of the child, both physically and psycho-emotionally. At this age, the resulting violations can still be relatively easily corrected, including medication.

When to See a Doctor

• The baby only hums (that is, stretches out vowel sounds), but there are no consonant sounds in his speech, as well as attempts to pronounce the simplest syllables.
• There is no skill in turning from the stomach to the back and back, and the baby does not show any attempts to pull up, holding the hands of an adult, which a child should be able to do at 5 months (as already mentioned).
• There is no or very little interest in surrounding objects and bright toys.
• There are no signs of a reaction to an emotionally colored speech of an adult or a response to a verbal appeal. In this case, first of all, care must be taken to exclude a number of dangerous diseases of the brain (hydrocephalus, etc.), as well as the pathology of the nervous system.

It is necessary to carefully observe how the baby's muscular apparatus functions. If there are signs of hypertonicity, it is necessary to prescribe special exercises along with therapeutic massage. Such procedures should preferably be carried out under the supervision of a medical professional.

Educational activities for a 5 month old baby

Helping the child to grow and develop properly, they resort to using a variety of game techniques. Each of them is aimed at improving the physiological state, coupled with stimulating sensory perception, tactile sensations and motor skills.

Swing

The baby is placed in an electronic swing and slowly swayed. At the same time, the mother is at the same level with him, which ensures her eye contact with the baby. When the swing moves towards the mother, she should say to the baby: “Hello!” or "Hi!" When the child moves back along with the swing, you should wave your hand to him and say: "Bye."

What does this game train? Thanks to her, the child will begin to better understand the intonation of speech and emotional coloring. Not yet understanding the meaning of the words, he already catches the difference in their meaning.

Mirror

If the mirror is floor, the child is placed in front of him or brought in his arms to any other mirror surface. The kid should be given time to see his own reflection and figure out who he is watching. Then you should tell him in detail what kind of people and what kind of objects are reflected by the mirror surface. So far, he is not able to remember a single name or name, but he is already able to catch that each object or person is denoted by a separate word.

Where does such a game lead? The baby's attention level, ability to concentrate increases, his observation grows, visual skills improve and logical thinking develops.

Rings

This exercise is very useful, leading to the development of agility and strengthening the muscles of the arms, abdomen and back. Gymnastic rings are hung on the sides in a crib or in an arena at such a height that the baby can reach them. When he manages to grab the ring, he will instinctively reach up.

What skill does this exercise train? With daily exercises, the muscular apparatus is remarkably strengthened, the child develops physically in the right direction and gradually acquires the ability to sit down on his own.

About premature babies

Babies born before 36-37 weeks of gestation are considered premature. The degree of prematurity can vary from deep (the weight of the newborn is less than one and a half kilograms) to moderate or insignificant. born ahead of schedule Babies develop in their own way and are different from other babies of the same age.

What should a child be able to do at 5 months in this case? An important role is played by the weight with which the baby was born. If this indicator at birth did not exceed 2 kg, the process of mastering the main speech and physical skills will be slowed down. Such children, for example, are characterized by the ability to hold their head upright by four or five months, but they can usually be expected to turn over onto their stomach and back onto their backs no earlier than six to seven months.

Such indicators can be attributed to the variant of the norm, and in the absence of other important problems in children's health, they should not cause serious concern to parents. As evidenced by widespread medical practice, the bulk of prematurely born babies by the age of about a year catches up with their peers and eliminates the visible difference in the lag.

What can a child of 5 months in case of prematurity

By the age of five months, an infant born at less than 36 weeks of age should have acquired the skills to:

1. Turn and hold your head in any position.
2. Try to reach for bright objects.
3. Show emotions when communicating with familiar people (smile, walk).
4. Increase activity by contacting your mother or other close people.
5. Try to roll over from your back to your stomach.

We remind you once again: with a body weight at the time of birth of less than 2 kg, much slower rates of development are possible. In this case, the state estimate child health and the presence of any deviations in the process of development and growth should be carried out only by a qualified specialist - a doctor who is able to take into account possible concomitant diagnoses and individual characteristics.

It is important

In conclusion, we recall once again that monitoring of child development must be carried out monthly, since it is one of the most important indicators of physical and mental infant health. If signs of any abnormalities are detected, parents should, without wasting time, immediately consult a specialist.

There are many disorders, the successful correction of which is possible only before a certain age. The lack of timely measures is fraught with serious consequences and considerable difficulties with future social adaptation. In order not to worry in vain about the condition of their own child, parents should follow the schedule of scheduled examinations and strictly follow any recommendations of both the pediatrician and narrow specialists. In the case of the proposed treatment, which is prescribed solely because of necessity, it should not be abandoned in any case.

The sixth month of a child's life is a crucial period in the development of an infant, because most children at this age are already making their first attempts to sit up on their own. This does not mean that a baby at 5 months old should sit on his own, but at normal growth and development rates, he should be able to lift himself up on his hands on an adult from a “lying on his back” position and demonstrate the makings of readiness to master this skill. Important changes are taking place in speech as well as emotional development: the baby is already well distinguished between acquaintances and strangers, can itself give signals indicating the need for communication, and can independently play with rattles or other objects for 5-10 minutes.

How much should a baby weigh at five months

The weight of a baby at 5 months is highly dependent on the type of food. Approximately a third of children at this age already receive complementary foods in the form of vegetable and fruit juices and purees. With good tolerance, dairy and dairy-free cereals can be introduced into the diet. Babies whose diet includes cereals by the end of the sixth month of life may gain weight slightly faster than children who remain on breast milk (or its substitute) and fruit and vegetable juices and purees. The average weight of babies at 5 months should be 7200-7300 g.

The average height of a five-month-old baby is about 65-66 cm. Boys can grow a little faster than girls, but growth rates are influenced not only by gender, but also by many other factors, such as the nutrition that the baby receives. Babies who eat most of their diet with formula milk can gain weight and grow faster. This is due to the high nutritional value of artificial milk substitutes and the constancy of their composition. The content of fats and protein in breast milk is constantly changing and depends on the nutrition of a nursing woman, so growth rates in breastfed babies may be slightly lower compared to "artificial" ones.

The head circumference of a five-month-old baby is usually between 41.5 cm and 42.6 cm; chest girth - from 42.4 cm to 42.9 cm. At the beginning of the sixth month of life, the baby's body becomes more proportional and as close as possible to the proportions of an adult.

Important! An important indicator of correct physical development during this period is the excess of the volume of the chest over the circumference of the head. This difference is still small and is about 30 mm, but it is this indicator that indicates the absence of hidden internal pathologies and disorders in the functioning of the brain.

Table of indicators of height and weight of boys and girls

Read also about child nutrition:

What should a child be able to do at 5 months

The beginning of the sixth month is the most important stage in the development of the baby, during which the skills necessary for further development are formed.

motor skills

1. The baby masters the first crawling skills and makes independent attempts to sit down.
2. All children at this age should roll well from back to stomach and vice versa.
3. In the “lying on his stomach” position, the baby can imitate the movements that children perform while crawling: push off with legs bent at the knees from a solid support and pull up the lower part of the body, while moving their hands forward.
4. If you put the baby on the back and stretch out outstretched arms to him, he will grab them and try to pull himself up: this is how the baby learns a new skill for him - independent sitting.

Some mothers, seeing the crumbs' attempts to learn to sit down on their own, try in every possible way to speed up the process by sitting him down in a stroller during a walk, in a high chair and just in his arms. This cannot be done: despite the strengthened abdominal muscles, early sitting down can harm the child, since the muscular corset that supports the spine cannot yet cope with such a load. Ignoring these recommendations can lead to serious violations that can manifest themselves in adolescence. These include:

• gynecological pathologies in girls (the bend of the uterus is especially often diagnosed - an abnormal location of the organ relative to the central axis of the small pelvis, in which the chances of a successful pregnancy are less than 7%);
• diseases of the spine and joints (scoliosis, osteochondrosis);
• hypoxia internal organs caused by constriction of the arteries due to the wrong position of the body.

Important! Pediatricians and pediatric orthopedists do not recommend sitting down a five-month-old baby. When feeding in a high chair, it is necessary to adjust the position of the backrest to a semi-lying position.

Video baby development calendar from 5 to 6 months

Physiological development

1. Vision. The baby's vision is improving, and he is already able to consider not only the objects lying around him, but also to follow the moving figures of animals, people, the picture on the monitor or TV screen. The child perfectly distinguishes between bright and dim lighting and may react negatively to sources of bright light. This is especially noticeable before bedtime - so that the child can calm down and fall asleep faster, it is necessary to dim all sources of strong light 1 hour before going to bed.
2. The work of the salivary glands and teething. The amount of saliva produced by the body of a five-month-old baby remains plentiful. This is largely due to the eruption of the first milk teeth. Blood circulation at the site of the appearance of the tooth is increased by 5-6 times compared to the norm, and this leads to increased formation of fluid in the oral cavity and activation of the salivary glands. Increased salivation in most children stops by the age of 7-8 months.
3. Digestive system. at 5 months they are very rare, although they can torment some babies up to the age of six months.
4. How much should a child poop. Stools in children receiving complementary foods usually happen 1-2 times a day, and its color and consistency depend on the foods that the child consumed during the day. Natural liquefaction of fecal masses is observed with the use of zucchini and prunes. If the child has already tried rice porridge or banana puree, the stools may be more hard and rare. If the child is cheerful, active, sleeps well and does not experience problems with appetite, additional help in the form of laxatives is not required.

Important! Children eating breast milk and those who do not receive complementary foods, are characterized by instability of the stool - this is a variant of the norm. The chair in such children can be either very frequent (up to 3-4 times a day), or absent for 1-3 days in a row.

Speech and emotional development of a five-month-old baby

Important changes occur in the speech and emotional development of a five-month-old baby.

1. Most children at this age are already trying to add syllables. Usually parts of words they hear a lot, like "ma", "ba", "nya".
2. If the baby is left alone, he can “talk” to himself for 5-10 minutes, while carefully examining his hands, pulling his legs and trying to grab the objects around him.
3. A 5-month-old baby perfectly distinguishes between "us" and "strangers", understands the intonation addressed to him, may be offended if his mother speaks to him in a strict tone.
4. Children in the sixth month of life are able to memorize colors, the shape of objects, the tactile sensations that they experience when they pick up a toy.
5. If you carefully observe the baby, you will notice that he prefers some toys to others and shows his interest not only with gestures, but also with emotions.

Read also about child development:

How to develop a child at 5 months

The game is the main activity of the child, which contributes to his development, starting from a very early age.

finger games

Such games are important not only for the development fine motor skills but also for the development of intelligence. A simple poetic form, colored with bright intonation, is easily perceived by the baby, and finger movements contribute to the formation of visual images. The simplest games are "Crow Magpie" and "Ladushki".

Examples of finger games

hide and seek

The adult hides behind any suitable piece of cloth with the exclamation "Coo-coo", and then shows up from behind it. When the baby catches the essence of the game, you can try to switch roles by hiding the child, and then find it again. A soft toy can also hide.

Football

In front of the legs of the baby, lying on his back, an inflatable ball is placed. Pushing with legs, the baby pushes the ball away. At this age, this is no longer a reflex movement, but a conscious action performed by the child. This exercise strengthens the muscles of the legs, abdomen.

show body part

Already at 5 months, you can try to teach your baby to show different parts of the body. First, by his own example, and then, pointing to the child with the words: “Where are Misha's eyes? Here are the eyes! etc.

We listen to music

Continue listening to music with your baby. It can be both children's songs and classical melodic music. The sounds of nature are also interesting: the sound of the sea, the singing of birds.

magic pouches

The kid will still be interested in fabric bags filled with various cereals, which are interesting to squeeze and unclench in fists, listen to how the grains rustle in different ways, rolling inside. Such games develop tactile sensations and motor skills of the hands.

walk through the house

With a child in your arms, walk around the house, looking at things and the situation around. Point to things and name them. Over time, the child will remember them and, when asked: “Where do we have (name of the item)?”, Will point to it with a pen.

Catchers with a toy

Take a soft bear cub or any other toy and show the child lying on his back, saying, for example: “Look what a bear! Get the bear!" After the child tries to reach the toy, move it a little and offer to catch up again. At the end of the game, let the baby catch the bear.

Toys for proper development

Toys contribute to the versatile development of the crumbs and the knowledge of the world around them.

This baby can help:

• toys with rustling elements and rough surfaces made of various types of fabrics: velvet, velveteen, satin, flannel;
• various lacing in the form of vegetables or fruits (to improve fine motor skills);
• toys with mirror elements;
• bracelets with bells or other ringing elements that can be put on a baby's leg or arm. Such toys will not only occupy the attention of the baby for a long time, but will also contribute to the development of hearing;
• children's developing rugs;
• voiced books (speech development), imitating the sounds that animals make - children willingly repeat them and quickly memorize them.

Care

Bathing a five-month-old baby is not necessary every day, but water procedures should be at least 1 time in 3 days. for children of this age - not just hygiene procedure, but also the most important tempering event. In bathing water, you can add decoctions of medicinal herbs (sequence, chamomile, linden), sea ​​salt or pine extract. Such procedures have a complex effect on the child's body:

• increase resistance to colds and respiratory infections;
• relax muscles (especially important for children with signs of hypertonicity);
• stimulate regenerative functions skin and strengthen local immunity;
• eliminate nervous excitement and help to cope with hyperactivity.

After bathing, it is recommended to carry out a preventive and restorative massage, the duration of which should be at least 10-15 minutes. The massage technique at this age changes a little: if earlier the movements consisted of stroking, rubbing and light tapping, now vibration and pinching must be added to them. This technique has a positive effect on the state of the child's body and contributes to the proper development of the child, and also ensures the prevention of many diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Gymnastics in the sixth month of life is recommended to be carried out 2 times a day: after the first day's sleep and in the afternoon. You should not engage with the baby in the evening, as this can lead to increased excitability and problems with falling asleep.

Walks in good weather should be frequent and long. The ideal is two times a stay in the fresh air with a total duration of 4-5 hours a day. It is advisable to allocate 20-30 minutes from each walk to the study of the world around: animals, birds, plants, insects. This will positively affect the intellectual development of the baby and the functioning of the organs of vision: it has been proven that children who look at natural shades of green for at least 30 minutes a day are less likely to suffer from eye diseases.

The development of the crumbs in the first half of life is a combination of physical, psychological and physiological indicators, which together form the physical and emotional health of the infant. You should not rely only on the existing standards for the development of children at the age of five months, as they only display averages and do not take into account the individual characteristics of a particular baby. Only a pediatrician can assess the correctness of the formation of skills and the growth rate, therefore, regular preventive examinations are sufficient for the peace of mind of parents.

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Parents of a five-month-old baby are happy to note how much he has already learned at this age and how quickly their baby is growing and developing. At 5 months, the child no longer looks like the helpless baby he was just recently, he knows how to roll over, confidently grabs toys, laughs out loud and even tries to sit up himself. Attentive parents at this age, they pay attention not only to the growth and weight indicators of the baby, but also to his skills and abilities, because they demonstrate the degree of mental development of the baby. So, what should a child be able to do at 5 months?

Physical development

By the 5th month of a child's life, his growth rate slows down a little, weight gain is approximately 500-600 g, growth increases by 1-2 cm. By the end of the fifth month, the baby's weight should be at least 2 times more than when birth, increase in height is about 12-15 cm, on average, the height of the child is about 60-75 cm.

Starting from this month, the baby becomes more and more active, he already refuses to lie still while awake and tries to constantly do something, play, communicate or learn new skills. A child at 5 months old should be able to roll over from his back to his stomach, firmly grab and hold a toy or some other object in his hands, and also try to sit down with support on pillows.

A five-month-old baby confidently holds toys with his hand, and opposing the fifth finger to the rest, pulls into his mouth any objects that fall into his field of vision, loves to play with his arms and legs and begins to “crawl”, lifts his upper body and leans on his arms. By the end of the 5th month, many babies try to sit up on their own and are very fond of being pulled by the handles, helping them to the desired position. But if your child does not yet demonstrate such skills, you should not be upset - there is still a whole month to master the skill, most children begin to sit after the first six months of life.

Also, parents should know that at this age, children cannot sit with support for a long time - the child sits on his own only when his spine is strong enough.

If a 5-month-old baby spends too much time sitting, his fragile bones and joints under the influence of too much load can bend and, as a result, the child will develop scoliosis or other diseases of the spine in the future. It is also forbidden to put a child who cannot sit up and sit without support on his own in a seated stroller, walker or any other device in which the spine will experience stress.

Neuropsychic development of the child

At this age, children begin to divide people into “friends and foes”, babies show great joy at the sight of familiar faces, but are wary of strangers who try to pick them up, talk, or are just next to them. Many parents are surprised and even scared: their recently so sociable and smiling child becomes a "beech", refusing to go into the arms of anyone and crying at the sight of strangers. In fact, this is a demonstration of a very important stage in the development of a child, for the first time he realizes his place in a world filled with other people, and parents should help him socialize and feel protected. In no case should you scold or shame the baby for such behavior, or, even more so, forcibly force him to “handle” or “communicate” with people whom the child rarely sees and does not recognize as “his own”. Such behavior can become a source of strong negative experiences for the child, and he will lose unconditional trust in his parents. In addition, the excessive gullibility of the child is not the most the best quality in modern world, and if such instinctive behavior is successfully suppressed by parents, in a few years it will be much more difficult to explain to a grown-up baby why it is impossible for strangers to open doors or leave with them.

At 5 months, children begin to pronounce the first syllables - “ma, “ba”, “pa”, indescribably delighting their parents with this, they constantly walk, “sing”, laugh. At this age, children try to repeat the movements of their parents, distinguish voice intonations well, and may begin to cry or laugh "in company" with others. Five-month-old babies can already engage in new toys or look at bright pictures for a long time, especially at this age they like grabbing and exploring objects not only by touch, but also by taste.

What should a child be able to do at 5 months

By 5 months, a baby can usually:

• raise the upper half of the body, sit down with support;
• confidently grab the toy, examine it and pull it into the mouth, as well as push, swing, twist and hold the objects of interest to him;
• stand on your feet for several minutes, if you hold and support it;
• roll over from back to stomach and back;
• try to crawl with support on the legs;
• recognize parents and other adults by voice;
• lying on your back, raise and bend your legs and arms, at this age some children can suck their fingers not only on their hands, but also on their feet;
• make melodious sounds, walk, babble and pronounce syllables;
• pay attention to everything that is happening around, the child is actively interested in everything - he looks around, hums, babbles, attracting the attention of adults. Rejoices at the sight of a familiar face, perks up when he sees mom, dad or other relatives, tries to direct the adults holding him in his arms to the subject that interests him, “steers”, and having received what he wants, he rejoices violently and begins to study a new toy or household item everyday life.

Warning signs

At the age of 5 months, children should be active, noisy and energetic, the parents of the baby should start to worry and seek the advice of a specialist if their child is.