Developmental Activities For A 4-Month-Old Baby

When my daughter hit the 4-month-old mark, I started looking into some developmental activities for her to start doing.

Because when a baby turns 4 months, the fun starts.

They have left the newborn stage where they couldn’t even hold up their head and have officially entered infanthood.

Now, I wouldn’t expect your baby to be crawling or anything like that just yet.

But if your baby is anything like my daughter, then they are smiling, babbling, and starting to reach for things that are held out for them to grab.

This is the stage of infanthood where babies are more alert and begin to develop a curiosity about the world that they have entered into.

And as parents, we should help them develop this curiosity and further boost their overall brain development.

If you all read my post on some of the play-based activities that I like to do with my oldest daughter who is a toddler, then you already know I am all about learning and teaching through play.

I started introducing some activities to my baby when turned 3-months-old and I have still have been doing these activities with her now that she is 4-months-old.

And of course, I want to share those things that I do with my 4-month-old daughter.

Here are some developmental activities for a 4-month-old baby.

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What Should My 4-Month-Old Be Doing?

Before I get those developmental activities for a 4-month-old, let’s discuss this question that many parents ask.

And that is what should my 4-month-old be doing at this stage?

Are they are on the right track?

As parents, we are going to always be concerned about our child’s development and want to make sure they are hitting all of their milestones.

I know I do which is why I like to be informed and look into what to expect during each stage.

Based on some of the things that I have looked up, some things that are happening when your baby turns 4 months are doubling in birth weight, possibly showing an interest in food, and sleeping longer at night.

My daughter isn’t quite sleeping through the night just yet, but I know we will eventually get there.

According to Verwell Family, other milestones to expect at this age are:

• Rolling over from front to back
• Sitting up with support
• Bearing down weight when standing on a hard surface
• Holding a rattle
• Holding up head and chest
• Pushing up to elbows when laying on stomach
• Reaching for objects with one hand
• Coordinates seeing and movement
• Following objects moving from side to side with eyes
• Bringing hands to mouth

My daughter pretty much does all of these things which provides me with a sense of relief that she is on the right track.

But if your baby isn’t doing everything here, then it is not time to worry just yet.

Every baby is different and develops on its own time.

When you should be concerned and need to speak with your pediatrician is when your baby is showing any of these signs or symptoms:

• Crossed eyes
• Has gained less than 50 percent of their birth weight
• Is unable to hold their head up
• Is not able to sit up at all with support
• Does not seem to respond to or is uninterested in your face
• Soft spot that appears to be bulging
• Doesn’t watch items or people as they move
• Isn’t smiling

That is when you should be worried and get with your pediatrician to develop an early game plan.

Like I was saying above, as parents, we want to make sure our children are hitting all of their milestones and that starts with us being informed about what to look for.

Now that we know what to expect with a 4-month-old, let’s get into some developmental activities that you can do with a 4-month-old baby.

Developmental Activities For A 4-Month-Old Baby

Lovevery Play Gym

The very first activity that I want to discuss that I do with my daughter is introducing a play gym to her.

When my daughter became more alert around 3 months is when I knew that I wanted to start taking advantage of her wake window.

And that started with laying her down on her play mat.

I have the Lovevery Play Gym and I cannot recommend this play gym enough.

Every inch of this mat is geared to address your baby’s senses and fuel their development through the different colors, textures, and sounds it makes.

It also comes with:

• Organic High Contract Cotton Ball
• Batting Ring
• Organic Cotton Teether
• Teething Rings
• Black & White Card Set
• Mirror Card Set
• Common Objects Card Set
• Faces Card Set

And this play gym can be used for the entire first year of your child’s life because it comes with a small tent that transforms it from a play mat to a small tent where your child can hang out in.

Since my daughter is currently 4 months, we use it for tummy time and lay her on her back and let her reach up to the toys hanging from it.

Tummy Time

While I’m on the subject of tummy time, that is the next activity that you can do with a 4-month-old.

I have been doing tummy time with my baby for a while now so she enjoys it and will stay on her tummy for up to 20 minutes.

For any mommas that are struggling with doing tummy time with their baby, the key really is to be consistent.

My pediatrician pretty much told us that our daughter should be on her back when she is asleep and on her stomach when she is awake.

And that is kind of what we do.

After she has woken up and gotten fed, I will lay her down on her play mat along with a couple of other toys to let her practice reaching out to them.

Another way that I do tummy time with my baby is by using the Boppy Pillow.

If you thought that the Boppy Pillow could only be used for breastfeeding, then think again.

It can also be used for tummy time, propping your baby up, and supporting them sitting as they learn to sit up.

Practice Sitting

Along with tummy time, another developmental activity that you can do with a 4-month-old is helping learn how to sit up.

At this stage, your baby will need to be supported while sitting, but with more practice, they will learn how to sit up on their own in no time.

Once they learn to sit up, they will be ready for solids.

Eating solids is another major milestone, but a baby will only be ready when they can sit up pretty well.

So why not help them get started by practicing sitting?

I already mentioned that the Boppy Pillow can help support your baby while sitting, but I like to take a step further by using the Bumbo Floor Seat.

The Bumbo Floor Seat is a foam seat that is designed to support your baby comfortably while sitting.

It has a harness system to will keep your baby strapped in and prevent them from falling over when placed in the seat.

We used this seat with my first daughter and loved it so it was only right to pull it back for our second daughter.

Small & Textured Toys

After the past couple of months of just you and your baby staring at each other, the time has finally come to introduce some toys to your little one that they might enjoy.

But this isn’t the time to go buy a play kitchen or anything of that magnitude.

This is when you want to introduce things like rattles, musical toys, and toys with different textures that your baby can touch and grab ahold of.

These toys should invoke your baby’s senses with the different sounds they hear and different textures that they feel.

I actually like Baby Einstein’s toys for babies.

If I had to pick a small toy that has become my baby’s favorite, it is this Rattle & Teether Toy from Baby Einstein.

I think the reason that she likes it is because of the different colors, textures, and her ability to hold onto it.

This toy is made for little hands and babies who are teething.

Reading Board Books

This might sound like a silly thing to do with a 4-month-old but if you want your child to develop a love of books, then you need to introduce books.

It is never too early to start reading to your child.

I started reading to my first daughter when she was a little baby as well and I truly believed that it helped her learn how to talk and expanded her vocabulary.

So even though my daughter has no clue what I’m saying or even paying attention to the book, she is learning.

She is studying my face and watches my mouth when I’m reading.

Every night before I lay her down for bedtime, I read the same book to her and that book is Good Night, Sophie.

It is a little board book that has a different texture on each page for your baby to feel as you read it to them.

Making Faces

And the last developmental activity that you can do with a 4-month-old baby is something that you have probably already been doing and that is making faces at them.

Babies can pick on social cues as you have probably already noticed.

When I’m smiling at my daughter, she will often smile back at me.

As I was saying above, babies are always studying our faces and trying to mimic what they see.

A popular thing that many parents like to start doing around this time is playing a game of “Peek A Boo.”

This is a great game to play with a 4-month-old as they begin learning the concept of object permanence.

Your Turn

Those are all the developmental activities that I like doing with my 4-month-old baby. As she gets older, I will introduce other things such as walkers and entertainment centers, but for now, these activities work and are helping her in her development. But I want to hear from you all now. What are some learning activities that you like to do with your 3 and 4-month-olds? Let me know in the comments and while you are still here, check out my previous post below. Until next time!

• Read More: My Diaper Bag Essentials As A Second Time Mom

Love,

Just Jass