Tell nana to watch her glasses and tell your friend that her necklace is in danger - your baby is starting to get grabby. And whatever finds itself in her hands will inevitably end up in her mouth. 

At this age babies like to explore with their mouths and it doesn’t necessarily mean they are teething - despite what your MIL and the lady at the fruit shops tells you. You might see a little toothy peg poking its way through sooner rather than later but it wouldn’t be unusual if your baby was a little gummy bear right up until her first birthday. Be on the lookout for other teething symptoms, which include drool (and lots of it), swollen gums, rosy cheeks and irritability or clinginess. 

Your little one might be looking less like a baby these days – some babies may even be able to sit unsupported sometime in the fifth month, although they can’t stop themselves from toppling over until they are older. If you’ve been giving your baby heaps of tummy time you might have a little roller on your hands earlier rather than later – probably just belly to back at this stage. While on her belly your baby will probably be able to support herself on straight arms.

Sleep
If your baby is a catnapper you might find that he still needs three or more day sleeps – often one in the morning, one just after lunch and another shorter one in the late afternoon. If your baby has longer sleeps he may start to drop the last sleep of the day this month.

Play

Your baby might be growing frustrated by not being able to move around. Her brain wants to run explore but her body just isn’t ready.

You might be tempted to buy a walker or similar toy to give your baby a new perspective but make sure that whatever you buy is safe and that you don’t overuse it. Your baby’s frustration at not being able to move is also her motivation to get going. If you don’t give her heaps of opportunity to play on the floor she won’t get much chance to work on the skills needed for crawling and walking later on.

Feeding

Breast milk or formula gives your baby all the nutrition she needs in the first six months of her life. But lately you might find that your baby is fussing at feed time and is finished before you know it! Gone are the days when you could watch a DVD boxset while feeding your little one.

These days she’ll be craning her head back to see what those Desperate Housewives are up to! Very frustrating! Don’t misinterpret her fussiness as a rejection of the breast or a need to move to solids. She is getting very efficient at feeding so is most likely getting all she needs in a fraction of the time it took when she was a newborn. Plus she’s a little busy body and will be easily distracted. It is likely to be just a phase but you may need to feed her is a quieter room with less distractions for a while.

More useful links:

Chat to forum members about their catnapping babies!

Want to shift some weight? Read about healthy weight loss when breastfeeding

Change your ticker … start the countdown to bub’s first birthday!!

Find a baby swim class near you

Please note: All babies are different, these are generic guides and aren’t a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact your health care provider.

NEXT: Baby Development: The Sixth Month

GO BACK: Baby Development: The Fourth Month

Useful? Share it with your friends -

Share

Tweet