If you can believe it, the middle of the year is approaching! Your baby’s mind is twinkling with consciousness and all the great work you’ve been doing to respond to them and make them feel secure is paying off. You’ll know this because your baby will eventually start to show signs of independence. The classic example of this is when your baby can eventually crawl away (looking back to check you’re there, of course) to explore the world.
Your 5-Month-Old’s Milestones
At five months, most babies at this age can sleep a stretch of 6 to 8 hours continuously, roll over, and stay sitting up without being propped. Your baby may start recognizing the sound of their own name and turn when you call their name. Their hearing and vision are mostly developed and are eagerly soaking in as much as they can about their environment.
Your 5-month-old can likely distinguish tiny things and colors, tracking moving objects. They may be able to pick up items with one hand or pass an item from one hand to the other. They might also be chatting and giggling away.
Additionally, they will discover cause and effect and start making connections that their actions are causing a result. Your baby will thoroughly enjoy confirming their theories by shaking or dropping objects over and over again to see if the always make the same sounds or elicit the same responses. Though this will be super annoying, this experimenting is an important part of your baby’s developmental process.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), some other 5-month-old milestones include:
- Starts to “tripod” when sitting, leaning forward and extending arms to balance their upper body
- May be able to pick up things
- Brings feet and toes to their mouth
- Discovers other body parts
- Repeats one sound for a whole day (or several) before switching to another
- Realizes object permanence
Your 5-Month-Old’s Development
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average baby weight and height for a 5-month-old is 15.2 pounds and 25.2 inches for girls and 16.5 pounds and 25.9 inches for boys. For these next few months, your baby will gain about 1 to 1.25 pounds and be about 1 inch longer each month. Focus on the overarching growth and not specific numbers. Remember there is a wide range of normal.
Please contact your child’s pediatrician if your baby shows any of the following signs of developmental delay at five months such as:
- Doesn’t track things as they move
- Can’t support head or keep it steady
- Doesn’t babble or make sounds
- Doesn’t try to stand or bounce or push down with legs when feet are placed on a firm surface
- Has difficulty moving one or both eyes in all directions
Note: If you are visiting a medical professional during COVID, make sure to ask about the facility’s safety measures and confirm that they are following COVID protocols as indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
A General Schedule for Your 5-Month-Old
As the memory and attention span of your 5-month-old increases, you’ll find that your baby will start to incorporate what they’re learning through their play and exploration of the world. If they’ve dropped down to two naps from three, you are now faced with even more waking hours. Don’t worry about trying to entertain a 5-month-old all day. Whatever you do will likely be fine.
Just remember to talk to your baby. Explain what you’re doing even if you feel stupid narrating your life to a baby who doesn’t really carry their part of the conversation. Remember that as long as their surrounding environment is safe and free from choking hazards or dangers, you can let them amuse themselves as you take a brief break nearby.
Here is one suggested routine:
- Morning: feed, play, feed, nap
- Afternoon: play, feed, nap, play
- Evening: feed, nap, play, bath (not necessarily daily), story or lullaby
- Night: feed, sleep, feed, sleep
Feeding and Eating Guidelines
Even though 3 out of 4 moms in the U.S. start out breastfeeding, by 6 months between 50 and 80 percent (depending on the state) have stopped, and many more are supplementing with formula. Why do breastfeeding rates drop off so far shy of the 1 to 2 years recommended by major health advisors like the AAP and the WHO? The reasons are many, said lactation consultant Wendy Haldeman, R.N. The big ones are:
- Returning to work
- Cultural norms and moms being told (even by their pediatricians, in some cases) that there are no nutritional advantages to human milk after 6 months
- Peer and family pressure to wean
- Night weaning too early
That means enlisting support if you’re trying to make it to the one-year mark, or further. Join a nursing moms support group, talk to fellow breastfeeding moms who have successfully kept their supply up while working and politely change the topic when a friend or family member expresses dismay that you’re still breastfeeding.
Pediatrician Dr. Yael Wapinksi says most babies peak in milk consumption around 30 to 32 ounces a day, give or take, so if your baby is bottle feeding, that will be her rough benchmark for the rest of the year.
Time to think about all the delicious flavors and foods you can start introducing to your baby! Talk to your doctor about the right time to start, but the AAP recommends 6 months for the tasting to begin. At this point, solid food is not a nutritional “must,” but more of an introduction to flavors and textures.
Pediatrician Dr. Steph Lee told Mom.com, “You don’t have to give water to a baby, because breastmilk and formula have enough.” Plus, water has no calories but can make a baby feel full — which is not advisable since it has no nutrition.
Play: Toys, Games and Activities
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What’s one of the most common anxieties in parents in the first six months? “Parents often worry that they’re not doing enough or using the appropriate toys to encourage their child’s development,” said Dr. Wapinski. She said a lot of parents come into her office worried that they don’t have the right games or gadgets to boost brain growth.
“A baby doesn’t need any specific ‘prop’ for development at such a young age,” she reassures her patients. “It is just as important to talk or sing to your child as to give them a specific game.”
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Your baby is a little scientist so they don’t need much. They will do the rest. Some ideas of what to engage your child with are:
- Simple toys without too much in the way of flashing lights and sounds
- Basic materials like a wooden spoon and salad bowl
- Your company
- Fresh air and nature
Sleep and Nap Guidelines
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At this age, most babies need about 11 to 12 hours of nighttime sleep and take 2 to 3 naps per day (depending on the length of the nap), said Los Angeles sleep consultant Heather Turgeon.
Your baby should be able to sleep a good stretch of the night, said Turgeon. Some babies wake up to eat at this age, but the overall night should be getting easier, not harder. If you’re working hard to put your baby to sleep after the age of 5 months, you might be “over-helping,” said Turgeon — which is a super commonplace for parents with babies at this age.
A healthy, realistic expectation for a 5-month-old when it comes to sleep? “Most 5-month-old babies are capable of putting themselves to sleep at bedtime and waking 1 to 2 times in the night to be fed,” Turgeon said. They wake for feedings, but they can go back to sleep again smoothly.
“If you’re still bouncing, rocking or feeding all the way to sleep, you might be getting in the way of your baby’s natural sleep and self-soothing abilities.” That’s when most of her clients call, said Turgeon. “They’ve gotten themselves stuck in a habit that they know is hindering sleep, but they can’t figure out how to back away without being too harsh.”
A few other sleep reminders:
- Continue placing your baby on their backs to sleep
- Follow the AAP recommendations to keep your child safe from sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)
- If your baby can roll over, stop swaddling them
- Remove loose blankets, pillows, and soft toys from your baby’s sleeping area
Common 5-Month-Old Health Conditions
At five months, there really aren’t any unique health conditions to look out for. Likely, your baby will be experiencing:
- Sleep regression
- Teething
- Possible growth spurt
- Losing hair
- Spitting up
If they get a cold and cough, remember cough medicine isn’t recommended for children under 2 years old. For their coughing and congestion, you can run a humidifier and use a nasal spray in conjunction with a nasal aspirator.
Coming Soon: Your 6-Month-Old
