As your baby is 5 months old, you will be observing many developmental milestones in her. Find out the development milestones that you can expect in a 5-month-old baby.Well, it may be hard to believe, but your little one is almost a half year old! She shall be a year old in the next 6 months! She is on her way to develop new eating habits and communicate with you more effectively.
Here is a compilation of developmental
milestones that you can expect from her this month. Please read along:
Developments in a 5-Month-Old Baby
She may have doubled her birth weight by now. At this stage, you can expect her to gain around a pound each month.
She has also developed her fine motor skills and can sit with support, but you need to hold her properly. You may find her using her hands in support while sitting, but this too shall be gone with time. She can now easily roll back from her stomach. Some babies may even try standing up on knees and hands and rock in the front and back.
Sleep Patterns of a 5-Month-Old Baby
Well, you can expect your little champ to sleep around 6-8 hours at a stretch during nights but she may still need feeds in the middle of the night. In case you find her waking up at night, it is necessary to wait before providing any comfort. It is important to help her learn the self soothing techniques, so that she can go back to sleep on her own. Gently pat her and check if she goes back to sleep. If you feel her cries are only getting louder, you can attend her and lull her back to sleep. You must also check if she needs
diaper change.
To reduce chances of SIDS or
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, it is essential that you keep her crib empty. Remove the additional pillows, soft toys and small objects that might increase choking hazards.
Development of Senses
You may find the colour of her eyes changing. The colour shall change several shades before settling on the final one. In case you find her eyes brown, there are chances that they shall be her permanent eye colour.
Feeding Patterns
It is time you start offering her solids apart from the milk she was relying on. The foods she gets must be rich in iron. As she is preparing for the new eating patterns, you can offer her strained and properly mashed vegetables and fruits. Here are some other aspects you need to be aware of:
- It is important that you wait in between before starting anything new, so that you can understand if she has any allergies.
- If she does not like the taste of something new, you need to wait for sometime before offering it again.
- You will be amazed to know how fickle minded babies are! She may completely love the food she ignored few days back.
- It is important that you introduce honey only after she turns a year old. A bacterium contained in honey is known to cause botulism and thus you need to be careful.
- If you wish to offer her cow's milk, you need to wait till she turns a year old. However, you can safely offer the by-products like cheese or yoghurt.
- Make sure that you consult a paediatrician before introducing solids to get some helpful tips from him or her.
Communication Skills
You may find her laughing, babbling and smiling all the day now. She shall feel more comfortable around familiar people like you, daddy or her caregiver. Do not be amazed if you find the initial signs of fear in her while seeing strangers around her.
Storytelling and singing songs to her shall be some of the best ways to bond with her.
In case you are thinking of getting back to work, you need to look for a childcare provider. In case you opt for the day care centres, make sure they are clean and offer safe environment to kids. You can also enquire about the background of the centre and ensure the staff members are well trained. To be on a safer side, you can leave your baby with your parents or your in-laws as they are the best support system for working mothers.
Can a 5-month-old baby sit properly without support? What milestones are expected in a 5-month-old baby? How to identify developmental delays? Discuss here. 
