Independent Play Time: How to Get StartedBut even the clingiest babies can learn that independent play time is good for them. Starting a quiet independent play time is ideal when baby is around five months old. While that is the optimal time, children of all ages can be taught to play quietly on their own.
Why rocking + lullabies really can work
- Swaddling (for infants).
- Massage.
- Any light, repetitive movement, like swaying or swinging.
- Feeding (not until babies fall asleep, but just until they become drowsy).
- Dimming the lights.
- Playing soft music or tranquil sounds from a white noise machine or app. (Turn off the TV.)
Boredom is not a natural part of an infant's repertoire. While immune to boredom, babies definitely can become tired. Indeed, we would soon grow tired if we spent several minutes imitating the movements of Kiley or Chase.
Most babies start crawling sometime between the age of 7 and 10 months, but every baby is unique so your little one might be on the move a little earlier or later than this. Keep in mind, some babies don't crawl in the classic sense at all, but just get around by shuffling on their bottom.
By 3-4 months of age, a baby recognises the parents, and the vision keeps improving with each passing month. If you notice that your baby is not recognising people and places by 4 months of age, you may want to mention it to your paediatrician.
Babies who stand before they're ready can be bow-legged. Putting them in the standing positions is also problematic for their developing spine. Holding your baby up to stand or putting them in contraptions that keep them in those positions, like the walkers, are very bad for your baby.
Baby weight chart by age
| Baby age | Female 50th percentile weight | Male 50th percentile weight |
|---|
| 3 months | 12 lb 14 oz (5.8 kg) | 14 lb 1 oz (6.4 kg) |
| 4 months | 14 lb 3 oz (6.4 kg) | 15 lb 7 oz (7.0 kg) |
| 5 months | 15 lb 3 oz (6.9 kg) | 16 lb 9 oz (7.5 kg) |
| 6 months | 16 lb 1 oz (7.3 kg) | 17 lb 8 oz (7.9 kg) |
There's no rule saying a baby can roll over too early. In fact, some newborns do actually roll onto one side to sleep with the first few days after delivery. Interestingly, though, this premature ability typically fades with the first month.
Tummy time is important for helping your child strengthen the muscles in her arms, chest, and neck--muscles needed for sitting, crawling, and walking! It also helps to lower your baby's risk of developing flat spots on his head (plagiocephaly), which can result when babies spend less time on their stomachs or upright.
Baby sleep schedule: 4 to 6-month-old sleep schedule
| Your day should start around | 7 to 8 AM |
|---|
| Naps | Usually 3 naps, each 1 to 3 hours long |
| Time awake between sleeps | 1.5 to 2.5 hours |
| Longest stretch of nighttime sleep | 4 to 8 hours |
| Bedtime should be around | 8:30 to 9:30 PM |
At 4 months, they can go eight hours at night without feeding; by 5 months, they can sleep for 10 or 11 hours straight. Both 4-month-olds and 5-month-olds will sleep four to five hours during the day, spread out over three naps.
“Some babies are ready and able to sleep through the night at 4-6 months of age, while others may not be ready until they are between 8-10 months of age, and there are babies that need a feeding between 10-12 months.
Except for newborns, your baby or toddler's napping should not surpass 3 hours total for a day, on average. Of course, there will be exceptions, but many times if naps get too long during the day, it will impact night sleep, since the amount of total sleep in a day will remain relatively constant.
