In this article:

The fact that babies grow quickly, every mother can be convinced from her own experience. A 4-month-old baby becomes noticeably more inquisitive and active. The time of his wakefulness gradually increases, and the periods of sleep and rest become shorter. Children begin to reach for toys and are more willing to make contact with their parents.

The daily routine of a child at 4 months consists of sleep, feeding, hygiene procedures, walks and games. You also need to devote time to gymnastics and massage, which prepare him for independent crawling and sitting.

Baby routine at 4 months

The mood and well-being of the baby largely depends on how his day is planned. If feeding, sleeping and waking are subject to a certain routine, the child will be safe and comfortable. So, what should be the daily routine of a 4-month-old baby - let's take a closer look.

Nutrition

How much should a baby weigh at 4 months? Body weight and height in a healthy infant correspond to each other. The table shows what the normal height and weight of a child should be at 4 months.

If the weight of a child at 4 months is included in the criteria of the norm, he receives a sufficient amount of nutrition and does not need. Otherwise, the specialist will help to find out the cause of underweight and choose a mixture that meets all the needs of the child.

If 4 months old breast baby is situated on artificial feeding, he still receives an adapted mixture, but at the same time he is introduced into his diet. As a first course, after the milk mixture, the child is offered fruit juice or puree, starting with a teaspoon, the volume is gradually adjusted to 150 ml. It is administered in the morning 30 minutes before the mixture. Since such nutrition is absorbed longer by the digestive tract 4- month old baby, Unlike breast milk, the number of feedings is reduced to 5 times.

Complementary foods are also introduced to infants who are on. Regardless of what kind of food the baby receives - breast or mixture, he needs 1000 ml of milk per day, or 1/7 of his body weight.

Dream

For a child at 4 months, the daily routine is adjusted by reducing the daily rest - the need for sleep remains, but now instead of 20 it is enough for him to sleep 15-16 hours a day.

Given that children are individuals, babies can behave differently. Some will sleep through the night, while others require a bottle or mother's breast every 3 hours. Some babies need only a little sleep during the day, but they will fall asleep early in the evening, while others will require long motion sickness and attention. All this is quite natural, since each 4-month-old baby is individual.

Three times a day's sleep of a child lasting from 1.5 to 2 hours is considered normal. At night, children should sleep from 10 to 12 hours. Some babies experience a "sleep regression" by the fourth month. This process is associated with the beginning of a new stage of development nervous system and increased physical activity. The kid is more interested in the surrounding space, moves and masters the turns of the body, in connection with which his rest structure changes.

From now on, he, like an adult, begins to alternate phases of superficial and deep sleep, against this background, babies can lose their appetite for a while, become more excitable and sleep less.

walks

The frequency and duration of walks for a baby at 4 months does not change - he still needs to be in the fresh air 2 times a day for 1.5-2 hours. Of course, if the weather conditions are right. In severe frost, heat or a windy day, it is better to stay at home.

Any walk, if the baby is not sleeping, should be educational in nature. By four months, children are actively interested in what is happening around, so you need to tell them about the birds and animals walking in the park, plants seen along the way, transport, etc.

Educational games

Since the baby at 4 months continues to be awake for about 8 hours, this period of time should be filled with educational games. You can spend them during the day, when the baby feels good.

For example, the simplest and most exciting entertainment will be walking around the house with the study of various subjects. You can bring the baby to the mirror and tell him about the parts of the body. Swinging on the hands, playing with fingers, "patties" - all this will be interesting for the child.

Nowadays, a lot of educational games are sold in specialized stores, but now almost any item can play this role for a baby. By four months, the baby has only mastered the strong and conscious grip of toys with his hands, and now you can learn to shift them from one palm to another.

Physical development

The regimen for a 4-month-old baby should include morning exercises, as well as 5-minute exercises performed in the afternoon and evening. Strengthening and development of muscles is necessary for the baby, since from this age he begins to move more actively.

From the age of four months, most babies confidently roll over from their back to their stomach. So that this action does not cause difficulties for the crumbs, you need to strengthen their back muscles and abs, for example, using the “bun” game. The child is gently rolled from the stomach to the back and vice versa on a large hard surface, accompanying the gymnastics with phrases about the main character of the fairy tale, who ran away from his pursuers. will also useful exercise"a bike".

To strengthen the muscles of the arms and spine, the mother can pull the baby towards herself from a prone position with the help of her hands. This exercise prepares the child for the ability to sit up independently.

When laying the baby on a hard surface - the floor or a changing table, you can rest your hands on his heels, as a result of which he will push off with his legs and make attempts to crawl. This exercise strengthens all muscle groups, so you can practice it every day.

You also need to take time to harden. Regular performance of procedures strengthening the immune system has a positive effect on the well-being of the child. Part of the hardening are daily walks in the fresh air, air baths for 10 minutes after changing the diaper, bathing.

Hygiene procedures

Clean skin is a guarantee wellness and health of the baby. Therefore, close attention is still paid to hygiene.

Bathing regularly has the following benefits:

• positive emotions of the child caused by water procedures;
• improving the condition of the skin - in addition to cleansing, you can positively influence the dermis with decoctions of medicinal herbs and sea salt;
• hardening of the body - a baby who takes baths daily adapts more easily to temperature changes;
• strengthening the body - thanks to bathing, the condition of the muscles of the back and abdominals, neck and arms improves, a healthy posture is formed.

The daily routine for a 4-month-old baby includes a morning toilet, a few washes and an evening bath just before a night's sleep. The temperature of the water in the bath should be 37°C. Bathing and a hearty dinner can become a daily ritual for a night's sleep.

Sample daily schedule

To help a young mother, we present a table that clearly shows the approximate regimen of a child at 4 months. When studying it, you need to remember that each baby has its own individual characteristics, so you should not worry if the baby’s daily schedule does not meet the listed criteria by the minute.

Adjustments to the daily routine for a child of 4 months of life, who is breastfed or bottle-fed, are made individually. But when scheduling, you need to remember the need for three daily sleeps with a total duration of 5-6 hours and that the intervals between feedings should not be more than 4 hours.

How to accustom a child to the regime

Not all children like to live according to the schedule - many prefer to spend everyday life in a free rhythm, as a result of which the life of a young family is seriously complicated. Intermittent sleep at night, the inability to make plans, the accumulated fatigue of parents - all this heats up the situation in the house and, first of all, affects the child.

The following tips will help correct the current chaotic daily routine of a 4-month-old baby:

• come up with rituals before going to bed - pulling the curtains, dim lights, quiet conversations will create a favorable environment for a peaceful sleep;
• try to follow the daily routine given in the table - let these attempts be approximate, the main thing is to smoothly alternate feeding with periods of sleep and wakefulness;
• be patient and not deviate from your plan if the baby is still against the schedule.

Even in the most difficult moments, you should not take it out on the child, because he is not to blame for the lack of a regime. If the baby confused day and night, it will not be possible to solve this problem in a week, and a nervous situation in the family can ruin all undertakings.

Is the daily regimen of children on artificial and breastfeeding different?

Daily routine of a 4-month-old baby breastfeeding has some differences from the routine of an artificial baby. They are related to the characteristics of their diet.

Breastfeeding at 4 months does not require additional complementary foods, since mother's milk provides the baby with the entire list of essential nutrients. And artificial children at this age already need it.

Feeding a 4-month-old baby with adapted formula and complementary foods may be accompanied by longer intervals between meals, as these foods are digested more slowly.

On average, the number of feedings of a child is 5 or 6 per day, depending on the characteristics of the baby, for example, on how much he should weigh. Typically, an infant eats 150-200 ml of mother's milk or an adapted formula at a time. If height and weight baby at 4 months it differs from the norm up or down, it is important to make adjustments to his diet according to the recommendations of the pediatrician.

For example, a child who gains 4 kg in the first 4 months of life will be overweight, so the doctor can choose a lower-calorie formula for him. On breastfeeding, problems with being overweight are usually not observed.

Thus, the regimen of a baby at four months includes 5-6 hours of rest during the day and 10 hours of sleep at night. It must necessarily include outdoor walks, gymnastics, hygiene measures and educational games. Depending on what kind of feeding the child is at 4 months old - breastfeeding or artificial, the frequency of feeding may change with the saved daily routine. Such a busy schedule will not allow the baby to get bored and will help his healthy mental and physical development.

Useful video about the daily routine of the child

In the fourth month of life, the baby begins to spend more and more time awake. Food volumes are increasing, and pediatricians are allowing some children to try new tastes: it is time to introduce complementary foods in the form of cereals, fruit or vegetable purees.

More and more activities are included in the daily routine of the crumbs, designed to develop his motor skills. Active babies diligently master flips and crawls, and your task is to devote as much time as possible during wakefulness to exercises that will strengthen the baby’s muscles and help consolidate new skills.

Approximate daily routine of a child at 4 months

Of course, you will not be able to implement exemplary mode day to your baby and follow him minute by minute. The routine may be slightly shifted, for example, due to poor health of the crumbs. You should only strive to ensure that the intervals between meals are at least 4 hours, and the baby spends about 6 hours on daytime sleep, divided into three episodes.

Nutrition

Breast-feeding

Back to top fourth month of life, you should already be accustoming a breastfed infant to a strict schedule. The intervals between feedings should now be 3.5-4 hours, and ideally the number of feedings should be reduced at night. On average, babies in the fourth month should rest without waking up for 6.5 hours.

The volume of breast milk eaten should now increase to 200 ml per feeding. A well-fed baby sleeps and stays awake longer, not demanding to eat, so the intervals between feeding the baby by the beginning of the fourth month increase, and their number decreases compared to the third month. Now the baby on breastfeeding should eat 5 times a day, during this period he drinks from 900 to 1000 ml. mother's milk.

It is believed that the nutritional value of breast milk is sufficient to provide the baby with the necessary substances. But your pediatrician may recommend that you introduce complementary foods as early as the fourth month if your baby's health requires and allows it. So, with a lack of weight, the doctor may allow you to expand the baby's diet for HB with cereals, with a tendency to constipation - vegetable purees.

artificial mixture

Babies on IV from the middle of 4 months are fed 5 times a day, and the breaks between meals still last 4 hours. Since the mixture is very nutritious, calm children can go 8 hours without feeding at night. A similar five-fold regimen will be maintained until the baby is one year old, along with the growth of the baby, only the volume of the mixture in the bottle will increase. Now the baby should drink 200 ml. food at a time.

The diet of a child on IV in the fourth month, as a rule, begins to be enriched with vegetable or fruit purees. With which product it is better to start introducing crumbs to “solid” food, your pediatrician will advise you, based on the state of health of the baby.

1. It is necessary to give mashed potatoes to the child, starting with small volumes at the end of the main feeding.
2. For the first acquaintance, it is enough to give the product at the tip of a teaspoon, let the baby get used to the new taste. Gradually increase the amount of complementary foods and reduce the amount of formula. It is better to introduce mashed potatoes in one of the meals in the first half of the day.
3. When the amount of complementary foods is 150 grams, you will completely replace one feeding with vegetable or fruit puree.
4. Introduce your baby to new foods one at a time. For example, first start with applesauce, fully introduce it into complementary foods, and then, according to the previous scheme, increasing the volume day by day, introduce pear or banana into the diet.
5. Be sure to monitor the infant's response to IV for New Product, it can follow even three days after introducing it into complementary foods in the form of a rash or diarrhea.
6. Experts recommend in vegetable puree stir in a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

Dream

In the fourth month, the quality and duration of the baby's sleep changes significantly. Since most babies by this time stop suffering from intestinal colic they sleep longer and more soundly.

During the day, the child should sleep 3 times, that is, an average of 2 hours for each episode of rest, at night - 9-10 hours.

It is important to continue to adjust sleep and feeding patterns for small deviations. If the child woke up early, try to calm him down and distract him by stretching the remaining minutes before eating. You should also wake up the baby if the time for feeding has come up, and he is still sleeping.

With any disruption in the schedule, you should consider why it happened. The baby will sleep soundly if he is full, spent enough time in the fresh air and moved a lot and actively during the day.

walks

• In the fourth month of life, continue to walk with the baby at least twice for 1.5-2 hours, adjusting the duration of walks based on weather conditions;
• when the baby is awake, his walks should be educational, tell the baby about everything that happens;
• it will be good if the baby sleeps during the walk;
• do not take a naughty baby in your arms, try to calm him down with a pacifier or interest in a bright stretch on the stroller.

Hygiene

1. In the daily routine of a baby, morning washing and hygiene when changing a diaper remain mandatory.
2. You can purchase a soft brush for baby hair and show how to use it yourself.
3. In infants in the fourth month, drooling continues to flow strongly, this is due to the beginning of tooth growth. You should wipe them off the baby's face with cotton handkerchiefs and change clothes in a timely manner.
4. Since the baby itch puts things in his mouth, you should surround him with clean toys that should be sterilized in a timely manner.
5. The arms of the baby in the fourth month begin to obey him well. Buy cups to play in the bathroom and show your baby that you can take water in them and pour it out. Such activities will captivate the baby and brighten up the minutes spent in the bathroom.

Gymnastics and massage

By the end of the fourth month, most babies should be able to roll onto their tummy from a supine position. In addition, active babies make their first attempts to crawl, so spend all your time and energy on developing the muscles that will be involved in mastering these skills. For normal development It is enough to give physical activity for 5-10 minutes three times a day. Any exercise should be performed before meals or an hour after feeding.

1. Continue to do exercises with the baby that provoke him to make a coup.
2. Putting the fingers in the palms of the baby lying on the back, pull it slightly towards you, but do not sit down. This exercise will strengthen the muscles of the press, back and arms.
3. Put bright toys in front of the baby lying on the tummy. He will tend to grab pets and begin to make attempts to crawl. To help the baby, put your palms under his feet, he will lean on them and push off.
4. Continue training on the fitball, gradually complicating the exercises.

Communication and games

The child spends the fourth month of life without sleep more actively than the previous ones. He begins to get bored of lying in bed for a long time, but his classes tire him very quickly, so it is important to provide the baby with a diverse “leisure” when he is awake.

1. Surround your child with a small number of toys. For him, it is not their quantity that matters, but their diversity. Rattles should make different sounds and differ from each other in color and content, toys should be sewn from materials that are different to the touch, which it will be interesting for the baby to explore with his fingers, and sometimes with his mouth.
2. Since the baby is putting everything in his mouth, make sure that the toys you surround him with are clean. While the baby is sleeping, boil or pour boiling water over those items that can withstand the heat.
3. The motor activity of the crumbs has increased, so you can hang pendants and carousels over his handles, which he will be interested in grabbing.
4. Introduce your baby to the world of animals by showing him pictures in a book or picture cards. Start learning colors, no matter that the baby still can’t say or show anything - the laying of his knowledge occurs precisely during infancy.
5. Carry the child around the apartment in your arms, commenting on everything you see. Introduce him to the furnishings, clearly pronounce the names of objects.
6. Children love to clap their hands, so you can turn on a rhythmic melody and have fun with it along with your baby.
7. Dancing with a baby is very useful for training the vestibular apparatus. The child will be delighted if you, holding him in your arms, start spinning or jumping.
8. Toddlers love traditional games such as White-sided Magpie and Horned Goat.

When raising a baby, there are three ways: to adjust the behavior of the baby to the mode familiar to the mother, the mother to adapt to the rules established by the baby, or to focus on average indicators. For a third of the year, you have already managed to determine priorities.

In order not to be mistaken with the daily routine of a 4-month-old baby, it is important to know its differences from previous periods. Here are the average norms and realities.

From this article you will learn:

Daily schedule for a baby at four months: eat and sleep

It should be understood that it is almost impossible to achieve a stable routine at this stage. Baby's preferences change throughout the month. To create a favorable environment, the rules for alternating the cycles of wakefulness, sleep, bathing, eating, playing and doing are applicable.

When the baby is awake, take him to you to “talk” and play, do not let the child lie alone in the crib for a long time.

Food as an important part of the routine

The baby eats 1/7 of its own weight per day, and not 1/6 as before. The calculated value is divided by the number of feedings. The resulting value is the volume of each of the feedings.

While the system works well for bottle-fed infants, it is not easy for infants and mixed-feeders to determine the amount of total food. Even if the baby is weighed after each meal or once a day.

Formula-fed 5-6 single meal. Feeding on demand allows for a dozen feedings a day or more at this age. The main thing is that the baby should feel comfortable and an adequate weight gain should be recorded once a month.

Dream time

It takes about 15-16 hours a day. Night sleep does not change the duration much, but it is still shortened and is 9-10 hours. The number of "sleepy" pauses is preserved, amounting to four times a day: three times during the day and once at night. The first dream can be right after the morning feeding.

Children also willingly sleep in the afternoon and like to take a nap in the evening. It happens that one child can sleep through the night, and the other wakes up six times to eat and "control" the parents.

After waking up, they play with the child for a short time, carry out hygiene measures and the usual rituals for laying down for the night. It is recommended to lull at the first signs of fatigue, otherwise it will be more difficult to do this over time. After all, the child is already getting nervous because the relatives are in no hurry to satisfy his need for rest.

If the baby is already living according to the regime, but suddenly woke up much earlier than usual, then it is worth laying it down again. If the difference from the schedule is within 20-30 minutes, then you can start playing or feeding. Strict adherence to the schedule by the hour is not always advisable. After all, you are dealing with a living person who has his own desires and anxieties.

Impact of walking

Your baby is in a phase of active growth. And children grow especially well in their sleep. Giving the baby the right to sleep in the fresh air is much better than indoors. After all, brain cells will be intensively supplied with oxygen. This resource will definitely go to cover the needs of the body and its development.

Naturally, in frosts, heat and wind with dust, it is better to refrain from walking.

It is recommended to spend daylight hours with the baby outside until early dusk. Usually you can walk twice a day for 1.5-2 hours per trip. Sunbathing is very beneficial for health. Protect your child's eyes from direct rays with a cap or panama, and then it will not disturb his sleep.

Daily routine of a 4 month old baby: what to do?

Each interval of wakefulness lasts about 1.5-2 hours. The awakened baby behaves more actively than before. Parents have time between sleep periods to work out with the baby, feed him and carry out hygiene. Four-month-old babies require frequent diaper changes. It is already possible to move from passive walking around the house to “organized excursions”.

Comment on which room you are heading to or draw the attention of the crumbs to what is happening outside the window. Usually children wake up from five to seven in the morning and complete the day cycle at 22:00-23:00.

Games and fun

Encourage your baby to change body positions. Match your little one with age-appropriate toys in different shapes and sizes to develop them. tactile sensations laying the makings of speech. For example, these:

• rocking chair;
• development mat;
• Entertainment Center;
• a variety of bright toys and rattles;
• mobile for a crib;
• educational games.

The child is amused by such activities as:

• being on the knees of a loved one;
• dancing in the arms of mom or dad;
• laying on the tummy;
• songs;
• fairy tales;
• nursery rhymes;
• games with the arms and legs of the crumbs;
• listening to musical fragments.

According to neurologists, it is better to refrain from watching TV with the baby. This does not stimulate the observance of the daily routine by a 4-month-old child, but quite the contrary. It is clear that he only looks at the changing pictures, not comparing them with the soundtrack. However, the background coming from the TV has an adverse effect on the formation of the central nervous system.

Water element

Bathing is still a daily attribute. It is better not to limit yourself to water procedures that precede a night's rest. During the day, the baby can also be bathed or washed, especially after he went to the big one.

There are children on whom the bath does not have a calming effect, but vice versa. Under the impression, they fall asleep more difficult. For them, it is better to arrange games in the water in the morning or afternoon.

Soap is not used every day, but only twice a week. It is already possible to acquaint the child with a shared bathroom, and not just a miniature baby bath. Keep the bathroom clean. Pour a little water at first so that the baby is not afraid of the increased space with water. Place your favorite toys in it.

For body use

It is easier to adapt to the daily routine of a 4-month-old child if it includes massage with physical education. Healthy children are recommended to devote the same time to massage and gymnastics. In order for the muscles to relax properly, they begin with a massage. The following actions are introduced into the gymnastic complex:

• Flexion and extension in the hip, ankle and knee joints;
• Arms to the sides and crossing them on the chest;
• Raising and lowering hands.

The body and vessels of the baby are still weak. Exercises should be carried out from simple to more complex, without sudden movements. Watch your child's reaction. Do not strain one muscle group for a long time. It is better to do it in several approaches. Give the toddler clear instructions such as “Bend your arms” and “Roll over on your stomach”, accompanying the words with the appropriate actions.

If the baby began to cry, then it is better to postpone classes. Probably, something hurts him, he wants to eat, or reacts to your hands that are not warm enough. Skin diseases are contraindications for massage and physical education, and with low weight, only massage techniques are allowed.

Practice air baths not only at the moments of training, but also throughout the day. So the baby's skin will rest from clothes and a diaper.

To organize the daily routine of a 4-month-old baby, it is enough to draw up a balanced plan. In it, the stages of rest and active actions must necessarily alternate. You should not focus only on food and hygiene. The child needs activities that develop his mind and body. Look for opportunities to go on walks together. Fresh air is necessary for both the child and his mother.

By the age of four months, the crumbs become more active and inquisitive. The periods of their wakefulness increase, while the rest time, on the contrary, is reduced. Children begin to show interest in toys, to make contact with their parents.

The well-being and mood of the baby during this period largely depends on the established daily routine. If the baby will eat, sleep and have fun at a certain time, this will provide him with a feeling of comfort and safety. Let's tell you in more detail how the daily routine of a child at 4 months should look like.

Daily regimen table for a 4-month-old baby

To help parents, we present a visual table by the hour, which shows the approximate daily routine of a four-month-old peanut:

Action	Time	Duration
Awakening, hygiene, food	7:00 - 7:30	30 minutes
Dream number 1	7:30- 9:00	1.5 hours
Food	9:00- 9:20	20 minutes
Quiet activities	9:20-9:50	30 minutes
Massage and gymnastics	9:50-10:20	30 minutes
Educational and active games	10:20-11:30	1 hour 10 minutes
Food	11:30-11:50	20 minutes
Dream number 2 outdoors	11:50-13:50	2 hours
Food	13:50-14:10	20 minutes
Quiet activities	14:10-15:20	1 hour 10 minutes
Educational and active games	15:20-16:30	1 hour 10 minutes
Dream number 3 outdoors	16:30-18:00	1.5 hours
Food	18:00-18:20	20 minutes
Quiet activities	18:20-19:30	1 hour 10 minutes
Bathing, hygiene	19:30-20:00	30 minutes
Food	20:00-20:20	20 minutes
Quiet activities	20:20-21:30	1 hour 10 minutes
Preparation for sleep	21:30-22:00	30 minutes
Night sleep	22:00-7:00	9 o'clock
Night feedings	individually	individually

Diet plan for 4 month old baby

On artificial and mixed feeding

If before the age of four months the daily volume of food was 1/6 of the weight of the crumbs, now it has been reduced to 1/7. The resulting value must be divided by the number of feedings. The average one-time food volume is 170-200 ml. However, these calculations are relevant only for babies who are on artificial or mixed feeding.

Since artificial mixtures are absorbed by the body longer, if they are used, it is recommended to reduce the number of meals to 5 times. The diet of a child at 4 months also includes night feedings on demand.

Breastfeeding

If the only source of nutrition for the baby is mother's milk, it is worth holding the baby at the breast until he is sated and turns away from her.

The optimal solution for breastfeeding will be six feedings at intervals of 3-4 hours.

Lure

Many parents start to introduce complementary foods to their four-month-old babies. With artificial feeding, this measure is quite justified. Whereas breastfed infants may well go without supplemental foods until six months of age.

According to the advice of modern pediatricians, in the first place, not fruit, but vegetable purees should be introduced into the diet of an infant.

After all, the baby's intestines adapt to them much faster. From the fifth month of a baby's life, it is allowed to give him mashed potatoes from zucchini and cauliflower. It can be prepared at home or purchased at the store. At first, the volume of complementary foods should be only 1-2 teaspoons at a time and gradually increase to 120-150 g per day. Over time, it will be possible to replace one feeding with them.

Irina, Vitya's mother, 6 months old: “We began to introduce complementary foods from 4 months. We started with a tablespoon of zucchini, added one more every day and soon reached 120 grams. Then they gave my son a try cauliflower, gradually increasing its quantity and reducing portions of zucchini until a complete replacement has occurred. Next, broccoli was introduced according to the same scheme. About a month later, when all the vegetables were tried by the son, they began to alternate them among themselves. Dairy-free cereals were soon introduced. First they gave 1-2 spoons to make sure there were no allergic reactions. And about three days later, breakfast was completely replaced with porridge, which used to be a mixture. Now we introduce into the diet of the son fruit purees and juices.

Baby sleep at 4 months

The process of growing up crumbs is accompanied by a reduction in the duration of his daily rest. If earlier the little one could sleep up to 20 hours a day, now 15-16 is enough for him.

Of course, the mode of daily rest of 4-month-old babies can vary significantly. If some sleep all night, others wake up every 2-3 hours and demand a mother's breast. For some babies, a short rest during daylight hours is enough, but in the evening they go to bed an order of magnitude earlier. And all this is quite normal, because each child is individual.

daytime sleep

How much does a 4 month old baby sleep during the day?

Three times a rest during daylight hours, lasting 1.5-2 hours each, is the absolute norm.

Moreover, the first laying can occur immediately after the morning feeding. After all, many children by this age are already able to sleep continuously throughout the night. Their awakening occurs at 6 am, and after eating, babies fall asleep again for a short time. The next rest is in the afternoon. Do not mind the crumbs to take a nap and with the onset of the evening.

Night sleep

The night sleep of a child at 4 months should be 10-12 hours.

At 4 months, the baby's sleep may worsen, even if before that he slept all night.

The baby may wake up every 2-3 hours and demand the mother's breast. It becomes more difficult to lay him down and he falls asleep longer. This phenomenon is called "sleep regression". Its appearance is explained by the onset of a new stage in the development of the nervous system and active physical changes in the child. At 4 months, many children master coups, are more interested in the world around them. The structure of sleep is also changing - now he alternates phases of deep and superficial sleep, like in adults. Because of all these changes, the baby becomes more restless, sleeps less and even loses his appetite.

How to ensure a comfortable sleep for your baby

Give your child love and support

Your baby is growing, he also feels the changes happening to him. Show more attention and love at this moment, communicate, pick him up more often, hug him. Let the baby feel safe, then he will not be afraid of the new big world.

Watch for signs of fatigue

It is necessary to put the baby to bed at the first sign of fatigue, not allowing him to overwork and become capricious.

Follow the schedule

It is important to develop an optimal sleep schedule for an infant and follow it daily as much as possible. If a baby living on a regimen wakes up much earlier than usual, you should try to put him down again. However, insignificant and infrequent deviations from the sleep schedule for 20-30 minutes should not be a cause for concern for parents.

walks

At least two walks should be included in a properly composed daily regimen for a four-month-old baby.

The recommended duration of each of them is at least 1.5-2 hours. The first exit to the street should be carried out in the morning or after lunch, the second - in the late afternoon. It is desirable that the baby not only sleep in the stroller, but also have the opportunity to study the world. After all, by four months, the vision of the crumbs is noticeably improving. He is already able to see objects that are at a distance of three to four meters. Therefore, during walks, it is necessary to periodically remove the baby from the stroller and tell him about the surrounding objects, events and phenomena.

It's no secret that kids love being outdoors. Their body is saturated with oxygen, which has a beneficial effect on the development of babies. On the street, the baby is able to sleep for three hours, and in the meantime, the mother can enjoy the silence, reading a book on a bench or talking with a friend.

Going outside should be carried out daily, regardless of weather conditions.

The only exceptions are frosty days from -15°C. Fortunately, modern strollers are equipped with comfortable visors and waterproof covers. They are designed to protect the child from wind and precipitation.

Wakefulness: hygiene, games, physical education

Gymnastics

A well-fed and well-rested 4-month-old baby is full of energy and ready for new challenges. Parents need to direct his energy in the right direction. Gymnastics, massage, educational games and activities will benefit the baby.

Morning exercises will throw off the remnants of sleep from the child and set him up for a busy and interesting day.

It is recommended to carry it out in the second wakefulness of the baby. As mentioned above, many crumbs wake up very early and soon after eating they fall asleep again. The next awakening of the baby should be accompanied by gentle mother's strokes, rubbing the baby's face and eyes, a cotton pad soaked in warm water and fifteen minutes of gymnastics. As a rule, it includes the following basic exercises:

• "a bike";
• smooth movements of the hands forward and to the sides;
• flexion and rotation of the feet;
• pull-ups on the handles from a supine position;
• lifting the upper part of the chest so that the baby lying on the stomach leans on the handles;
• training coups on the tummy and back.

Massage

We should also not forget about massage, which, unlike gymnastics, should be done in the afternoon: before swimming or shortly before bedtime. It will relax the baby's muscles and help him tune in to a good night's rest. Massage for a child at 4 months includes not only stroking and rubbing, but also pinching, sawing, stretching exercises. An excellent option would be a massage with the rhyme “rails-rails”. The duration of the session can be up to half an hour.

Komarovsky Evgeny Olegovich, pediatrician of the highest category: “Massage is great not because it changes something in the health of the child. Just children up to a year need constant communication with their mother at the level of contacts. After all, a woman cannot carry a child in her arms 24 hours a day. Therefore, a 20-30 minute massage along with gymnastics allows the baby to make up for this lack of contact. And if you perform actions with skill and in a certain sequence, then the child will sleep peacefully all night, allowing mom to rest.

Bathing

Caring for a child at 4 months necessarily includes daily water procedures.

Usually bathing has a relaxing effect on children and is carried out shortly before a night's sleep.

However, some crumbs feel after water procedures a real surge of strength and then for a long time they can not calm down. In this case, it is necessary to move the bathing to an earlier time.

hardening

The final stage of water procedures is hardening. It implies pouring water over the baby from a ladle, the temperature of which should be 1-2 degrees lower than usual. An alternative option for hardening can be rubbing the skin of the crumbs with a damp terry mitten. On the initial stage water temperature, in which the washcloth is dipped should be 36 degrees, and then gradually decrease.

Lilia, mother of seven-month-old Victoria: “I have many mothers I know who complain about the frequent illnesses of their children. To my sympathetic phrases, they answer: “You feel good, because your daughter is not sick.” And when I try to explain why this is happening, my friends don’t even want to listen. Literally from birth, I harden the child with cool douches, frequent airing of the apartment, walking in light clothes according to the weather. Too much for many caring mothers this is savagery. They are perplexed how it is possible to “freeze” a child and subject him to such “executions”. Apparently, they like to constantly treat their kids much more. ”

Games

Particular attention should be paid to developing activities and games with the child. After all, if two-month-old babies can lie in bed for a long time, watching the mobile or looking at their legs, then at 4 months the child needs educational games and communication with parents. So why not combine the two? You can spend them at any time of the day when the baby is active, not hungry and in a good mood.

Games at home

For example, a tour around the house with looking at interesting objects or getting to know your body parts through a mirror reflection will be great entertainment for the crumbs. Hide and seek, “crawling” and coups for a toy, finger games, dancing and swaying in the arms of the mother - such a pastime will certainly appeal to the baby.

Toys

As for educational toys, almost any objects can act as their role. The kid has recently learned to consciously grab them and hold them in his hands. Soon he will have to master the skill of shifting objects from one hand to another. Therefore, it is necessary to give the baby as many different things to the touch as possible that will help in the development of his motor skills.

Also, four-month-old babies enjoy spending time in developing rugs, feeling their details and trying to reach hanging toys. Tumblers, noisy jars filled with cereals, tambourines, textile balls, cut through, finger puppets - all these educational toys can interest a child at 4 months old.

Conclusion

Thus, the daily routine of a child at 4 months includes three daily rests and 10-12 hours of night sleep. The number of meals directly depends on the method of feeding the baby and reaches 5-6 times. An obligatory part of the daily routine should be long walks, gymnastics, massage, hygiene procedures and games. Such a busy schedule will not let the baby get bored and will contribute to its full development.

Related videos

Time flies - three months are left behind, during which many steps were taken by the parents so that the child's regimen at 4 months is already established. Children develop quickly, so from month to month you have to make some adjustments to your usual daily routine. To keep up with everything easily and without unnecessary hassle, focus on approximate schedule day of a child of that age.

The daily routine of a child 4 months of life: sleep and wakefulness

As in the previous three months, the main regime moments baby days are:

• Feeding;
• Wakefulness (games, communication);
• Walks;
• hygiene procedures;
• Massage.

Only the duration and intensity of some of them change. Sleep, as in three months, lasts about 15-17 hours. It is divided into night rest (10 hours) and 3-4 daytime sleep(1.5-2 hours). Normally, a 4-month-old baby is put to bed at 21-22 o'clock, and he should wake up at 6-7 o'clock in the morning. “Oversleeping” and “lack of sleep” negatively affect the mood of the baby: in the first case, he becomes capricious, and in the second, too excited.

At 4 months, the child is awake 8-9 hours a day. For normal development it needs new information and improving physical skills. The goal of the mother is to help the child as much as possible by satisfying the motor and cognitive activity. For this, there are special games and exercises.

Diet plan for 4 month old baby

At the age of 4 months, the child eats about 900-1050 ml of milk per day. This applies to both infants and formula-fed babies. The feeding schedule includes 6 meals. Infants at this age should not receive anything from food other than breast milk. It's time for the craft kids to try something new.

Opinions vary about foods that can be given to babies at 4 months of age. Some people think that you should start with non-dairy gluten-free cereals, others say that best start- these are dairy products (children's kefir, then cottage cheese). However, most pediatricians advise introducing juices and purees (vegetables, then fruit) as the first complementary foods.

Regarding the first complementary foods, it is best to consult a pediatrician who monitors the health and development of the child from birth, and not make independent decisions. Also, do not blindly follow the advice of more experienced friends and relatives. Regarding the feeding regimen, I would like to note that when introducing new food into the baby’s diet, the interval between feedings should increase by at least 30 minutes from the usual one. This is because solid foods are digested more slowly than liquid foods.

In the 4-month-old baby mode, a lot of time is devoted to wakefulness. During these hours, you need to play with the baby as much as possible and talk. Exercises that encourage movement will help the child quickly start crawling and rolling over from his back to his stomach and back.

1. Walk around the apartment with your child, talking about what this or that object is, what it is for. "Guide" can be both mom and dad.
2. Keep playing with bright toys that have different surfaces: smooth, rough, soft, hard, pimply.
3. Play upbeat music for your kids. In order for the child to be imbued with a sense of rhythm, mom can clap her hands to the music. Also, children love when mom dances smoothly, taking them in her arms.
4. 4 months is the time for toys such as educational mats and mobiles. Just make sure that there are not too many toys and their colors do not hurt the eyes. Otherwise, the baby will quickly get tired. The measured movement of the mobile with toys to the music immediately affects the hearing, vision of the baby, and also awakens him motor activity. As a rule, the child pulls the handles to the toys, trying to get them.
5. Laying the child on the floor on his stomach, you can substitute his hand under his heels. He will try to push off with his legs, trying to crawl. The floor should be warm, not slippery, moderately soft. For example, it may be covered with a carpet covered with a thin woolen blanket.
6. In order for the child to roll over, you can put your hand under the shoulder blade and gently shake it from side to side. You can also put the baby on its side, helping him roll over.

A child at this age learns the world through the mouth. That is, everything that is in his hands, he automatically pulls into his mouth. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor the cleanliness of toys. Before giving the baby a rattle or other toy (rubber, plastic), it must be washed with boiled water. The same should be done if the toy fell to the floor.

Other regime moments

Hygiene procedures remain the same: morning washing, washing during the day, evening bathing. Walking time can be increased to 2-3 hours in summer and up to 2 hours in winter in suitable weather. A general strengthening massage for babies is done by mothers according to the instructions received in the room of a healthy child during a visit to the clinic at 4 months. If a neurologist or orthopedist has prescribed a special massage for the baby, it is better to spend it in the massage room of the clinic or call a specialist at home.