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Age 4-7 Months

From age 4-7 months, babies learn to coordinate their new perceptive abilities (including vision, touch, and hearing) and motor skills such as grasping, rolling over, sitting up, and may be even crawling. Babies now have more control over what they will or will not do, unlike earlier months in which they mainly reacted by reflex. Babies will explore toys by touching them and putting them in their mouth instead of just looking at them. They can also communicate better and will do more than simply cry when they are hungry or tired or when they want a change in activity or a different toy.
 
By this time, babies have developed a strong attachment for their parents and they may show a preference for their primary caretakers. However, babies at this age usually smile and play with everyone they meet.
 
Once babies can lift up their heads, they’ll push up using their arms and arch their back to lift up the chest. These movements help strengthen the upper body and are preparation for sitting up. They may also rock while on their stomachs, kick their legs, and swim with their arms. These movements are necessary for rolling over and crawling. By the end of this period, babies should be able to roll over from stomach to back and back to stomach and probably are able to sit without any support.
 
By age 4 months, babies can easily bring toys to their mouth. They use their fingers and thumb in a clawlike grip to pick up objects. By age 6-8 months, they can transfer objects from hand to hand, turn them from side to side, and twist them upside down. Babies also discover their feet and toes during this stage.
 
Babies’ range of vision is apparent as they concentrate and focus on objects and follow movements. Babies like increasingly complex patterns and shapes. They also like looking at themselves in a mirror. Babies continue to babble, but now they raise and lower their voice as if asking a question or making a statement.
 
By the end of this period, most babies have reached the following milestones:

Motor Skills

• Roll over both ways (stomach to back, back to stomach)



• Sit up with, and then without, support of his hands



• Reach for object with one hand using the raking grasp



• Transfer objects from hand to hand



• Support whole weight when on legs and held upright



• Explore objects with hands and mouth



• Explore objects by banging and shaking

Language Skills

• Laugh



• Babble consonants (like ba-ba-ba-ba-ba)

• Distinguish emotions by tone of voice



• Find partially hidden objects