Month 4 in your baby’s life: development at 16 weeks

Movement: At 16 weeks, your baby feels almost as comfortable and safe lying on his stomach as on his back. It can hold its head longer and always supports itself on its arms. The movements also become more targeted, especially when it comes to reaching for different objects. The increasingly energetic kicking and “mini push-ups” strengthen the muscles and promote the further development of the baby. In the 4th month, your baby’s hands are particularly popular toys. You can find out more about this topic in our article “Your baby’s motor skills” .Senses: The most important development of the senses, which your baby also uses intensively in the 4th month, is the coordination of the eyes and hands. Your baby can now reach for objects that it sees and hold on to them independently. The gripping reflex completely disappears in the 4th month. In addition, your baby in the 4th month can perceive that objects are moving away from and towards him. In addition, your baby can now also distinguish very similar colors from each other and perceive shades.

Communication: In the 4th month your baby can already recognize and classify his surroundings quite well. The first attempts to make contact with the hands are also successful. So it is not unlikely that your baby will grab your nose while playing or put his hand on your cheek. In the 4th month it can also laugh out loud and show more and more clearly what it likes and what not. While it may not be the time for strangers , your baby is starting to feel more comfortable around people they already know and are familiar with.Sleeping: Even if by the 4th month your baby is not yet able to sleep through the night on a regular basis, the nocturnal sleep period will be significantly longer. It is now more common for your baby to sleep for seven hours without a break. During the day, most babies reduce their sleep periods to a total of three and have longer and longer waking periods in between.

Month 4: Baby-related appointments

• apply for child benefit
• Second Vaccination
• Sign up for the baby sign language course

Month 4: Tips for the 16 week old baby

find babysitters

There may come a time when you want to go out with your partner in the evening. And then there is the question of good care for your baby. For a baby in the 4th month, a babysitter should be characterized in particular by maturity, seriousness and composure. In our “ Babysitter Checklist ” you will find many tips on how to find the right babysitter. Perhaps you are also considering whether more intensive care for your baby would be an option in the near future? Just have a look at our special “U3 care” . There you will find further helpful information.

Tips for cry babies

When a baby cries for more than three hours, three days a week for at least three weeks, it is called a cry baby. Statistically, this phenomenon affects about 8 to 29% of all infants. By the 4th month, the excessive crying should begin to subside, but for some babies it may continue as late as 6 months. Perhaps you too have a crying baby and feel overwhelmed in some situations? We have summarized important information for you on how you can best deal with a cry baby .

Which milk for your baby?

When you’re bottle-feeding your baby, you may be wondering when is the right time to switch from formula to follow-on formula . In general, as long as your baby is full and does not drink more than a liter of milk per day, there is no need to switch to follow-on milk. From around the seventh month you can also feed them supplementary food. Find out more about ready-to-eat baby food in our Baby Bottles special .

Growth and weight: weight curves for girls and boys

If you are wondering whether your baby is overweight or underweight by the 4th month, take a look at our weight charts for babies in their first year . We will explain to you how you can read the relationship between height and weight and in which range we speak of normal weight. The curve can give you an indication of whether your baby is developing healthily.