Your baby is all personality this month, and you're reaping the rewards, taking in all those giggles and adorable tricks that you lot probably tin't get plenty of.

By now, your infant should be settled in to a sleep and feeding schedule and calming bedtime routine, plus there are plenty of fun firsts yous take to look forwards to. And the make new world of solid foods is just around the corner!

Here's what else you can expect this calendar month.

Your five-month-sometime babe'due south development

At a Glance

Sleeping basics

Well-nigh babies this age sleep ten to 12 hours at dark and, even though it's normally not necessary at this point, wake up for a feeding or ii. They also nap for iii to five hours a mean solar day, spaced between two or three naps.

Feeding basics

Breastfed babies should get 24 to 36 ounces of breast milk a day spread out over about five or six feeds. Formula-fed babies should have 24 to 36 ounces of formula in near v feeds.

Did you know?

Your baby will honey playing games like peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek equally she begins to grasp the concept of object permanence.

These days, your baby will beloved putting the "boo!" in "peek-a-boo!" These kinds of hide-and-seek games start to become giggle-producing favorites as your infant begins to grasp the concept of object permanence.

More signs of baby'due south burgeoning intelligence: She can discern tiny items and lots of colors now, besides as track moving objects.

Your little 1 is also gaining transmission dexterity and may now exist able to pass a toy from one hand to the other or rake a small object and so option information technology upwards. She's a big babbler too, and so encourage baby'due south churr past talking upward a tempest yourself.

Your baby's hearing and vision are almost completely adult by now. And that proper noun y'all and so thoughtfully chose and take been lovingly saying for months? She only might recognize it now and turn toward you when you say it.

Your little explorer is eagerly taking in everything she sees — assisted by new motor skills, such as confident head control and stiff push button-ups — and trying to make sense of the world.

Your v-month-old babe'due south growth

Your baby continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and somewhere between 4 and 6 months your baby will be ready to take on a make new feeding frontier: solids.

Remember, though, that while these offset feedings are an exciting outset step to a lifetime of eating, they're less about nutrients and more nearly gaining feel.

Breast milk or formula volition continue to provide much of your baby'due south nutritional requirements until the end of the first year.

And then that means that you lot'll be starting minor now, serving up nigh ane tablespoon of pureed infant foods or baby cereal (mixed with a small amount of breast milk or formula) twice a mean solar day.

Equally your baby gets used to solids and expresses an eagerness for more, you tin can wait the corporeality babe takes to increment gradually up to 4 tablespoons per repast.

Baby cereal (whole grain oat, whole grain barley or brown rice) is a common beginning nutrient — and a good source of atomic number 26 for breastfed babies — but you can also choose to feed your little eater soft vegetables (similar sweetness potatoes, squash, carrots, peas and green beans) and fruits (including pureed ripe avocado, finely mashed bananas, or infant absurdity, peaches or pears).

It'due south a good idea to introduce 1 new food every three to five days to see if any allergies or other reactions appear. And talk to your doctor about the right time and place to requite your baby solids. Well-nigh recommend waiting until she turns 6 months old.

Your 5-month-old baby's health

Baby isn't due for a well visit for another calendar month, merely there's yet plenty going on with your little one's health.

Are Teething Gels Safe?

To help ease teething pain, you lot tin give your footling 1 something to chew on, like a teething band or toy, or something cold, like a partially-frozen wet washcloth (frozen teething items are too difficult for babies' tender mouths). But don't use benzocaine-based teething gels or those labeled homeopathic to numb the hurting. Read More

Could baby accept allergies?

It'due south possible (though rare) for babies to develop allergies to irritants such equally pollen, mold, pet dander and dust mites. Allergy symptoms in babies tend to resemble those of cold symptoms, and include runny noses, sneezing, cough, watery eyes and congestion. Read More than

Paw, human foot and mouth disease

Contrary to its dire-sounding name, hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is very common in babies and children under the age of 5 and tends to exist a fairly mild infection. The telltale sign is a painful, bumpy, cherry-red rash or blisters that appear on — you guessed it — the hands, soles of the feet and within of the rima oris. Read More than

Vaping around babies

Vaping — i.e. inhaling the vapor from e-cigarettes such as JUULs and vape pods — exposes your babe to toxic chemicals like smoking does, and so exercise your best to avoid it at all costs. Read More

Protecting babies in the rut

If the temperature is xc degrees Fahrenheit or higher, your babe shouldn't play outside for any prolonged period of fourth dimension. When the heat index is below 90 degrees, y'all should still limit sun exposure as much as possible between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.yard. and exist sure to bring sunscreen and enough of water if you do need to go out in the sun with her. Read More

Postpartum & new baby tips

Baby'due south nighttime routine

A lifetime of good sleep for your baby will depend on your little one learning how to fall asleep unassisted.

And that means information technology'southward important to give baby the tools she needs to fall asleep (and dorsum to sleep) solo.

That includes establishing a bedtime routine (one that doesn't include nodding off at the breast or bottle), and embarking on a sleep preparation (or sleep teaching) mission.

It also involves learning and responding to sleep cues (heart rubbing or crankiness, for case), putting infant downwardly to sleep while she's however awake, leaving infant'south room and being prepared for some tears.

Sitting upward

It varies from infant to babe, but most little ones will be able to sit down up with assist between 3 and 5 months old, either by propping themselves upwardly on their hands, or with a little support from you or a seat.

By the time she's half-dozen months old, your infant will probably have developed the neck, upper trunk and dorsum muscles to be able to sit without support.

As shortly every bit your babe has mastered lifting and holding that cute head up, y'all tin assistance your trivial i learn to sit upwardly. Prop your baby upwards in a seated position in an babe seat, a stroller or your lap.

Sitting up with back up in the stroller while you take a neighborhood walk is an specially skilful way to encourage this milestone.

As you walk, point out all the new things she can run into from an upright, sitting position, like dogs, cars and other babies in strollers.

Stick to a vaccine schedule

Make sure your infant has appointments scheduled for all upcoming vaccinations.

Vaccines protect kids from more diseases than e'er before — 14 by the age of 2. And past keeping your kid's immunizations upwardly-to-date, you'll be helping to keep this amazing health care rails record going strong.

Talk to your pediatrician about what shots are needed and when.

Household objects as toys

No demand to visit the toy store! When your baby can sit up, she'll dearest a drawer to explore (or a chiffonier or shelf— only make certain the contents are baby-prophylactic).

Keep your plasticware and some lightweight pots and pans in a low closet in the kitchen and y'all'll accept a low-tech mode of keeping baby amused while you're cooking or washing up ("Wait at that actually nice foursquare container and chapeau y'all've got at that place!")

Those plastic containers, along with a plastic loving cup and a set of measuring spoons, can travel to the tub for some bathtime water play, where they can get props for scientific experiments ("Let's run across how much water you lot can pour into this container!") or some pretend cooking.

And pots and lids do double-duty by letting your babe brand music — at that place's nothing like the audio of bangs and clashes to bring out your child's inner composer. You lot can sing along besides!

How much to pay a bodyguard?

The best way to decide how much to pay a babysitter is to ask other moms in your area (attempt the members of your local What to Await grouping, along with mom friends) what they think is reasonable.

Rounding off the current minimum wage in your state is probably a good starting signal. Merely any the going rate happens to exist, don't stray also far beneath it. You want to find the all-time sitter you lot can, and offering competitive wages is function of the deal.

Y'all can as well bank check out babysitting sites (like Sittercity.com) for going rates from local sitters. Most of those sites let postings only from sitters 18 and older, simply yous'll even so become a general idea of how much other families in your expanse pay.

And you may find a terrific 18- or 19-year-old, since many college students dear the hours and flexibility of babysitting.

Tips for smart snacking

  1. Mix it up. Proceed boredom at bay past trying new combos or flavors. For example, snack on a whole wheat pretzel dipped in spicy mustard or a handful of blackberries mixed into lemon yogurt.
  2. Make smart substitutions. Craving chocolate? Opt for a hot cocoa (an 8-ounce mug has 140 calories and 3 grams of fat) over a chocolate bar (230 calories and 13 grams of fat). Some other smart-snacking ideas: Swap nonfat frozen yogurt or sorbet for ice cream, baked tortilla chips for Fritos, pretzels for tater chips.
  3. Read labels. That package may look small, only check the serving size. If at that place are 2 (or more than) servings in there, you'll get double (or even triple) the amount of fat, calories and sugar if you eat the whole matter.

Gear upwardly for commencement feedings

Skip the silver spoon Aunt Martha sent; a small plastic-coated model is much easier on tender gums. Count on having several on hand during feedings — one for you, i for your babe — to foster the sense of independence and avoid power struggles (yep, those may happen, even at this tender historic period).

For you, choose a long handle for ultimate maneuverability, and for your baby, a short, curved handle is easier for tiny fingers to grip and will help prevent your baby from getting hurt.

Just before you're gear up to start, put a bib on your little eater (yours is optional!).

A word to the wise: Get your baby into the bib addiction right from the offset or she may resist it later. It can be fabricated of soft plastic, cotton or paper — as long equally it's big enough to cover the chest and breadbasket, y'all're good to become.

From the What to Expect editorial squad and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Look When You're Expecting. What to Expect follows strict reporting guidelines and uses just credible sources, such as peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how nosotros go on our content accurate and upward-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

  • What to Await the First Year, tertiary edition, Heidi Murkoff.
  • WhatToExpect.com, When Exercise Babies Start Teething? Nuts, Symptoms and Signs, Apr 2018.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Are Teething Gels Prophylactic?, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, The Danger of Vaping Effectually Babies and Kids, Oct 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Manus, Human foot and Rima oris Illness (Coxsackievirus) in Babies and Toddlers, November 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Protecting Young Children From Extreme Oestrus, July 2019.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Seasonal Allergies in Babies and Toddlers, October 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, How Much Should My Baby Eat?, April 2020.
  • WhatToExpect.com, Here's How Much Sleep Babies Demand, June 2020.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Teething Pain, December 2018.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Getting Your Baby to Sleep, July 2018.
  • American Academy of Pediatrics, Brilliant Futures Parent Handout 6 Month Visit.
  • Stanford Children's Health, Feeding Guide For The First Year, 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Of import Milestones: Your Baby By Four Months, June 2020.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Milestone Moments.
  • Mayo Clinic, Infant and Toddler Wellness, June 2020.
  • Mayo Dispensary, Helping Baby Sleep Through The Night, September 2020.
  • National Library of Medicine, Teething, Dec 2020.

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