
Anika turned 5 months on Tuesday and I love to do these observation post just to record the memories because time seems to be passing so fast! Hey 5 months already??
“I observe little children; I sensed their needs; I tried to fulfill them; they call that the Montessori method.”- Dr. Montessori
I will be honest, 4th month has been challenging for me in many ways. Little miss went through her 19th week growth spurt + sleep regression + object permanence at the same time. I have spoken in details about the 19th week growth spurt and 4th month sleep regression on Instagram. I will talk about object permanence here….its when babies are still learning that objects can exist even when they can’t see them. It meant a lot of screaming for every minute, I moved away from her eyesight. So we have been baby wearing a LOT and my back is a bit stuffed…But challenges are a part of life just like the good times and each day, I am immensely grateful for my daughter. So I am not complaining but sharing cause I want to be honest in my journey as a mum…. I should record observations every week cause I dont seem to remember much but here are a few things I remember….
- Obsession with hands and feet has been intense this whole month.
- Loves grabbing her left toes and taking both her socks out. Right toe seems a bit more challenging to grasp. It’s amazing to see minor muscular differences in both sides of the body from such a young age.
- From week 18 onward, she was constantly ‘arching her back’ while feeding, playing etc. Well its a preparation for rolling! I supported her upper back while carrying her so she was safe.
- Towards the end of 4th month she started rolling from her tummy to her back. It was done obsessively like 30 times a day at least. It was almost like she could not help but had to roll over 5 times before her body stopped arching back and she could sleep.
- Rolling on her right is much easier than her left.
- She hardly misses grasping anything now. Her grasp has come a longgg way this month.
- She has always been a very alert baby but this month her personality has shown even more. She is super happy, giggly, chatty and also very strong willed 🙂
- She now responds to her name.
- She watches my every move and wants to imitate me all the time. I have been eating on the floor so she could see how I eat. This resulted in some serious tantrums if I didn’t give her something to eat, so yes at 4 months she started chomping on solids like a pro. More on this later…
- We have some new sounds this month, my favorite is when she says ‘ayeee’.
- She seems to be imitating me every minute. Every evening, we dance and this is her (and my) most favorite part of the day! I dance and sing songs and she vigorously moves her hands and legs with big smile trying to match my moves 😀
- She “demands” lullaby before each nap time. I have been singing her Annie’s song (John Denver), You are my sunshine, Top of the world, I just called to say I love you (Stevie Wonder) from when she was in my tummy and its fascinating to see how much she loves listening to me sing these tunes(probably the only one who does ;-)). She kicks her legs hard attempting to dance, while I sing.
- She can sit unaided and arches forward for about 10-15 seconds.
- She absolutely loves watching trees and feeling all the world around her. I take her around the house and let her feel whatever she looks at. Some favorites are door knobs and taps.
- Turns out she is a tummy sleeper! We still co-sleep at night and use carrier during day naps.
- Our routine at the start of 4th month, looked like this. Towards the end of 4th month, her awake time increased to 2-2.5 hours and our routines have completely changed. I will post our new routine soon.
- We loved doing heaps of work/ play together. Check out 20 Montessori inspired activities she loved at 4 months old.
- This month, she seemed increasingly restless and demanding of my attention, which in turn decreased her ‘work’ and time for ‘concentration’. Although I know this is a developmental thing and I am doing all in my will to make her feel secure, I wonder if there is something else I could do…..
- She can pick up toys from her side.
- Teething continues and tends to get more intense at night time.
- Oh wait, did I mention she loves water? Apart from splashing in bath tub every night we do a small water play in our bathroom sink after breakfast.

All in all she grew up heaps this month, physically (check out those thighs :-)) and with her skills. I love my life as mumma to this precious ray of sunshine.