Child development at 4 months: features in boys and girls

May 29, 2016

Averyanova Sveta

Any mother closely monitors the developmental characteristics of her baby. From the birth of a child until the moment when he begins to walk confidently, the toddler goes through several stages: he learns to roll over, hold his head up, sit down, crawl, and stand up.

Moreover, this “evolution” can occur either gradually or in jerks, when a little person “jumps over” some steps.

It happens that some developmental features of a fidget worry the mother. For example, a child crawls backwards rather than forwards. Should we sound the alarm? Is this normal? Is it possible to somehow help the baby, teach him to crawl correctly?

There's really nothing wrong with that. If your child crawls, that’s already good. Today, many children bypass this stage and immediately begin to walk unsteadily.

Some mothers are proud of such an “achievement,” they say, my child is developing ahead of his peers. Such a jerk is not considered a deviation from the norm, but, nevertheless, pediatricians believe that first the baby must still learn to move with the help of arms and legs, and only then master walking.

The time frame at which children begin to crawl and the stages of the process

At about 3 months, many babies begin to roll over, thanks to which they discover many interesting things in the world around them. After observing all this for several weeks, they begin to make their first timid attempts to move. Realizing that they cannot reach everything that catches their eye, they lie down on their stomachs and begin to crawl. The timing of developing the skill depends on the physiological characteristics of the baby and external factors (why crawl if there is nothing interesting nearby?). On average, this occurs in 6-7 months.

Advice: Despite the fact that some parents proudly say that their baby did not even crawl, but immediately walked, this is not a reason for pride and not an example to follow. Muscles need time to develop and strengthen normally; crawling in this case is the optimal exercise. If you skip this stage, the risk of developing problems with the spine, joints, and muscle corset increases.

These parameters are optional. Asthenic and active babies can crawl at 5 months, well-fed toddlers wait until 8-9 months and even longer. In some cases, a strengthening massage is recommended to stimulate the baby's actions. It is worth considering that crawling is considered correct and complete only if the child is on all fours. This skill is a predisposing factor to the development of walking skills. Correct movement with clear rearrangement of limbs is finally formed by the end of 9-10 months.

Kids rarely manage to teach their body to obey the first time; they often have to go through several preparatory stages:

It all starts with crawling on your stomach. Moreover, even here, some children differ in their individual approach to movement. Many initially move sideways or backwards.
The first attempts to move on all fours can be done by putting the arms forward and pulling up both legs. After some time, such jumps are replaced by crossing the arms and pulling up the legs.
After all this, the baby finally switches to cross crawling, in which the legs and arms clearly replace each other.

Everything described above is normal, provided that during the movement the child’s joints are not deformed and he does not take an unnatural position. Practice shows that over the course of several months, skills are honed, the little one begins to move confidently and quickly, and, if necessary, even overcomes low obstacles.

Why the baby may not crawl on time

Why does a one-year-old child not walk independently?

Babies usually begin to crawl between 6 and 9 months. If the child does not crawl at the indicated time, then perhaps he has minor problems with development, but often there are no problems, because all children are different. For example, this can happen due to excess weight; the muscles of such a child are not strong and developed enough to carry such a burden. Some other children are simply not inquisitive enough and there is literally no reason for them to crawl. In very rare cases, children do not crawl due to delayed muscle development.

Why do some babies crawl backwards?

Many parents, seeing that their baby is crawling beautifully and correctly, but is moving backwards, strive to quickly teach him to move “normally.” In fact, it is not recommended to rush into this; the child’s body intuitively understands which muscles can already be relied on and which ones should still be saved. Moving backwards, the child spends less energy, because he only needs to push off. This is especially useful on slippery floors and when wearing appropriate clothing. Often this behavior is dictated by the first unsuccessful experience of direct crawling. For example, a child tried to crawl forward, his arms could not stand it, he fell and hit himself.

It also happens that the baby does this consciously. He could have seen a similar skill on TV in older children playing. Maybe mom was washing the floors and moving backwards. In any case, there is nothing pathological, scary or dangerous about this. Over time, the baby will have to change the direction of movement, because one day he will understand that this way he can achieve his goal faster without losing sight of it.

Positive and negative aspects of the skill

Before you begin retraining your baby, you need to evaluate the positive aspects of such physical exercises:

Teaching a child to crawl backwards is much more difficult than teaching them to crawl forward. If it comes so easy to him, he needs to take advantage of the situation. In the process of such movement, some muscle groups work that are not involved in the standard approach.
The load on the muscle fibers increases gradually. Moving by pushing off is much easier than pulling up the body or lifting and rearranging limbs. The development of all parts of the spine and the development of joints will take place without difficulties or unpleasant sensations for the child.
Scientists say that practicing backward crawling trains the vestibular system. In the future, as he grows up, the baby will not suffer from a lack of dexterity and will not grow up clumsy.

There is truth in this feature and negative aspects:

If after a couple of months the baby does not begin to attempt to crawl normally, it is worth assessing its muscle strength. It happens that such a method of movement turns out to be the result of slight hypotonicity or hypertonicity of the muscles.
Crawling in one direction does not allow all muscle groups to develop equally. In this case, you need to either teach the baby a new method of movement, or provide him with sufficient physical activity.

It turns out that if a baby crawls backwards at 6-7 months, this is not a problem. But if a child becomes fixated on this method of movement for 3-4 months, it is worth thinking about introducing corrective gymnastics into his regime.

Features of caring for a four-month-old baby

The basis of feeding a fourth-dimensional child continues to be formula and breast milk. The child eats 5-6 times throughout the day, sometimes wakes up once or twice at night or early in the morning, which should not be surprising. Children spend a lot of energy on development and growth, so they are not able to withstand a long night break from eating. There are different opinions about the timing of introducing complementary foods. The old table recommends giving babies fruit juices, cereals or vegetable purees already at this age. The new rules state that breastfed children should be introduced to complementary foods no earlier than six months, and formula-fed babies should be introduced at 5-5.5 months. Your pediatrician can best advise you on which diet and complementary feeding regimen to choose. He will examine the child and make a decision based on it. You can also ask your doctor for high-quality materials regarding the nutrition of a child in the first year of life.

It is necessary to feed the baby when the mother has little milk. In this case, the child often gets up and screams at night, asking to eat every 1.5-2 hours during the day. If you put him to your chest, he drinks milk very greedily. Dairy-free porridge, buckwheat or rice can be introduced as the first complementary food. Semolina and oatmeal are contraindicated for feeding infants, as they contain gluten, and corn is too coarse for a baby. Vegetable puree can be made from zucchini, pumpkin, cauliflower. For fruits, children are given an apple, sliced and mashed banana. Any juices and compote are suitable, except citrus fruits; red berries are also undesirable. They contain many vitamins that the baby will soon lack. Complementary foods are introduced in very small portions over two weeks. The first portion should be no more than half a teaspoon, gradually increasing to 100 milliliters. The menu for additional feeding must be selected individually, making sure that there is no allergy to the products.

The need for sleep in the fourth month is about 15 hours. Approximately 10 hours at night and three times for 1.5-2 hours during the day. The baby should be put to bed between seven and nine in the evening. Some babies still wake up at night to eat, this is normal. But there are also those who sleep peacefully until the morning. The room where the child sleeps should be quiet; under no circumstances should you keep or turn on a TV or computer there. Otherwise, the baby will be restless, begin to toss and turn in his sleep, and in the morning he will wake up tired and moody, and you have no need for hysterics. It is advisable to establish a sleep schedule during the day, putting the baby in bed at the same time. If your baby refuses to fall asleep, you can play quiet, calm music or sing a lullaby. Walking is important for good sleep and normal appetite. You need to take your baby outside at least twice, preferably in the morning and evening.

Taking care of your baby's skin is still important. You should change diapers on time, every 2-3 hours, and use high-quality baby cosmetics. Daily bathing is now turning into real fun. Buy your baby special toys for the bath, extend the time of water procedures a little so that he can play with them.

The baby's clothes should be made of natural fabrics, without unnecessary seams. It is important that it does not hinder movement or interfere; the size must be appropriate for age. Long strings, ruffles and buttons are of no use to the baby; clothes should be, first and foremost, functional. Give your child air baths several times a day, put him naked on the bed and play. This is not only good for the skin, but also strengthens the baby and helps to better develop motor skills. In the fourth month, the baby goes bald, you should not be afraid, the vellus hair is simply replaced by normal hair.

How to teach a baby to crawl correctly?

To teach your baby a new skill, you need to be patient. Initially, you should try to do it on your own; only if there is no desired effect within a few weeks, you should contact a pediatrician or orthopedist.

First of all, it is necessary to assess the quality of the surface on which the child moves. If it is slippery and smooth, you should lay a rug. For the most part, children, feeling difficulties, try to adapt to new conditions and begin to rearrange their legs and arms as needed. The main thing is not to deviate from your plans and not to “sorry” the baby.
If the problem is hypertonicity or hypotonicity, you need to visit a set of physiotherapeutic procedures that will quickly give the desired effect.
In some cases, simple exercises aimed at developing muscles, strengthening the spine and joints help. This could be swimming in the bathtub, exercise on a fitball, or specialized gymnastics combined with a massage.
In addition to all of the above, it is necessary to take care of a decent incentive for the baby. He must have a goal for which he will crawl forward. It could be a toy, a favorite treat, or just a calling mother.
In some cases, it is enough to show the child a positive example. If mom crawls a little, showing how to do it correctly, additional exercises may not be required.

In cases where this state of affairs greatly strains one of the parents, and the described approaches do not help, it is worth consulting a doctor. Otherwise, an adult will begin to lash out at a child who does not understand anything, which will only aggravate the existing problem or even provoke new ones.

EXAMPLES OF GAMES AND EXERCISES TO DEVELOP INTELLIGENCE IN CHILDREN

MARIA MONTESSORI'S EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT METHOD

Why does a child crawl on his stomach and how to fix it?

6-9 MONTHS, 9-12 MONTHS
Baby should already be able to crawl on all fours, but still prefers to crawl on his belly? Should you worry or leave everything as is, read the article.

Article reading time: ~5 minutes

Why does a child crawl on his stomach?

What to do if the baby crawls on his stomach: conditions and help?

Why does a child crawl on his stomach?

Crawling on the belly usually appears at 5-7 months, when the child is just beginning to explore the surrounding space. But if the baby continues to crawl on his stomach at the end of the 8th month, the mother should think about the reasons and eliminate them. The main reasons why a child crawls on his stomach can be:

weak muscles in the arms, legs or back. To understand what it’s like, try lifting a twenty-kilogram weight without training, and it’s the same with a baby;

lack of motivation to crawl on all fours. In simple words, a baby is too lazy to move on all fours, it’s easier to crawl on his belly;

excessive care of adults. The child was put on the floor late (not at 4 months, as Uncle Igor advises), so he is capricious and demands to be held. And the mother or other relatives succumb to the little one’s provocation and carry him in their arms;

physiological hypertonicity, which prevents the arms or legs from working fully. To determine the child’s tone, I advise you to go to a neurologist for an examination;

The main reasons why a child crawls on his stomach can be:

weak muscles in the arms, legs or back. To understand what it’s like, try lifting a twenty-kilogram weight without training, and it’s the same with a baby;

lack of motivation to crawl on all fours. In simple words, a baby is too lazy to move on all fours, it’s easier to crawl on his belly;

excessive care of adults. The child was put on the floor late (not at 4 months, as Uncle Igor advises), so he is capricious and demands to be held. And the mother or other relatives succumb to the little one’s provocation and carry him in their arms;

physiological hypertonicity, which prevents the arms or legs from working fully. To determine the child’s tone, I advise you to go to a neurologist for an examination;

presence of diagnoses that inhibit motor development. They are placed only by a doctor during a face-to-face appointment.

If the baby continues to crawl on his stomach at the end of the 8th month, the mother should think about the reasons and eliminate them.

Having established the reasons, it’s time to prepare a plan of action for adults. How to put a toddler on all fours, read below.

What to do if the baby crawls on his stomach: conditions and help?

If a child begins to crawl on his stomach and has not crawled before, then nothing needs to be done other than observing and waiting. But when crawling on the belly continues for more than a month, the mother needs to take measures:

for weak muscles, a course of massage and gymnastics is needed. It will strengthen your baby's arms, legs and back. How to organize a massage for a child, the mother decides herself. You can go to a children's clinic and convince a neurologist to give a referral for a massage. True, there is a risk of waiting your turn until the moment when it’s time to start. Another option is a paid massage therapist. But you still need to find a good specialist. Or there is no need to wait and look for anything - the mother works with the baby herself under the guidance of an experienced specialist, using his experience and her own hands! For example, according to the online course, 6-9 months with my support and the support of a pediatrician and neurologist;
If there is no motivation to crawl on all fours correctly, there is only one way out - to create it. There is no magic pill that makes all children lift their bellies off the floor. Only a mother knows what can interest her child so much that he crawls on all fours. For example, letting a baby crawl with a bare belly, which is not so pleasant to slide. This means you have to get on all fours! Read the article for more ideas for stimulating crawling.

IMPORTANT! Very often, for proper crawling, a child needs comfortable conditions: good grip on the floor and a not too hard surface.

To improve traction on the floor, leave your baby's feet naked if the weather in the house allows. Otherwise, knee pads or special crawling mats can help out. They are warm (1 cm thick) and easy to clean, do not slip. An excellent start to learning to crawl.

When caring for relatives, the mother first needs to work out her perception of the situation. If she is not internally ready to leave the child on the floor, then her relatives will not do this. Always keep this thought in your head:

The longer the baby moves with the help of adults' hands, the longer it will take him to master all fours. And proper crawling develops a baby better than dozens of smart toys and cards (read more about the importance of crawling).

For physiological tone, massage and exercise therapy are effective. It will relax tight muscles and activate weak ones. In my online courses, mothers themselves successfully cope with tone and help their kids learn new motor skills.
Once diagnosed, treatment and correction methods are prescribed only by a specialist after an in-person examination of the small patient.

Reviews for the course 6-9 months

Let's summarize: