Daily routine of a 4 month old baby. Detailed daily routine

Approximate daily routine for a 4 month old baby

From 6 to 8 in the morning the baby wakes up, eats, and the mother carries out hygiene procedures. Also during this period you can do gymnastics and take air baths.
From 8 to 10 am the baby sleeps.
From 10 to 12 – second feeding, as well as active pastime. Educational games are great.
From 12 to 14 – it’s good to go for a walk with your child.
From 14 to 16 - third meal, walk around the house, developmental activities.
From 16 to 18 – you can go for an evening walk in the fresh air. At this time, the baby can sleep.
From 18 to 21 - time for the fourth meal, communication with family, and at the end of this period - time for swimming.
From 21 to 22 the baby gets ready for bed. To do this, he must be calm, and the atmosphere at home must be peaceful.
After 10 p.m., the mother feeds the baby before bedtime.
From 11 pm to 6 am the child sleeps.

Of course, all this is individual, so you can make certain adjustments to your baby’s daily routine. But there should be a routine in any case, as this has a positive effect on the mental and physical development of the baby.

Important points

Despite the individuality of each baby, the daily routine of a 4-month-old child must include two main points:

meals at four-hour intervals;
daytime “quiet” hours with a total duration of about six hours.

It is worth noting that daytime sleep remains important for a child up to 6 years of age: only its duration changes. Sleeping during the day allows you to restore the baby’s nervous system and promotes its harmonious development.

Summary

At 4 months, the baby no longer sleeps as much as he did when he was a newborn. In total, his sleep lasts about 16 hours. The rest of the time the child should eat, walk and play educational games.

If the baby often wakes up at night, he can already be taught an understanding of night sleep. To do this, put him to bed later, and spend the time before bed actively so that the child is well tired.

Pay special attention to hygiene procedures - they will have a general health effect on the baby’s body and contribute to sound sleep.

Feeding regimen for a 4 month old baby

Five meals a day at four months is the norm for a child. Today, there are three types of nutrition for four-month-old children: breast, artificial, mixed. It all depends on whether a woman can breastfeed, as well as on the amount of milk her body produces.

It’s interesting that just a month ago the baby ate six times, but now five is enough for him. This is due, first of all, to the fact that the child now consumes more milk or formula per feeding than before. At 4 months, the baby needs about a liter of mother's milk per day. That is, one dose is 150-200 ml. The same portions apply to artificial feeding.

It is too early to introduce the first complementary foods while breastfeeding, since pediatricians advise starting complementary foods no earlier than 6 months. Only in rare cases, if the baby was born premature or is gaining below normal weight, the doctor may advise combining complementary feeding with breast milk.

The feeding regimen of a 4-month-old baby on artificial feeding can gradually switch to complementary feeding. How to properly introduce the first complementary foods - read in the additional article on complementary feeding.

Feeding

The baby still has to decide for himself how much and when to eat. The nutritional norms for a 4-month-old child are given as a guide only.

For breastfeeding:
The number of feedings per day is 5 and at night as required. At this age, the baby can already do without it.
The amount of milk consumed per day is about 1 liter. It turns out that in one feeding the child eats about 200 ml.
For artificial feeding:
The number of feedings is also 5. Night feedings are no longer required.
The consumed volume of the mixture per feeding is about 200 ml.
At this age, complementary foods are introduced to artificial babies.

A child at four months of age eats at least 5 times a day.

Baby's sleep schedule at 4 months

The need for sleep at this age is very high. The total duration of sleep is 16 hours, but this figure may be different. The most important thing in sleep and wakefulness is the baby’s well-being. It is also worth taking a closer look at the baby, because at four months you can already observe manifestations of his biorhythm and understand whether he is a lark or an owlet. This information will help you more correctly structure your baby's sleep schedule at 4 months.

Based on each specific case, a caring and intelligent mother should structure a child’s daily routine at 4 months in order to provide him with the conditions necessary for proper development; this is possible with proper arrangement of periods of vigor and sleep. A child who has slept poorly will be capricious and refuse offered games and food, while a child who has slept poorly will become very agitated. So the principle of the golden mean is important here too.

With a rational approach, you can get used to the different individual characteristics of any child by teaching him to do everything according to the correct daily routine.

If a 4-month-old child does not sleep well at night, he will interfere with the rest of his loved ones. In this case, you need to put the baby to bed a little later and see how this affects sleep throughout the night. If it happens that the child wakes up at night, you can be smart and try to unwind the baby. This will not take much time, since the child will fall asleep very quickly and sleep until the morning.

Sleep - day and night

As mentioned above, a 4-month-old baby's sleep lasts about 16 hours. Half of this time is allocated for night sleep, and the rest for several daytime sleeps. This is an approximate time; there is no need to expect that the child will sleep exactly that much and not a minute less. Some babies can sleep through the night, while others wake up frequently. But even a four-month-old child can already be accustomed to the desired lifestyle.

Put your child to bed later so that he or she is properly tired. Then he will fall soundly asleep and, most likely, will sleep until the morning. This tactic is fraught with evening whims, so prepare exciting activities that can distract the baby.
Long swim in an adult bath. The child will spend a lot of energy, get tired and sleep more soundly.

For even better sleep, add soothing herbs to your bath - mint, thyme, motherwort, pine needles.

An evening walk in the fresh air will also contribute to sound sleep. The child will get tired, full of impressions and want to sleep. Make sure he doesn't fall asleep in the stroller.

If the baby does not sleep at night

Some children delight their household with their restful sleep throughout the night. Others do not sleep and do not allow anyone to do this. Is it possible to change a child’s daily routine at 4 months so that he sleeps longer and more peacefully at night? It is possible, and to do this you need to exclude the first part of sleep at night, replacing it with a period of vigor.

At first, this may seem like “cruelty”: if the baby is capricious and about to go to sleep, not putting him down to rest means committing a “crime.” However, if you look at it from the other side, you will understand that a child who woke up after a nap at 6 pm, played enough active games, went shopping and ate well at 11 pm, will fall asleep very quickly, as soon as you put him in his crib. Because the baby is tired, he will wake up no earlier than 6 am. Of course, in this case, all family members will have a rest, and even have time to communicate with each other. Therefore, in this case, not letting the baby sleep for an hour is a justified step.

Walking on the baby's schedule

The daily routine of a 4-month-old baby is unthinkable without walks in the fresh air. If there is sun, a little rain or slightly cool weather outside, you can go for a walk with your baby. The exception is abnormal heat in summer or low temperature in winter.

The benefit of walking for a baby is that he gets to know the world: he distinguishes between objects and objects, colors, and over time he begins to understand the difference between big and small, wet and dry. All this has a positive effect on his intellectual and speech development, helps strengthen the eye muscles, and improves health, as the cells receive the oxygen they need.

Try to walk away from the roadway and roads. Parks and squares would be an excellent option. If you have the opportunity to take a walk in a forested area, don't miss it.

Walking also improves the immune system: children cope better with harmful microorganisms that attack them literally at every step.

Educational games for a 4 month old baby

A four-month-old baby does not sleep for eight hours, and this time needs to be filled as much as possible with games aimed at its development.

Excursions around your apartment are interesting and useful for your child. While in the arms of an adult, the baby becomes familiar with the objects around him. All this is stored in the child’s memory. You will soon see this for yourself. Say the name of a familiar object and you will understand that the baby will turn in its direction. Later, the child himself will make sounds, in his language, meaning the name of the object.
It is useful to give bright toys with different surface textures to the child to develop tactile sensations. They can be soft and hard, smooth and rough, with tubercles and have various holes. Colors may also vary. It is not recommended to give toys that combine more than two or three colors and have blurred transition boundaries, as well as containing small parts, because the baby, due to his young age, can swallow them.
Four months of age is a great time to use entertainment centers, mobiles and developmental mats. They will help develop hearing, fine motor skills, and encourage the baby to move. Undoubtedly, all of them are very useful for the child, but you should not overload his nervous system by giving several items at once.
It is useful to listen to children's rhythmic music. And if you clap your hands and dance at the same time, then the baby will additionally gain a sense of rhythm. Many children love to make movements with their family - take the baby in your arms and gently spin with him to the melody.
The little ones need to sing songs, tell poems and fairy tales, and play nursery rhymes. Already at this age, children can perceive information with their eyes; it is worth starting to teach them to look and read.
Favorite games for all kids and contribute to their development are games for fingers: “there goes the horned goat”, “magpie-white-sided”, “ladushki”, etc. Fingering little fingers will help develop sensory perception and brain centers responsible for speech. It will also please and make the child laugh.

Since all toys and things that come within the baby’s reach will end up in his mouth, it is necessary to take special care to ensure their cleanliness. Toys should be washed every day with boiled water, and scraps of fabric should be washed periodically. Remove dangerous objects that could harm the child and prevent his access to them.

Artificial feeding mode

It takes a lot of time and knowledge for mothers to establish a formula-fed newborn's nutritional regimen. And this is not easy, because all children are unique in how much and at what time they eat, when they sleep and when they are awake. Recommendations on the feeding schedule are given by the leading expert of the online school for future and established parents “SMART Mama”, pediatrician Polina Aleksandrovna Kizino.

— Polina Aleksandrovna, mothers who are not breastfeeding are worried that infant formula will not provide their child with all the necessary nutrients so that he can fully grow and develop. How significant is the difference between breast milk and breast milk substitute?

— Mother’s milk is a living substance that, in addition to nutrients, microelements and other useful components, contains biologically active substances responsible for immunity and components that cannot be synthesized. Adapted milk formula is as close to the composition of human milk as possible, but it is not a 100% substitute. Therefore, breastfeeding is preferable. However, if it is not possible to breastfeed, this is not a disaster. A child can also get the most valuable nutrients from infant formula.

— What could be the reasons for transferring a child to artificial feeding?

— The most common reason why pediatricians recommend bottle-feeding children is the child’s health condition. In addition, artificial feeding can help a mother who is unable to feed the child on her own, for example, in cases where:

lactation is difficult;
there are contraindications for a woman’s health;
the child and mother are not together;
The nursing mother has obvious psychological discomfort.

If milk is produced and the baby absorbs it well, it is advisable to breastfeed. In case of severe emotional and psychological discomfort, when natural feeding leads to sharply negative feelings, the woman switches to feeding the baby with formula.

— What products can be used for artificial feeding?

— Adapted infant formula or special medicinal formulas, which can be dairy or, less commonly, dairy-free. There is no need to feed the baby other foods: whole cow's or whole goat's milk are not suitable for a small child. When the time comes for complementary feeding, bottle-fed babies, as well as breast-fed babies, will gradually begin to try solid foods in the same way.

— How often do colic, bloating, and bottle-feeding disorders occur?

— When compared with breastfeeding, there are no special prerequisites for colic, bloating or other disorders to occur more often from feeding from a bottle. In “artificial” patients, the stool becomes a little denser, which does not indicate constipation. Changes in its consistency are caused by a certain composition of the milk substitute. This is completely normal. And colic, bloating and other problems may arise due to intolerance to some components of the mixture. A specialized medicinal mixture will help solve a specific problem and relieve the baby of these unpleasant sensations.

— Is it necessary to follow a feeding regime for a bottle-fed baby or is it better to feed the baby when he wants?

— A bottle-fed baby must be given a bottle on a schedule; free feeding is not allowed. Surely many have heard that a newborn and a young child need to be fed on demand, but with artificial feeding, the intervals between feedings should be at least 3 hours, even for a very young child.

— Do I need to consult a specialist and get tested before creating a diet with an artificial formula?

— Before switching to an artificial formula, most often the mother consults with a pediatrician. The feeding regimen (not the amount of food) is standard and does not depend on any specific features. Breaks of three hours should be consistently maintained by the baby both at one month and at six months. Skipping night feedings is possible, and breaks longer than three hours are acceptable, but less is still not possible.

— What needs to be taken into account before drawing up a regime?

“The most important thing is that the feeding regimen and the child’s sleep and wakefulness patterns overlap with each other. When a mother builds a daily routine while breastfeeding, it is worth paying attention to what time she plans to put the baby to bed and wake her up, so that feeding does not happen in the middle of a nap. Both mother and baby should be as comfortable as possible - so that they don’t have to wake up the baby to eat or so that he doesn’t wake up early from hunger.

— What are the key and general rules when establishing a feeding regimen for a baby receiving formula milk?

— The feeding regimen during artificial feeding should overlap with the sleep pattern. It is important to separate the baby’s nutrition and sleep. This is easier to do with artificial nutrition than with natural nutrition. However, formula-fed babies often develop a negative sleep association where they need a bottle to help them fall asleep or to eat immediately after waking up. Therefore, there should be a short period of time between feeding and sleep - 10-15 minutes before and after sleep. With a newborn it is usually not possible to achieve this interval because the baby's waking time is too short to accommodate only feeding. This is normal, but you need to strive to ensure that the breaks appear and increase. Then by the end of the first month, most likely, everything will work out.

— How to distribute meals throughout the day? Can parents independently calculate the number of feedings and portion sizes?

— When creating a feeding regimen and calculating the amount of food, you need to focus on the age and weight of the child. Based on these indicators, the pediatrician determines the daily amount of food for the baby. Taking into account children's age, the daily amount of nutrition is distributed over a certain number of feedings - the younger the baby, the more often he eats and the smaller his portion.

Over time, the intervals between meals increase due to skipping night feedings. The portion that the child missed is distributed between daily feedings. Consequently, the portion increases, and the frequency of feedings decreases.

How often to give a baby formula per day, including how many times to feed the baby at night on IV, is calculated by the doctor for each individual baby, taking into account his age and weight parameters.

- Polina Aleksandrovna, the regime has been drawn up, but the child eats little or rarely - should I worry?

— If the weight gain is within normal limits, it means that the baby receives enough nutrition. It happens that children eat less than the norm, but at the same time they meet their needs and do not lag behind in physical and psycho-emotional development - which means that the norm for these particular children is less than average.

The child eats little or rarely, weight gain is poor - he needs to be seen by a doctor.

— Is it worth forcing a baby to live according to a schedule at night if he doesn’t wake up and doesn’t ask for food, but hasn’t eaten his daily allowance?

— You need to watch how the child gains weight and grows, and monitor his condition, because situations vary.

The baby eats normally, maintains the usual intervals and simply begins to skip night feedings - this means that he has enough nutrition during the day and there is no need to wake him up.
The baby sleeps soundly until the morning, and during the day he loses his routine and begins to ask to eat more often - therefore, he is malnourished, and you need to increase the size of the daily portion in order to maintain the daily norm, or wake the child up for feeding at night. The first option is preferable, but, of course, within the age norm. It is most physiological when children eat less and less at night, and by one year they either sleep until the morning or wake up once.

— Can problems with children’s health arise if the artificial feeding regime has changed?

— You may encounter problems if your diet has shifted too much. But you need to take into account the reason for what is happening. When a sick child's appetite decreases, this is an adequate reaction to poor health, and there is no need to force feed him. After recovery, he will try to compensate for the lack of food in the previous days and begin to eat more actively.

With a new regime, for example, due to a change in time zones, it may be difficult for the child to adapt, but this does not mean that he will worry for a whole month. After one or two days the regime returns to normal. And, of course, it is not advisable to change the regime without the need.

— Polina Aleksandrovna, tell us about the main advantages of MAMAKO® baby food.

— The manufacturer has a fairly wide range of products. Parents can choose nutrition based on the age and needs of their baby. With age-appropriate milk formulas, formula feeding is easy to maintain from birth to age three. Porridge, puree and cream soups are optimal for complementary feeding. What is especially valuable is that all these products are made on the basis of goat's milk, which is easier and better for children to digest compared to cow's milk and which is considered more suitable for children's nutrition. A child who initially tried the “goat” formula and then switched to complementary feeding products with the addition of goat’s milk will find it easier to accept them.

The composition of the infant formula is maximally adapted to children's needs, but still it is not saturated with absolutely all the components and biologically active substances that are found in human breast milk. Technology does not yet allow this. Accordingly, breastfeeding is preferable for babies, but when it is not possible, ready-made products come to the rescue. When feeding infant formula, it is recommended to adhere to the diet so that the baby does not overeat and digests food easily and comfortably. If the feeding order is out of order, try to return to the child’s usual feeding pattern as quickly as possible, and then everything will be fine.

Pediatrician Polina Aleksandrovna Kizino

*The ideal food for an infant is mother's milk. WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months. MAMAKO® supports this recommendation. Before introducing new foods into your baby’s diet, consult a specialist.

Physiological characteristics of a child at four months

If you look at a child at this age, it will seem that he is inactive and prefers to be in his mother’s arms. But right now he is developing the skills of grasping objects and making his first attempts to lift himself on his arms and roll over from his back to his stomach.

If relatives stimulate the baby daily and correctly and perform the listed actions, then by the end of the fourth month the baby will be able to reach out to toys, grab them with his hands, and roll over on his own in order to look at others. The baby can rise and lean on his arms while lying on his tummy.

To ensure that new skills are not long in coming, you can stimulate the child’s activity by placing a folded diaper or cushion under his arms. The baby will try to push off from it or use it to turn over. A development mat can be a good helper in this matter. It will force the baby to move more, because it is not so easy to reach the toy that hangs on him, and the squeakers need to be found.

Hygiene procedures

There is no longer any need to wash with boiled water, since the lacrimal glands have already developed and do not need daily artificial hydration. Family members may notice that the baby’s nails have begun to grow much faster and they have to be trimmed more often, because the baby is actively waving his legs and arms and can injure himself. But do not cut the nails too short, as this will cause discomfort to the child.

The procedures in water, used from the birth of the baby, do not change by four months: they are carried out every day in the evening. Temperature range 35-36 degrees. Time spent in water is no more than 10 minutes. At this age, there is no need to use additional bathing products more than once a week, as they dry out the baby’s delicate skin. It is also advisable to use baby cream after bathing.

Nutrition

The diet of a 4-month-old breastfed baby does not change. Unless, at the request of the parents, freshly squeezed juices (grape, apple, banana) or applesauce are added. You can start introducing your baby to cereals and vegetables, but if he is gaining weight well, it is better to wait another two months.

The diet of a 4-month-old bottle-fed baby changes slightly. Juices and purees must be added, but carefully. Observe the reaction of the little man's body. Eliminate anything that causes allergies, constipation and diarrhea from your diet. Give porridge (oatmeal, buckwheat, millet) in an amount of 50-100 grams, gradually add new products.

By the age of 6 months, a formula-fed baby already eats half of the vegetables and fruits, cereals, poultry and lean fish, while a breastfed baby at this age is just beginning to become intimately familiar with complementary foods.

Both breastfed and bottle-fed toddlers change their frequency. The baby eats no more than six times per day, leaving a gap of 4-5 hours between meals. At night, one feeding is enough; the remaining time the healthy and happy little one sleeps. But this is not accurate information, because every baby is unique. Monitor his mood and behavior. If he still wakes up two to four times at night and always asks to eat, feed him. The main thing is that he gains the required weight monthly, and, preferably, does not go over it.

Massage and gymnastics

These types of interactions with your baby have a positive effect on his health. That is why it is important that a child’s daily routine at 4 months includes massage and gymnastics. Massage for a baby can provide:

calming effect;
strengthening when we talk about the body's defenses;
nourishing and moisturizing when there are skin problems;
cognitive effect when the child remembers his sensations from the touch of his mother’s hands and develops certain associations.

When performing a massage, it is necessary to use baby oil or a special cream to solve certain local problems.

Gymnastics has a positive effect on the developing, growing body, tones it, and makes it possible to eliminate some problems with the musculoskeletal system. But therapeutic exercises should be carried out only under the supervision of a doctor or even with his help. This also requires special indications, for example, injuries during the birth of a baby or problems in the development of the musculoskeletal system. The most optimal would be a five-minute load.

Children of this age try to roll over onto their tummy from their back. To help them with this, it is useful to play “Kolobok”. Roll your baby carefully from back to stomach and back across the large bed; so as not to scare the baby, sing a song from a fairy tale.
For a strong spine and arm muscles, the mother works with the child, giving her index fingers and pulling the baby towards her. This teaches the baby to sit down independently in the future.
When you place your baby on his tummy, place your hands under his heels. The baby instinctively pushes against them with his legs, trying to crawl away. It will be more convenient for him to do this on a non-slippery surface; to do this, just spread a diaper or a thin blanket on the carpet.

Activities and walks

A four-month-old baby is awake for a total of about eight hours a day—plenty of time for activities and play. In order for him to actively develop properly, parents must pay special attention to organizing the baby’s leisure time.

Developmental activities should be included in the daily routine.

Excursions on a walk or around the apartment. Carry the baby in your arms, naming and describing objects encountered along the way. Such activities will help him develop memory and speech, and the knowledge gained will definitely be useful in later life.
Music. Play music for your child. Classic compositions will do. Such activities are useful for developing a sense of rhythm.
Mobiles and educational rugs will appeal to a four-month-old baby. They develop hearing and vision, as well as sensory skills. In addition, many children are able to independently engage with such toys from a few minutes to half an hour. Mom can devote this time to other important matters - resting or preparing dinner.
Poems and songs will amuse the baby and contribute to the development of his memory.
Images. Show your child bright pictures, naming the objects depicted on them. Doman cards are a great option. They will introduce the baby to the objects around him, and will also contribute to learning to read in the future. Now it’s worth showing your child books and instilling a love for them.
Toys with different textures develop tactile sensations and motor skills. You need to use rough and smooth surfaces, pimpled or with holes, hard and soft.

All toys a child plays with will certainly end up in his mouth, so do not forget to keep them clean.

Walk with your child twice a day - no less. The duration of walks should be an hour, or preferably two. Of course, if weather conditions permit. When it is too hot outside, severe frost or rain, a walk can be excluded from the daily routine. When it rains, take a breath of fresh air on the balcony or put your baby to sleep there.

You need to walk with your child at least 2 times a day.

It’s worth including physical exercise in your four-month baby’s regimen.

Laying it on your stomach, place your hand under your feet. Then the child will be able to push off from it, trying to crawl.
Help sit down by inviting the baby to grab onto your fingers.
Roll your baby from back to stomach and back. This game can be played on a large bed or on the floor with a soft carpet. Accompany the activity with a fun song or nursery rhyme.

Massage promotes harmonious physical development, but it is better to first coordinate it with your pediatrician.

How to harden a child

The age of four months is an excellent time to start hardening. Provided it is done regularly, this will make the baby’s health strong and will prevent him from getting sick.

In the first months of your baby’s life, try to spend more time with him in the fresh air and take air baths, this will be the beginning of hardening. It is enough to keep an undressed baby in a room with a temperature of 22 degrees for ten minutes twice a day.

One of the softer, but at the same time effective procedures is rubbing. Try the dry method before using water. The baby's skin is wiped with a soft terry cloth mitten. This must be done with extreme caution, since the baby's skin is very delicate, and you will notice that it turns a little red. When 7-10 days have passed and the child gets used to this procedure, try wiping the baby with a wet mitten. To do this, moisten it with warm water (36 degrees), squeeze it well and first wipe only the child’s face. After several procedures, try to slightly increase the area of wiping, so introduce the procedure until the child’s body is completely wiped. The duration of the procedure is no more than 2 minutes. Gradually reduce the water temperature: every 3 procedures by 1 degree (thus, bring it to 30 degrees).

Each hardening procedure must be carried out by creating a good mood for the baby. There is no need to allow anxiety, fear, and especially crying to appear. If they do occur, reschedule the procedure for another time, since it will not be possible to get a positive result now.