Key milestones of the physical, cognitive and social development of a 5 month old baby.
Your baby has reached the age of five months. Now he tries to independently roll over from his stomach to his back and vice versa, and even tries to sit down. He can sit with support and keep his back straight, constantly babbling and playing, moving his arms and legs. It’s amazing how much a baby can do at five months.
Let us consider in more detail the physical, cognitive and social milestones of the development of a 5 month old child.
List of milestones of the development of a 5 month old baby
| Achieved Development Milestones | Emerging Development Milestones |
| Child sits with support | |
| Baby rolls over from back to tummy | Baby rolls over from back to tummy and back |
| The child responds to sounds by pronouncing the sounds “u”, “n”, “g”, “k” | |
| The baby babbles | |
| After six months, the baby begins to taste food other than mother’s milk | |
| Child shows interest in stationary objects | Child follows moving objects |
| Child uses sounds to communicate with others | |
| The child bends his legs, lying on his stomach | The child can lean on his legs when he is placed in an upright position |
| Child recognizes familiar faces | The child may try to communicate with familiar people |
Development milestones of a 5 month old baby
Child development occurs in three main areas: physical, cognitive and social. Let’s consider each of them separately.
Milestones of cognitive development
These milestones relate to the development of intelligence, language skills, thinking and decision-making skills.
1. The child becomes more attentive. The child loves to observe objects and people that are in his field of vision. When he sees that the people around him are trying to contact him, he shows a response. For example, when you call him by name or make a sound, he will laugh or smile in response. At this age, the child is more attentive and curious than before.
2. The child is easily distracted. Since the child tends to switch to new objects, it is easy to be distracted. Just put a new toy or object in front of him and he will immediately switch to a new object.
3. The child is attracted to colorful objects. The child, as before, is interested in objects of bright and saturated colors. This means that he develops better retina and visual coordination.
4. The child develops basic language skills. Until the fifth month, these skills were at an early stage. The child made babbling sounds when he was in a good mood or when someone spoke to him. Now he makes more varied sounds, and it comes easily to him. This is due to the development of the speech apparatus and the ability of the brain to control it to reproduce sounds.
Milestones of physical development
Physical milestones relate to the growth of the child and the development of motor skills.
6. The child’s hand movements are better developed. Items no longer slip out of his hands. The child can pick up an object from the floor and reaches out to reach an object that is out of his reach. Also, the child plays with his fingers, making quick and nimble movements with them.
At five months, the baby tries to hold a bottle of milk for the first time. Many children at this age put their two thumbs together and put them in their mouths. Some children also bring their toes up to their faces, trying to put them in their mouths.
7. The child lifts the upper body when lying on the stomach. When you put the baby on his stomach, he rests on his elbows and rises. Such a physical skill helps him in the future when he starts to crawl.
8. The child has better control over the movements of the neck. At the age of five months, the neck muscles become stronger, so the baby’s head and neck do not wobble. Thus, the child has better control over the movements of the neck.
9. The child makes the first attempts to sit down. At the same time, he raises the hips and buttocks. The child will be able to sit up if you support his back or lift him up so that he can get into a sitting position. In the sitting position, the child’s back is more straight than before.
10. The child can roll over from his back to his stomach. As soon as the child rolls over on his stomach, he tries to bend his knees. So he strengthens the muscles of his legs, which in the future will help him start crawling.
11. The child’s sense of taste improves. At five months of age, a baby’s tongue has more taste buds than ever before. Everything that the child considers interesting, he puts in his mouth. This is his way of knowing the world. Don’t worry about him forming a bad habit this way. At his age, this is normal.
12. The child improves hearing and muscle coordination. If you say something to a child, he will turn his head and look at you. He may not recognize his name yet, but he already understands that you are talking to him. The baby also reacts to other sounds that attract his attention. This indicates the development of coordination of auditory perception and muscle sensations.
13. The child sleeps during the day at certain hours. A child sleeps for long periods of time, especially at night. This indicates an improvement in sleep function.
Milestones of social and emotional development
At the age of five months, the child develops not only physically and mentally. He also develops skills that help him connect with the people around him.
14. The child recognizes the faces of the parents. The child smiles and perks up when he sees a familiar face. He also vigorously moves his hands – this is a kind of greeting. Such a social skill is a consequence of the fact that the child develops long-term memory. You can notice the difference: when a child sees unfamiliar faces around, he looks around, looking for his mother with his eyes. When he finds his mom or dad, he smiles and looks happy.
15. The child shows anxiety when strangers are nearby. A five-month-old becomes restless when left alone with a stranger. If you let a stranger take the child in his arms, be prepared for the child to cry loudly. This concern for strangers is the first manifestation of trust (or, in this case, lack thereof). This becomes the basis for building complex relationships in the future.
16. The child loves to play with his parents. At the age of five months, the child loves to play more than ever before. Throw the ball towards him and he will be completely delighted. When a child plays, you can notice some excitement in all activities, especially when people he loves and trusts are playing with him – his parents.
17. The child expresses emotions. Most often he does this with a smile. He also expresses discontent, excitement and fatigue. For example, if he is bored, he plays with one or another toy, switching from one game to another.