Month 4

Physical Developments:

- the baby now weighs 12 ½ pounds and is 23 ½ inches long

- the baby should be able to sit with the aid of a person or support from an object

Mental Developments:

- the baby can now fully anticipate feeding times and rewards such as food

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby may bat at objects that are presented to him or hung in front of him

Social Development:

- the baby will begin to attempt to attract attention to himself when people he is familiar with are around

Week 14

Physical Developments:

- the baby should now weigh 12 ¾ pounds and be 23 ¾ inches long

- the baby can now focus his eyes at different distances and can hold his head erect for sustained, but short, periods of time

Mental Developments:

- the baby will be able to recognize and better distinguish faces from images, resulting in him smiling and vocalizing to people more

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is now capable of clasping his fingers and hands together and making a clapping motion when playing

Social Development:

- the baby may begin to develop an obvious preference for a particular toy or stuffed animal

Week 15

Physical Developments:

- the baby is now 13 pounds and 24 inches long

- the baby can now turn his head in all directions - up, down, and side to side

- the baby's eyes should be changing color by now if they are going to at all

Mental Developments:

- the baby now has a memory span of nearly 10 seconds, as his brain continues to develop

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby may now splash and play in the bath as his legs and arms strengthen. He also may be making bicycling motions in the air.

- the baby may be able to partially roll himself over from front to back, or back to front, and may favor one direction to the other.

- the baby may enjoy being rocked and bounced, or swung

Social Development:

- the baby is still very interested in mirror images, particularly his own

Week 16

Physical Developments:

- the baby is now 13 ¼ pounds and is 24 ¼ inches long

- the baby can sit upright with assistance and is able to roll on his side

- the baby's hand eye coordination is improving. He will attempt to reach for and grasp objects, opening his hands to the correct size to grab them

Mental Developments:

- the baby can now initiate several different tonal sounds

Senses and Reflex Development:

- the baby is very interested in smells and will smell things with in his reach

- the baby will also try to reach objects placed on hung in front of him and will attempt to put them in his mouth

- If an object is shown to the baby and dropped he will stare at the place from which it was dropped

Social Development:

- the baby will begins to laugh when tickled and will initiate socialization by vocalizing

- the baby will also entertain himself for longer periods of time by playing alone

The baby has, by this point, truly become a social being - capable of laughing and interacting with others, and desires attention. His vision has improved and is able to focus at all distances. He is able to reach for objects, and sit up for a while on his own as his muscle strength has improved vastly.

The baby's increased muscle strength also means he is capable of rolling from side to side or back to front. The baby will also put anything in his reach into his mouth. This seems to be how infants this age explore the world. At this stage the baby also begins to take a large intellectual and personifying leap. He now knows that crying will garner him a desired outcome and attention. These cries should not be ignored; it is still impossible at this age to spoil a child so discipline for such attention seeking behavior is not needed nor is it appropriate. The baby is beginning to gain an elementary understanding of the world around him and he shows great interest in the things which surround him. This is made obvious in the fact that he will stop feeding or other activities to pay attention to things that catch his interest.

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