Baby Development Guide for Baby's Fifth Month (weeks 18-22)

Month five has arrived and your child has lived for almost one half of a year! The minor, steady transitions your child is going through are easy to overlook as you are with her day in and day out. They are occurring, however, and over time you might forget how she used to be when she was younger.

Physically your child has increased mobility so beware. He might toss and turn, so leaving him on a couch or chair is not a good idea. (This makes for very interesting diaper changes!) He also understands his name when he is called, and he recognizes mom's voice.

Around this time your son or daughter has significant increases in hand-eye coordination too. This is due to better sight and control of limbs. He might also experience teething. Symptoms of a teething child include extra drool, couching, chewing and a mild fever at times.

Socially your child might have different reactions to strangers vs. caretakers. He will be more curious and reserved around others although at home he will have lots of energy. He might experience stranger anxiety because he now realizes that you two are separate entities.

At this stage your child still doesn't understand the word "no" yet, so the best way to handle his poor judgment is by distracting him.

Your child loves to taste everything by putting it in her mouth. She might experiment with new sounds and with cause-effect (banging objects on a table, for example). She is also becoming more assertive and has an increasing range of expressed emotions.

During this time there are quite a few things you can do in order to help your child developmentally. First, let her exercise- in fact teach her how to roll, etc. This will help her muscle development and create extra bonding time between you and her. Second, regularly clean of chew toys by rinsing them in very hot water. Remember, if she is chewing on them constantly they get dirty fast and will need to be cleaned regularly! And if she is teething try using a chilled rubber teething ring to help soothe her pain.

Finally, do not over stimulate your child. Keep playtime short and sweet. An over stimulated child is a cranky child.

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