About this topic
Your babys 4-month well child exam is a visit with the doctor to check your baby's health. The doctor measures your child's weight, height, and head size. The doctor plots these numbers on a growth curve. The growth curve gives a picture of your baby's growth at each visit. The doctor may listen to your baby's heart, lungs, and belly. Your doctor will do a full exam of your baby from the head to the toes. ‚
Your baby may also need shots or blood tests during this visit. ‚
General
Growth and Development ‚
Your doctor will ask you how your baby is developing. The doctor will focus on the skills that most children your babys age are expected to do. During the first months of your baby's life, here are some things you can expect. ‚
- Movement ¢ ˆ ’ Your baby may:
- Begin to reach for a toy
- Bring hands to the mouth
- Begin to roll over
- Push or kick with both legs at one time
- Hearing, seeing, and talking ¢ ˆ ’ Your baby will likely:
- Make lots of babbling noises
- Cry or make noises to get you to respond
- Show a wide range of emotions on the face
- Enjoy seeing and touching new objects
- Feeding ¢ ˆ ’ Your baby:
- Needs breast milk or formula for nutrition. Always hold your baby when feeding. Do not prop a bottle. This makes it easier to choke and get ear infections.
- Ask your doctor how to tell when your baby is ready to start eating cereal and other baby foods. Most often, you will watch for your baby to:
- Sit without much support
- Have good head and neck control
- Show interest in food you are eating
- Open the mouth for a spoon
- May start to have teeth. Use a cold clean wash cloth or teething ring to help ease sore gums.
- May put hands in the mouth, root, or suck to show hunger
- Should not be overfed. Turning away, closing the mouth, and relaxing arms are signs your baby is full.
- Sleep ¢ ˆ ’ Your baby:
- Is likely sleeping about 5 to 6 hours in a row at night
- Needs 2 to 3 naps each day
- Sleeps about a total of 14 to 15 hours each day
- Shots or vaccines ¢ ˆ ’ It is important for your baby to get shots on time. This protects from very serious illnesses like pertussis or some kinds of pneumonia. Your baby may need:
- DTaP or diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine
- Hib or Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine
- IPV or polio vaccine
- PCV or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
- Hep B or hepatitis B vaccine
- RV or rotavirus vaccine
Help for Parents ‚
- Develop routines for feeding, naps, and bedtime.
- Play with your baby.
- Tummy time is still important. It helps your baby develop arm and shoulder muscles. Do tummy time a few times each day while your baby is awake. Put a colorful toy in front of your baby for something to look at or play with.
- Read to your baby. Talk and sing to your baby. This helps your baby learn language skills.
- Give your child toys that are safe to chew on. Most things will end up in your child's mouth, so keep away small objects and plastic bags.
- Play peekaboo with your baby.
- Here are some things you can do to help keep your baby safe and healthy.
- Do not allow anyone to smoke in your home or around your baby.
- Have the right size car seat for your baby and use it every time your baby is in the car. Your baby should be rear facing until 2 years of age.
- Always place your baby on the back for sleep. Keep soft bedding, bumpers, and toys out of your baby's bed.
- Keep one hand on the baby whenever you are changing a diaper or clothes.
- Limit how much time your baby spends in an infant seat, bouncy seat, boppy chair, or swing. Give your baby a safe place to play.
- Never leave your baby alone. Do not leave your child in the car, in the bath, or at home alone, even for a few minutes.
- Avoid screen time for children under 2 years old. This means no TV, computers, or video games. They can cause problems with brain development.
- Keep small objects away from your baby.
- Do not let your baby crawl in the kitchen.
- Do not drink hot drinks while holding your baby.
- Do not use a baby walker.
- Parents need to think about:
- How you will handle a sick child. Do you have alternate day care plans? Can you take off work or school?
- How to childproof your home. Look for areas that may be a danger to a young child. Keep choking hazards, poisons, and hot objects out of a child's reach.
- Do you live in an older home that may need to be tested for lead?
- Your next well child visit will most likely be when your baby is 6 months old. At this visit your doctor may:
- Do a full check up on your baby
- Talk about how your baby is sleeping, adding solid foods to your baby's diet, and teething
- Give your baby the next set of shots
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher
- Having problems eating or spits up a lot
- Sleeps all the time or has trouble sleeping
- Wont stop crying
Where can I learn more?
American Academy of Pediatrics ‚
http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/Pages/default.aspx ‚
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ‚
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/parents/downloads/milestones-tracker.pdf ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-02-10 ‚
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Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚