What should a 4 month old be doing?

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A 4 month old should be sleeping roughly 12 to 16 hours in 24, feeding about 6 to 8 times a day, rolling from front to back, grabbing at anything within reach and chuckling at you. Sleep often gets worse around now before it gets better, and that is expected.

The ranges below are consistent with HSE and WHO guidance. They are wide, and a healthy baby can sit anywhere inside them.

How much should a 4 month old sleep?

Roughly 12 to 16 hours in 24, usually 3 to 4 naps and the night, with wake windows of about 1.5 to 2.5 hours. That is a big spread, because 4 months is when sleep changes.

Around 4 months the baby's sleep cycles mature into the adult pattern of light and deep sleep, and many babies start waking fully between cycles, often every 2 hours at night, after weeks of doing longer stretches. This is the 4-month sleep regression. It is common, it is a sign of normal brain development and it is temporary, though the new sleep cycles are here to stay. If your 4 month old baby sleep schedule has fallen apart this month, you are not doing anything wrong. The wake windows chart helps with the daytime side of it.

How much should a 4 month old drink?

For a formula-fed baby the guide is still around 150 ml per kilogram of body weight per day, which at a typical 4-month weight of 6 to 7 kg comes to roughly 900 to 1000 ml a day. That is about the top of where it goes, because milk amounts per kg start to ease off from here rather than keep climbing. The formula by weight guide has the table.

A breastfed 4 month old feeds about 6 to 8 times a day and takes what they need. Milk is still everything. Solids are not recommended before around 17 weeks at the very earliest, and the HSE advises waiting until around 6 months for most babies. A 4 month old who is watching you eat is being a 4 month old, not asking for dinner. Our guide to starting solids covers the readiness signs.

How many feeds for a 4 month old?

Most 4 month olds take 6 to 8 feeds in 24 hours, spaced roughly 3 to 4 hours apart by day, with one or two at night. Bigger, less frequent feeds are the trend now.

Two things can muddy that. During the regression some babies go back to feeding at every night waking, more for comfort than hunger. And a distractible 4 month old may snack in the day because the room is more interesting than the bottle, then feed more at night to catch up. Neither means you need to change the milk.

What milestones should a 4 month old have?

The 4 month old baby milestones to look for:

• Rolling front to back. Often the first roll, usually by accident the first few times. Back to front comes later.
• Reaching and grabbing. Deliberately reaching for a toy and getting it, then straight into the mouth.
• Hands together in the middle of the body, and studying them.
• Chuckling and laughing out loud, plus a growing range of squeals and sounds.
• Head up well in tummy time and steady when held upright or pulled to sit.

Drooling, chewing on everything and being cranky at 4 months look like teething and sometimes are, but first teeth usually arrive at 6 months or later. Our teething guide helps tell a tooth from a stage. The 0 to 6 month milestones guide shows what comes next.

What is a normal day with a 4 month old?

A 4 month old baby sleep schedule is starting to look like a routine, at least on the good days.

• Wake and feed around 7am, play, nap around 9 for an hour or so.
• Feed around 10.30, a longer play or a walk, nap around 12.30.
• Feed around 2, play, a shorter nap around 4.
• Feed around 5.30, bath, a final feed and down for the night around 7 to 8.
• One or two night feeds, and during the regression possibly several wakes that are not about milk.

The third nap often becomes a catnap in the pram and the whole day shifts if a nap runs long or short. Judge the week, not the day.

What checks or vaccines happen around 4 months in Ireland?

The second vaccines are given at 4 months at the GP: the 6-in-1, MenB and the last oral rotavirus drops. PCV comes back at 6 months. As at 2 months, a mild temperature and a grumpy, clingy day afterwards are common, and your GP will tell you about infant paracetamol with the MenB dose. Sleep can be off for a night or two. The Irish vaccine schedule guide has the full list and what each one covers.

There is no routine PHN check at 4 months. The 3-month development check should be done, and the next is the 7 to 9 month check. You can still ring the PHN in between with any question, and they would rather you did.

What is not normal at 4 months?

Worth a call rather than waiting:

• Not holding the head up steadily by now, or still very floppy.
• Not reaching for things or not bringing hands to the mouth.
• Not making sounds, not cooing or squealing or not responding to your voice.
• Not smiling or not showing interest in faces.
• Feeds falling off over a week, fewer wet nappies or poor weight gain.
• A fever that lasts more than a day after vaccines, or a temperature of 39°C or above at any time.

How do I know if my 4 month old is on track?

Compare your baby against the ranges above over a week, not a day, and especially not a regression night. Four bad nights in a row is a phase. A week where the feeds keep shrinking or the head is still floppy is worth raising, and the PHN is the person to raise it with. Lullagram shows the baby's exact age, logs feeds, sleep and milestones in a tap and turns a week of logging into the averages the PHN asks about, so a rough month still gives you real numbers. It is free to try on Android, iPhone and web.

Every baby has their own timetable. This is a guide, not medical advice. If you are worried, ask your PHN or GP.