Until your baby grows up to be an adult, he is going to need all the care he can get. Taking care of 20 weeks old baby might be comparatively easier than taking care of a newborn child. However, there might be certain times when things might seem formidable. With a few tips in mind, you can make sure these times can fly away as quickly as they arrive.
How to Take Care of Your 5 Month Old Baby?
Taking care of your little one can be daunting. Here are a few steps to make it easier.
1. Understanding Their Feeding and Sleeping Demands is Half the Battle Won
Around this age, your baby wants to emulate you in many ways. Watching you eat with a spoon would make him want to try that out too. You might be tempted to start solids but this is not the right age to do so. Giving a little formula milk with spoon might make him feel better. Your baby will usually be able to tell you when he’s hungry. So if you have been enforcing a strict breastfeeding schedule, you can gradually start moving away from it and feed him when he asks for it. If your baby is on formula, make sure the quantity is of the right amount and increases and decreases based on recommendations for his age.
Most mothers are used to letting their babies sleep while they breastfeed. By this age, it is good to separate both the cycles so he understands feeding times and sleeping times are different. Also, this is the age when your baby might learn to roll over. This poses another challenge since ensuring that he sleeps flat on his back is another obstacle to be overcome. You could either use pillows or just not use blankets at all and let him roll around.
2. Taking Preventive Measures Instead of Reactive Measures for Their Health
Keeping your baby healthy is always necessary and vaccination is the best way to ensure that. Immunization schedule, when followed to the letter, takes care of a ton of things right away. In case you haven’t finished the vaccines for your baby’s prior month, talk to your doctor to schedule them as soon as possible. There are specific vaccines that a mother might need to take as well.
It is good to keep the home clean and hygienic but do not overdo it. The presence of a little dirt and dust can actually help build up the immunity in your baby.
3. Your Home Needs to Be the Safest Place for Your Baby
Your baby’s curiosity should not get the better of him as he starts to explore the surroundings or crawl around the home. Baby-proofing should be done right when you know that your little one will not restrict himself to his crib. Child-protection on electrical sockets, placing hazardous chemicals on higher shelves, and so on should be taken care of. This should be an important one in your list of 5-month baby care tips.
4. Let Your Baby Start Sitting Up with Some Help
Around this age, your baby will generally be able to hold his neck pretty well. This can then be a good time to teach him to start sitting up.
Give his back enough support as he sits straight and makes use of pillows to let him be so for a longer time. Do this on the bed or on the floor with a soft mat, so that even if he does get excited and fall on his side, it won’t hurt him.
5. Introduce the Bottle’s Other Best Friend, the Cup
Just the way your baby will want to try out the spoon, another thing you can bring in his presence is a cup. This will allow him to start holding objects on his own, although he won’t be successful right away. Drinking a little water or milk from the cup will make him feel happy and a sense of achievement dawns upon him. If he’s not immediately ready for it, leave the cup around with him and let him play with it. Gradually, the comfort level will increase and he will want to try again.
6. Play with Your Little One
Your child is beginning to realize different aspects of you. Let him get to know you better as you play different games together. Keeping him entertained and making those funny faces that he loves the most is a great way to get him all happy. Start introducing colours and animals even if they just might be interesting pictures for now. His brain is taking it all in and processing it on its own accord.
Taking care of a five months old baby is not an easy task but it also isn’t as daunting as it seems. As your baby starts to get independent, you too can start building up a bond with him. Keep the communication going strong and talk to him every day. Before you know it, your little one will be sitting straight, walking around, and saying his first words to everyone’s delight.
