Month by month · 4 months
3 MINUTES READ
Your baby at four months
and the little things worth a line.
Four months is when a lot of the newborn blur starts to lift. Faces get studied, sounds get answered, hands get discovered. Here is what this month can look like, and what might be worth writing down before it becomes ordinary.
What four months can look like
Every baby has their own timing, so read this as things you might notice, not a list to tick off. Around four months, many babies:
- smile on their own to get your attention, and chuckle when you play
- coo and make oooo and aahh sounds, and make sounds back when you talk
- turn their head towards your voice
- look at their own hands with real interest, and bring them to their mouth
- hold a toy you put in their hand, and swing an arm at toys within reach
- hold their head steady when you hold them, and push up onto their forearms on their tummy
Drawn from the CDC's milestone checklists. Every baby is different, and this is not medical advice. If something worries you, talk to your child's doctor.
Little things worth a line this month
Pick the one that feels like today. A single sentence is enough.
- The first time they chuckled, and what you did to earn it.
- A sound they make that seems to be just for you.
- A little back-and-forth: you said something, they answered.
- The face they make when they notice their own hands.
- Who they turn towards first when they hear a voice.
- The toy (or sleeve, or necklace) they grab every single time.
- How they let you know they are hungry before they cry.
- Their favourite place to be held right now.
- What their tummy time looks like, including the protests.
- A smile they gave a stranger, a grandparent, or the dog.
- What calms them fastest this month.
- How you are doing. One honest line about this month.
He laughed for the first time when I sneezed. I sneezed fake for ten minutes.
She found her hands today and stared at them like they were a present.
We had a whole chat in vowels on the sofa. She got the last word.
Writing when you have no time (which is now)
At four months, sleep is still a negotiation. Write the line while you are feeding, or in the minute before you fall asleep. Half a sentence is fine. Their sound written the way it sounded, ah-goo, is better than a tidy description.
One line, whenever something happens.
One Little Line keeps each memory with the date and your baby's age attached, so a line about four months stays a line about four months. At the end of every month, your memories become a letter you can read back.
Questions parents ask
What should I write in a baby journal at 4 months?
Write the small moments that will soon feel ordinary: their first chuckle, the sounds they make back at you, the way they study their hands, what calms them. One sentence a day, or whenever something makes you smile, is plenty.
Is it too late to start a baby journal at 4 months?
Not at all. Start with today. You can add a few earlier memories with their original dates whenever they come back to you, but there is nothing to catch up on.
What if my baby isn't doing these things yet?
Babies develop at their own pace, and this page is about noticing, not measuring. If you have questions about your baby's development, the CDC milestone checklists are a good starting point, and your child's doctor is the right person to ask.