HE-730b, Reprinted July 1998. Ellen Abell,Extension Family and Child Development Specialist, Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University, and H. Wallace Goddard, former Extension Family and Child Development Specialist

---

Infants 1 To 4 Months Old

Your baby will be spending more time awake than before. Babies now start to take more notice of things around them. Your baby will be busy looking, listening, and learning.

During this time your baby begins to develop trust and an emotional attachment to you. Feeling safe and cared for is important for helping your baby grow strong and healthy.

What's It Like To Be...?

1 Month Old

• I can get hungry every 2 to 4 hours.
• I like to be held and rocked.
• I notice faces when they are in my direct line of vision.
• I stare at things, but I don't grab them yet.
• I can raise my head a little when lying on my tummy.

2 Months Old

• I smile, gurgle, and coo when I'm happy.
• I might stay awake as long as 10 hours a day.
• I can roll part way to the side when I'm on my back.
• I recognize different people and voices.
• My head still wobbles a little when I'm propped up.

3 Months Old

• I can follow you with my eyes when you move around.
• I can hold my head and back straight when you support my body.
• I can hold onto objects you put in my hand.
• I coo and make simple sounds.
• I don't like to be left alone.

4 Months Old

• I can sit up for a short time if you support my body.
• I can babble and make sounds and laugh out loud.
• I put things in my mouth.
• I recognize familiar toys, objects, and faces.

• When you let me see, touch, taste, smell, and listen to new things, it helps me learn.
• I need your loving, playful attention much more than fancy toys and special clothes.
• I like looking at faces. I love to see myself in the mirror.
• Toys that are safe for me to play with are clean, lightweight, and big enough so I can't put them in my mouth or ears or nose.
• I like it when you rock me or talk or sing to me. A good time to do this is while you're feeding or changing me.
• Please talk to me. Tell me I'm special and call me by my name.
• If you respond quickly when I need food or comfort, it helps me learn to feel secure.
• Every baby is different. If you watch me closely, you will get clues about how I like to be handled.

Think And Learn

• Things they can't see don't have any meaning. (So, if they can't see the bottle, they don't know it's coming.)
• They start noticing their own movements, such as waving their arms.
• They try to repeat accidental movements of their bodies that interest them.

Grow Socially And Emotionally

• They enjoy familiar routines.
• They are beginning to like a little more variety in what they can see.
• They recognize familiar faces and voices.

Play

• They entertain themselves with their fingers, hands, and toes.
• They play with different objects in the same ways. They may bang or drop or shake or suck them, no matter what they are.

For more information, contact your county Extension office. Look in your telephone directory under your county's name to find the number.