Baby Developmental Leaps Leap 4 – Events

Leap four happens in the fourth month. At this stage, the baby already begins to emit higher-pitched sounds, and when the father and mother are not around, they can make sounds in order to call them. This phase can bring more crying, but it is also the phase where the baby begins to play alone for a longer time.

After leap number three, the baby begins to understand the world a little more like adults do.

At this stage, he goes from smooth movements, to understanding some more complex patterns such as a bouncing ball, a kick that makes the ball roll, etc…

With developmental leap 4, which takes place around week 19 or between weeks 18 and 20, the baby begins to experience events.

With these changes from leap 3 to 4, your baby will increasingly be amazed at the way things happen. However, as in leap 3, the baby may have some changes in appetite, sleep and get angrier with these changes.

The discovery of the events that happen around him with objects, people and the moments can leave the baby anxious, although fascinated.

Leap four happens about the 4th month or at 19 weeks as we mentioned above, and because of this anxiety, the baby will need to feel safe and usually asks for more nursing to feel secure during breastfeeding.

Besides Leap 4 – Babies go through another 9 developmental leaps.

Let’s understand what Developmental Leaps are and how it is possible to help babies enjoy this phase in a tranquil way.

What are developmental leaps?

For those who have a baby at home, it is easy to notice how much they change and develop very fast, isn’t it?

Babies seem to adapt very easily in the world outside the womb and suddenly when everything looked like roses, the crying resumes, as well as difficulties in sleeping, eating, etc.

Some mood swings in babies are caused by their developmental process. It is very possible that the baby is going through what we call a developmental leap.

Developmental leaps are those moments when the baby is learning a new skill. These moments are accompanied by some behavioral stress in babies, which we can say is normal, since the baby may be anxious about a new discovery, or feel fear.  We can say that all changes in life bring discomfort, fear and anxiety, and with the little ones, it is no different.

The behavior of babies in the facing developmental leaps may vary from one baby to another. Babies are interested in the things that go on around them, or, in other words, the sensations they feel with new discoveries. However, each baby expresses in his own way. There are babies who are fascinated by everything they see; other babies prefer to hear sounds. And there are those who like warmth and affection all day. Each baby is unique and will act differently for every sensation.

But we can simplify this process that babies experience and understand what is happening to the baby. Parents can help their child develop and also get through the developmental leaps in a more relaxed way. Just identify in what leap your child is in the current moment and follow the tips we have for each phase of your baby.

Features of the Fourth Leap – Events

As we mentioned above, at the events stage, babies begin to see the world around them more like adults. As the little things work, baby starts to make sense of things and observes and learns faster and faster.

 

Let’s understand each stage of this leap and how your baby expresses itself at this moment of new sensations and learning.

 

Vision

Remember that in leap number one, baby couldn’t see anything more than 30 cm away? Now in leap four, the baby can already see the same as you, and everything around him will be reason for good conversations with the baby. Stimulate him by showing him videos, far away things, movements and situations.

Grabbing objects

In the leap 4 phase, the baby can already grab objects and understand this movement. Now he has coordination and wants to explore this new ability by picking up and holding things tightly. For him, the act of holding an object with his hand is an event, a novelty to be explored. Also, notice that he puts objects in his mouth. This is because many things happen in his mouth at this stage, and he can feel things. It is a great phase to give your baby objects with various types of texture such as plastic, suede, paper and fabrics.

View events

In the transition from leap 3 to 4 babies, move from smooth movements to understanding the events of the movements. Now, baby realizes that some objects have certain functions. The rubber ball that jumps, kicking the ball that makes it roll. At this stage, he begins to observe how things move. A toy car is a good option to put on the floor and let him see the movement of the toy.

The sounds of your baby

Many moms report that their baby is singing. Sure, it is! At this stage, your baby also recognizes the pattern that the sound of his voice can make. He is so fascinated by this discovery, that he starts to create speech patterns and constantly trains this new skill. In this phase, it is common for your baby to make sounds like “uh”, “ah” and “oh” following repetitions, sometimes sounding like singing.

Listening to events

This phase is what adults call babbling. That’s right, your baby starts creating phrases. He begins to hear sounds as events and tries to elaborate continuations. In this phase, he begins the “gugu, dada” and the rhymes in baby tongue. It’s time to explore the sayings and communication with your baby. Enjoy long chats with your baby. He will love training his new speech skills.

 

 

How to help the baby during the Fourth Leap – Events

Let’s give you some tips to help your baby to go through leap four in a more freuitful way for their development and also more safely about the changes that the little one that has been undergoing.

Tip 1: Feelings

As we mentioned above, at this stage, the baby perceives and feels everything as events. The first tip is to further approximate the feelings between mother and child through soft touching. Place your fingers gently on the baby’s skin, make circular movements. He will become relaxed and will pay attention to the movement that his body feels. Baby massages are also great at this stage.

Tip 2: Rattles

The use of rattles makes more sense in the events phase. The baby will move them to make more uniform sounds. Now he can already pick up the toy and shake without difficulty. It is good exercise for the baby, and he will have a lot of fun with the movement being coordinated with the sound.

Tip 3: Rolling

The leap 4 phase is also the moment that the baby begins to become more aware of his body. He wants to test his skills and what he can do. Leave your baby on the floor, on top of a soft fabric. You will soon realize that he will try to roll from side to side. It’s good exercise and he’s getting more and more used to new abilities of his own body.

 

Tip 4: First Books

Although the baby still can’t read, he loves to see colorful figures. Use and abuse books for babies. They come in various textures and make sounds and also are good for the baby to feel while listening to Mom telling a story. Reading for babies stimulates a safer development for the child.

 

How do you deal with the changes and setbacks of each leap?

As we mentioned above, during each leap the baby may have some not very pleasant changes in appetite, mood and regress a little in sleep.

It’s all part of it, isn’t it? Even we adults have certain difficulties in dealing with the new and with changes, imagine for the little ones who know nothing in this world.

Let’s read below some tips that can alleviate the baby’s insecurity and irritability during these phases of change and be able to take advantage of its development in a more peaceful way.

Tip 1 – In these phases of change babies seek to feel safe, even if the new discoveries are fun, they are afraid and so many babies may need more lap. In this way he will feel less the discomforts of this stage;

Tip 2 – Babies feel safe when they listen to their mother’s heartbeat, this sound is familiar to them and brings warmth and safety, so you can use a kangaroo or sling to keep your baby closer and bring more warmth to it.

Tip 3 – Stimulate your baby’s able abilities with every leap. That way he will develop with his support, will feel more relaxed with the changes and will have a lot of fun with the discovery.

Tip 4 – Be patient with the changes your baby faces. As difficult as it may be the beginning of a new leap, over time he will adapt and everything will pass.

What are the other developmental leaps and when do they occur?

 

Developmental leaps happen more or less at specific times. Of course each baby will have its own time, we can not tell the exact moment, because each baby is unique, but we can analyze more or less by the age of the baby and also by its behavior, so it is important to observe the changes that your baby has presented, whether in the mood or also in the new things that he has been doing.

 

In addition to the number 4 leap we described above, there are 09 more leaps. Let’s understand below what they are and when they occur:

 

 

• 1st Leap – Discovering sensations: Leap one happens approximately in the 1st month. At that moment the baby is already discovering the sensations of his body and also what happens around him. The touch of the mom’s hands, sounds, and many other things.

 

 

• 2nd Leap – Understanding the patterns: Leap two happens approximately in the 2nd month. At this point, the baby is already discovering shapes with contrast and also has a firmer neck, so it can be placed face down to further stimulate his development. In this phase, the baby requires a little more security that he will seek in the mother and during breastfeeding.

 

 

• 3rd Leap – Improving his skills: Leap three takes place approximately in the 3rd month. At this stage, the baby can already see objects clearly and should gradually try to follow them. He already tries (and many already can) move his eyes and head in the direction in which the object is moved. In this phase, the baby can also play with a rattle and hear the sound. He may also begin to cry louder than before.

 

• 4th Leap – Recognizing sounds: Leap four happens approximately in the 4th month. At this stage the baby already begins to emit more acute sounds, and when the father and mother are not around he can make sounds for the purpose of calling to them. This phase can also bring more crying, but it is the phase that the baby begins to play alone more often.

 

• 5th Leap – Making relationships: Leap five happens approximately in the 5th month. At this stage, the baby begins to become more curious to know what happens to and with some things, such as throwing an object on the floor, pulling clothing on labels, earrings, etc. He will also show dissatisfaction when the parents are away from him. In this phase, the baby can get flustered, crying more. Holding and breastfeeding are great allies at this stage.

 

• 6th Leap – Starting to integrate: Leap six happens approximately in the 7th month. At this stage, the baby is already beginning to understand words and demonstrate that he understands some of them. In this phase, he also begins to clap and to want to crawl. He’s going to show more affection for his mother and want to be closer.

 

• 7th Leap – Curiosity about what is and what the things are for: Leap seven happens approximately in the 10th month. At this stage, the baby already begins to understand that objects have specific functions, and he tries to use it in the right way. For example, a ball is to be kicked, a spoon to eat, etc. At this stage, he also begins to demonstrate more of his will, to eat, not to sleep, to play, etc.

 

• 8th Leap – Playing with objects: Leap eight happens approximately in the 11th month. At this stage, your baby begins to use creativity. He also observes what adults do and tries to imitate them. This phase also brings some changes in sleep, and the baby can further express the desire not to sleep.

 

• 9th Leap – Desire for independence: The ninth leap happens approximately at fourteen months. At this stage, the baby already begins to want to dress alone, will also test emotions and start negotiating. This phase is also the time when he begins to not want to go with other people, only with his mother.

 

• 10th Leap – Control of his body: The tenth leap happens approximately in the first year and a half. At this stage, the baby already knows how to control his desires and also understands more clearly his parents’ will. However, expressing himself is still difficult. He may lose his appetite a little and also have nightmares at this stage.

 

Now that you’ve understood how developmental leap four works, take the opportunity to learn more about these other leaps we mentioned above. The more you understand how each leap works, the easier it will be for the baby and also for you to go through the changes in a calm, meaningful way. Every new step in the development that your baby takes is fun for him, and he has the desire to improve and train new skills. Just encourage and congratulate him so that he can move forward more and more.