Helping Your Baby Develop

• Encourage your baby to raise his head and push up on his arms to watch what is happening in the world around him.
• Hold your baby upright under the arms. Slowly lower your baby until his feet touch the table, bed, or your lap.
• Help your baby sit up alone. Start by having your baby sit in a corner of a couch or chair, which can prevent him from falling over.
• Try to get your baby to follow faces or bright objects with his eyes.
• Let your baby feel many different textures.
• Help your baby pick up small toys such as 2.5 cm (1-inch) blocks.
  (Be sure to keep pills and other small objects that can cause choking out of your baby's reach.)

Developmental Milestones

Babies develop at different rates, but by the end of baby's fifth month, he will probably:

• Sit with support
• Transfer objects from one hand to another
• Make two-syllable sounds, like "ah-goo"
• Give "raspberries"—make a razzing sound with his lips

Fear of Strangers

As parents soon learn, very young infants know their parents and are comforted by their presence. The first fear common to young children happens around 5 to 6 months of age. By this time, most babies have developed an awareness and recognition of key people around them, and a mistrust and fear of those who are not familiar. This fear of strangers, which often includes fear of grandparents and other relatives, is normal. Although this fear goes away with time and is nothing to worry about, it usually helps to introduce your baby to new people slowly.

Legs and Feet

Sometimes parents worry because their baby's feet seem to be flat or bent, their legs are bowed or their toes point inward. But these conditions are very common in infants, and are usually nothing to worry about. Your baby's health care professional will make sure that your child's legs and feet are developing normally. Most minor leg and foot conditions are outgrown during childhood.