At four months, breast milk or an iron fortified infant formula is the only food that your infant needs at this age and he should be nursing or drinking about 5 to 6 ounces 4 to 6 times each day (24 to 32 ounces), but over the next month or two, you can start to familiarize your infant with the feel of a spoon and start solid baby foods.
What You Need To Know About Your Four-Month-Old Baby
- Cereal is usually the first solid you should give your infant and you can mix it with breast milk, formula or water and feed it to your him with a spoon (not in a bottle).
- Rice cereal is sometimes constipating, but cereal is a very important source of iron for your growing infant (especially if you are breastfeeding), so consider switching to oatmeal or other cereal with fiber if rice cereal is constipating your baby.
- Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees F to prevent scalding burns.
- Prevent falls by not leaving your baby alone on a bed or changing table.
- Remember that you can begin to use insect repellents with DEET on your infant once he is two months old.
- At the four-month checkup, you can expect a complete physical exam, a review of feeding and sleep schedules, measurement of your child's height, weight and head circumference, and immunizations, including DTaP, IPV, HepB (these three may be combined in the combo vaccine Pediarix), Hib, Prevnar, RotaTeq.
Common Infant Problems
Four-Month-Old Baby Topics
- Your Four-Month-Old
- Infant Well Child Checklist
- Vitamin D Update
- Starting Solids
- Breastfeeding Goals
- Taking Care of Your Baby's Gums and Future Teeth
- Positional Plagiocephaly
- When To Call Your Pediatrician for a Fever
- Baby Sunscreen
- Safety
- Kids in Hot Cars Alert
- Parenting: Babies & Toddlers
- Best Infant Products
