Preparing for your baby’s 4-month checkup

At 4 months, your baby is experiencing many emotional, cognitive, and physical changes. Keep track of your questions for the pediatrician, and if your baby is in daycare or spends time with other caregivers, ask if they have anything they’d like you to ask the doctor.

Leading up to the doctor’s visit

Monitor milestones. Experts Dr. Mona Amin, a pediatrician, The Speech Sisters, and Pediatric Occupational Therapist Rachel Coley recommend you alert your baby’s doctor if your baby isn’t:

1. Following and reacting to bright colors, movement, and objects
2. Turning toward sounds
3. Showing an interest in watching people’s faces
4. Smiling back when you smile (sometimes)
5. Bringing hands or objects to their mouth
6. Making sounds
7. Holding their head steady in a supported position (at your shoulder or sitting in your lap) and looking around without losing head control
8. Standing with full weight through both legs when held at the body (torso)
9. Holding their head up in tummy time
10. Pushing down with legs when placed on a hard surface

At your baby’s 4-month checkup

Ask your doctor about waiting until 6 months to introduce solid foods. While some doctors still recommend introducing solid foods as early as 4 months, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) now say that most babies aren’t truly ready to start solids until about 6 months of age. By 6 months, a baby’s digestive system has matured enough to break down the more complex substances found in solid foods. They are also likely to show developmental signs of readiness like good head and neck control and sitting up with little to no support.

Discuss your sleep questions. Many babies experience a temporary sleep regression around 4 months. They may wake more frequently and have a harder time getting back to sleep. Sleep regressions often coincide with growth spurts and usually don’t last longer than a couple of weeks. There are a lot of different approaches to dealing with sleep challenges that you may want to discuss with your pediatrician. 

Learn more about the research

Section on Breastfeeding, Eidelman, A. I., Schanler, R. J., Johnston, M., Landers, S., Noble, L., … & Viehmann, L. (2012). Breastfeeding and the use of human milk. Pediatrics, 129(3), e827-e841.

World Health Organization (2003). Global Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding. Geneva: World Health Organization.