Early Infancy: 4 Months

4-month-olds are becoming increasingly social and vocal with more sustained back and forth babbling, inflections and high-pitched squeals.

Babies often want to be held facing out to the world to observe and join in interactions. They already have the beginning of social timing.

Some 4-month-olds are also already starting to be able to differentiate familiar from unfamiliar faces. An early sign of the beginning of stranger anxiety is the baby will look at a new person and then check their parents’s face to see if they are safe.

If observed and it fits the interaction, describe how the baby checked the parent’s face when they felt worried or unsure in a new situation and then was able to relax. For instance, a provider could say “He was really worried when we first laid him down, but then he checked your face and could see that it was OK.”

Babies at this age begin to follow patterns and can anticipate when parents are getting ready to feed them. They love routines. Nap and bedtime routines help with the transition to sleep.

Handout #4 On the Path to Developing Trust is below.