Supporting Your Baby: 4-8 Months

Babies this age explore objects with their mouth and by moving their bodies, including kicking, reaching, grasping, pulling, and letting go. Babies at this age can smile, laugh, make cooing sounds, and engage their parents and other caregivers. They love to listen to you and respond to language by imitating the sounds that they hear.

Babies this age are starting to know what to expect in their daily routine. They are likely to be sensitive to loud noises, bright lights or lots of activity. They are also starting to show interest in other children. 

Responsive, back-and-forth interactions with parents and caregivers are critical for developing social-emotional skills, language development, and cognitive functions. Acknowledge baby’s attempts to get your attention with positive and predictable responses.

Back-and-forth interactions throughout the day are important to develop secure and trusting relationships between babies and their caregivers. These “serve-and-return” interactions also provide opportunities for infants to listen and respond to language by imitating what they hear.

All children grow and develop at their own pace. If you have concerns about your child’s development, contact your health care provider.

Colorado’s Early Learning & Development Guidelines

The Early Learning & Development Guidelines offer age-specific tips and resources to support children’s physical, cognitive and social-emotional development from birth through age 8. The Guidelines resources include downloads and videos that describe key aspects of babies’ learning and development, age 4-8 months.