Your baby

Your baby is getting more and more active, beginning to reach for objects, as well as rocking on hands and knees, rolling over and thrusting forward – the first movements towards crawling. A circle of cushions on the floor is very useful at this stage!

By five months, your baby’s muscles are getting much stronger and more controlled. Lying on the floor or splashing in the bath, you may notice your baby becoming enthusiastic and energetic – twisting and kicking, sucking his feet, turning his head in all directions and transferring objects from hand to hand.

Of course, all this activity means that sleep is more precious than ever. Hopefully, your baby is starting to sleep longer at night and stay alert for more time during the day. Your baby will also start to recognise and enjoy regular patterns of activity, which really help to develop his sense of security. So if you haven’t already established a cosy bath, feed and bedtime routine, now’s definitely the time to start!

Your progress

As soon as you’re established into a routine with your baby, it seems that everything may be about to change again… If you’re returning to work after having your baby, your 26 weeks’ maternity leave will be rapidly coming to an end and you may have some important decisions to make.

While returning to work can be an emotionally stressful time, it helps to make sure that your childcare is arranged well in advance. Whether you’re sharing the childcare part time with your partner, relying on a relative for support, or looking around for registered childcare, it’s important to feel as confident as possible about your choice.

You may find that it helps to adapt your feeding routine gradually before going back to work, and to introduce childcare with a few ‘dry runs’, so that you and your baby are as calm and secure as possible. Even if you’re not going back to work for a few weeks or months, it’s well worth starting to think about your options early on, to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

Things to think about and try

Your baby is becoming ever more interested in toys, but you needn’t spend a fortune on flashy gizmos or make your home look plastic fantastic. Babies love repetition, like shaking a rattle or looking at a book again and again. But they also have a short attention span, so give your baby one toy at a time.

Babies of this age enjoy small soft toys, especially ones with different textures or that make noises. As you’ve probably noticed, everything goes into your baby’s mouth as this is one of the ways they learn about shapes and textures. Therefore the best toys are lightweight, easy to grasp and safe to chew.

Board books and activity centres are ideal for babies of this age – the brighter the better. But if your baby begins to cry, fall asleep or turn their head away, he may be over stimulated. Whenever you can, make time to play with your baby in a relaxed way. Not only is it more fun for your baby but it’s also the best way for him to learn.