5 months
Five months old: sitting up and getting ready for solids
Rolling both ways, sitting with support and passing toys from hand to hand.
Five-month-olds are on the move: rolling both ways, sitting with support, grabbing and passing toys, turning to their name. Breast milk is still the only food, but 6 months – and the first spoonfuls – is close.
Growth
Weight
6.5–8.9 kg
Length
64–70 cm
Many babies have doubled their birth weight by now. Typical range; your paediatrician tracks your baby on a growth chart.
What your baby is learning
- Many babies roll both ways – tummy to back and back to tummy – so a floor mat is now the safest place to play.
- Your baby sits with support, with a straighter back and a steady head, and may sit for a few seconds leaning forward on the hands.
- Objects pass from hand to hand and are shaken, banged and examined closely; the grasp still uses the whole hand.
- Your baby turns to your voice, begins to respond to their name, and shows clear likes and dislikes.
- Babbling has more syllables and your baby may chat to toys; blowing raspberries is a favourite.
- New faces may be studied carefully now; some babies become shy with strangers.
Feeding
- Breastfeeding on demand continues; most babies feed 5–6 times a day plus night feeds. Milk stays the main food for the whole first year, even after solids begin.
- Get ready for complementary feeding at 6 months: a high chair or a secure lap seat, a small soft spoon, and a plan to start with single foods – vegetable or cereal purees, then meat and fruit – one new food every few days.
- Do not start solids before 6 months unless your paediatrician specifically advises it for medical reasons, and never add salt, sugar or honey to baby food.
- Vitamin D 400 IU daily continues; your potassium iodide 200 µg continues for as long as you breastfeed.
Sleep
About 12–16 hours in 24, often 2–3 naps and 10–12 hours at night with one or two feeds. Many babies can now settle themselves if put down drowsy but awake. Keep the sleep space safe: on the back to start, a firm flat mattress, nothing soft in the cot, no bumpers or wedges, a room that is not overheated, and in your room until at least 6 months. Lower the cot base before your baby pulls to stand, and never leave a rolling baby on an adult bed or sofa.
Check-ups and vaccines
- Monthly check-up: weight, length, head circumference, hips and motor skills. Discuss the plan for complementary feeding and ask about iron-rich first foods.
- No routine vaccines this month. At 6 months an additional measles dose is given under the current epidemiological measures; bring the vaccination card so the paediatrician can review what has been given so far.
- Teething may begin: drooling, chewing and red gums. Offer a cooled teething ring; avoid gels containing lidocaine and teething necklaces of any kind.
- Keep the numbers of 103 and your polyclinic on the fridge, and check your home for choking hazards now that everything goes in the mouth.
Play and everyday tips
- Floor play with rolling, reaching and grasping toys of different textures and sounds; let your baby pass things between the hands.
- Sit together with cushions around your baby and roll a soft ball back and forth; sing clapping songs.
- Name things, repeat the sounds your baby makes, and call their name from across the room.
- Read sturdy board books every day and let your baby touch and mouth the pages.
- Supported standing on your lap, bouncing to music, and plenty of time outdoors in the shade. Screens stay off before 2 years (WHO).
Call the doctor or 103 if
- Fever of 38 °C or higher together with breathing difficulty, a non-fading rash, a stiff neck, drowsiness or a seizure: call 103 immediately.
- Not reaching for or grasping objects by 5–6 months, not rolling at all, or very stiff or very floppy muscles.
- No babbling or laughing, not responding to sounds or to their name, or not watching faces or tracking objects.
- Refusing feeds, repeated vomiting, blood in the stool, or signs of dehydration (few wet nappies, dry mouth, sunken eyes).
- Any swallowed object, breathing difficulty, or a fall from a height followed by vomiting or drowsiness.
- For any of these, call 103 or go to the polyclinic or hospital straight away.
Trust your instinct. If your baby seems unwell to you, call 103 or go to the polyclinic.
Monthly updates in Telegram
Tell the bot your baby's birth date and it will send a development digest every month, with the vaccines due next.
- ✓A short digest every new week
- ✓Countdown to your due date
- ✓Reminders about upcoming checkups
- ✓Kick counter and contraction timer