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Your baby at 5 months: development milestones & what to expect
At 5 months, your baby is more active and curious. Learn the milestones to watch for and get practical tips to support their next stage.
7 min
Time flies – and all of a sudden, you realise you’re not talking about your baby’s age in weeks anymore. You’ve moved on to months. Five months is a bonny age, round and giggly and delicious. Most babies aren’t moving too far at this point, so playdates are relatively relaxed – except for all the things they’re trying to put in their mouths. Still, you might occasionally get to drink a hot cup of tea, and probably by now your little one is looking longingly at your biscuit. Don’t give in to those puppy dog eyes – it’s not quite time yet!
Physical development milestones at 5 months
Babies’ strength tends to develop from top downwards, beginning with their necks and then shoulders. By this age, your baby will be able to support their own head and will most likely be pushing up on their hands or elbows during tummy time, achieving some excellent yoga positions. Some babies will be rolling and if they’re not yet, they will soon. The next step is coordinating the lower half of their bodies to get them on the move.
All this upper body strength often leads to babies moving backwards before they have the wherewithal to move forwards. They might be moving their legs, but often it’s more like they’re pushing their lower half around, often literally backing themselves into a corner. This can be fun to watch, but is sometimes a little confusing – and even frustrating – for your baby. Give them plenty of encouragement and praise. And try to clear a path for them to explore without hurting themselves!
Despite this seeming lack of strength, you’ll probably find that if you stand your baby up in your lap, their legs are really strong. They might push down on you – or on the floor, if they’re in a jumperoo – showcasing some impressive muscles. This is good exercise, so let them have a go. At some point, this downward pressure is going to lead to walking.
If your little one is not showing any interest in moving just yet, it’s not necessarily a cause for concern. Five months is still very little, and they might be focusing all their efforts on understanding the world in other ways. However, if you are worried about your baby’s development – for example, if they seem very floppy or very stiff, or have stopped doing things they used to do (like rolling or grabbing) – talk to your GP. If there is a problem, it’s best to know early.
Milestone checklist
- Creeping backwards – If your little one is ready to move, they might start by going backwards. Clear the corners and block off any narrow passages they could get stuck in.
- Thighs of steel – Those chubby baby thighs might be hiding some serious muscle. Hold them with their feet to your lap and see how hard they can push.
- Be ready with the assist – There’s lots of things your baby can’t do yet, but their brains are so receptive. Help them clap and wave and even walk and you’ll be sowing the seeds for what comes next.
Child brain development at 5 months
Your baby is so receptive to new experiences now, continuing to learn cause and effect, and developing their speech and language through combinations of sounds. You might even hear a ‘dada’ or ‘mama’ and though the experts will tell you this doesn’t mean anything, you can one hundred percent tell yourself that your baby is talking to you. Make sure you keep talking back.
The special sing-song way we all tend to talk to babies is so good for their development, and will help them learn to make sounds of their own. You’ll see them watching the way your mouth moves and practicing their own movements – which is why it’s always good to exaggerate the way you talk to a baby and use hand gestures or baby signing to add context to your words. Every conversation you have with your baby is helping fire up their brains, building connections that will one day lead to language of their own.
Social & Emotional Development
Your little one is full of smiles now, and will probably be excited to see you every time you walk in the room. The flip side of this is that they might start showing signs of distress when you leave the room. Separation anxiety doesn’t normally show up until 6 – 8 months, but if your little one starts early, don’t worry. This is a normal part of child development and shows that they feel really safe with you – in other words, your bond is strong. You’re doing a great job.
Broadening your baby’s circle of trust so that there are other adults they feel safe with is a gift to them, and to you. Whether it’s grandparents, aunties and uncles, or friends, the more people your baby trusts, and who you trust with your baby, the better. You are building your village – and that village will only get more important as your little one gets older.
Sleep & Feeding
Rhythms and routines at this stage
You’re going to be thinking about weaning soon, so if you don’t already have a high chair, now is the time to get one. That way your baby can start getting used to sitting up with you before you bring food into the equation.
In terms of milk, you’re still feeding on demand, but demand should have fallen into something of a routine, feeding roughly every 3 – 4 hours. Babies of this age are often able to go longer periods overnight without milk – but just because they can, doesn’t mean they will. If you’re still feeding every 2 hours through the night, know you are not alone. It won’t last forever.
Nap schedules
At 5 months old, your little one will be capable of longer wake windows, meaning you can probably fit all their daytime sleep into three naps – one early, one middle of the day, and one later in the afternoon, with a bedtime around 7pm. Of course, babies don’t know about nap schedules and won’t necessarily oblige you with a consistent routine. Some days they may have four short naps, some days two long ones. Their brains and bodies are busy and while that ought to make them more tired, sometimes it seems to keep them awake.
Naps, like feeding, should be based on your baby’s cues. But also like feeding, it’s important to observe closely for the first signs of tiredness (like rubbing their eyes), rather than wait until they are overtired. The difficulty is fitting these naps around the rest of your day – will your baby sleep out and about in the car seat, buggy or carrier? Or do you need to be at home for a good nap? A more consistent nap schedule will in theory contribute to better nighttime sleep, but organising your days around three at-home naps can create its own kind of stress. In the end, you have to find an approach that works for your family.
Weaning readiness
Your baby is ready for weaning when they are showing an interest in food, able to swallow food rather than spit it out, and capable of holding themselves upright, gripping a spoon (or food!) and bringing it to their mouths. These skills usually all come together around 6 months, which is why 6 months is the recommended weaning age.
While you wait, though, you can prepare for weaning by getting a high chair, some baby-friendly bowls and cutlery, a sippy cup (for water) and lots of bibs – weaning is a messy business. You might also like to look ahead to the kind of foods you’d like to give them and your preferred approach – baby-led weaning, spoon feeding, or a combination of the two. Real keen beans could even prepare and freeze some early weaning foods – but perhaps if you have that kind of time, you’d be better off spending it preparing something nice for your future self to enjoy.
Looking after yourself
Did you know that postpartum depression can start at any time within the first year after birth? This isn’t intended to scare you, simply to let you know that if you’re feeling like you just can’t get your head above water, or like there’s nothing to look forward to – this might not be normal life stress building up. It might be postnatal depression. Symptoms can include loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, anxiety and difficulty bonding with your baby. Crucially, this is a treatable condition – and it’s not caused by anything you did or didn’t do. Go and see your doctor and get the support you deserve.
Postnatal anxiety is another thing to watch for – typically manifesting in stress or a sense of dread about your baby’s wellbeing, irritability, and an inability to rationalise your worries away. You might notice physical symptoms of this anxiety, like stomach problems, dizziness or heart palpitations. Again, this is relatively common for both mums and dads with a new baby, and it is treatable. Your GP is there to help. Make an appointment.
A Note on Development Milestones
Developmental milestones are guides – not deadlines. If your baby isn’t ‘keeping up’ with your friends’ babies, it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. Every child develops at their own pace. That being said, your health visitor and GP are there to support you with any queries you might have and will always be happy to see you with your baby if you have any worries.
