Hello, moms and dads, and welcome to Month 5 with your baby and Month 5 with my baby, Bracey. Bracey is now 21 weeks old, but only 11 weeks old in terms of his corrected age since he was 10 weeks premature, so in terms of milestones he’s closer to a 3-month-old baby than a 5-month-old baby.

Let’s take a look at a full-term baby’s growth and development by month 5 and at how you should be taking care of them. Then, I’ll give you an update on Bracey. 

Growth and Development of a 5-Month-Old Baby

Growth of a 22 Week Old Baby

During the first six months of life, babies grow at a rate of 5-7 ounces (140-200 grams) per week and ½ to 1 inch (or 1.5 to 2.5 centimeters) per month. So figure that by about 22 weeks old, your baby has likely gained 6.87-9.62 pounds from birth (3-4.4 kilos) and grown about 2.75-5.5 inches or 8.25-13.75 centimeters. Up to 11 pounds from 3.3 at birth, Bracey falls in the middle of this range. Yeah!

Baby’s Checkup Schedule during the First Year and Beyond

While the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that baby’s have checkups at birth, 3-5 days after birth, and then at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months, the frequency of doctor’s appointments will vary depending on your baby’s needs 

If you do have a checkup at month five — Bracey did since he was a premie — your doctor will measure your baby’s length and the circumference of their head, take their weight, check their reflexes, observe their neck strength and ability to hold up their head and test their vision and responsiveness. 

At his five-month appointment, my pediatrician performed all of these measurements and assessments and then compared Bracey to the Spanish growth charts. It was comforting to see Bracey inching up on the charts. 

How to Encourage Baby Neck Strength 

My doctor did notice that Bracey turned his head a lot to the right and less to the left. So he told me to lay Bracey on his back, turn his head to the left and hold it down three times a day. I did this for a few days and Bracey seemed to get the hang of it. He soon began to turn his head in both directions without favoring one over the other. 

Developmental Milestones for a 5-Month-Old Baby

Baby’s Neck, Back, Chest, and Leg Strength at 5 Months

Here’s a general idea of what to expect from a 5-month-old baby. At five months, many babies can roll over from front to back, bear weight on their legs (many can stand on their legs with support), sit with support (holding up their head and chest) and push up to their elbows and hold up their arms during Tummy Time (which is still recommended at regular intervals during the day). Many babies reach these milestones earlier at 4 months but you will notice greater strength and endurance with each of them. For example, while your baby is sitting up you will need to support them less and while carrying them around you will no longer need to support their neck and head since they can do that on their own. 

When will my Baby Sit Up?

Most babies will sit up with help by 3-5 months, and many can sit up without support beginning at around month 6. The average baby sits up without support at 6 ½ months but it really varies. Some of my babies did not sit up until month 8. To encourage your baby to sit up independently, hold your baby on your lap supporting them with your hands. You also can place them between your legs, allowing them to rest their back upon your torso. Another thing you can do is “assisted baby sit-ups:” lay your baby on his back and gently pull up his arms, making sure that his head does not fall backward. This strengthens the baby’s abs, back, neck and arms. The more your baby practices sitting up, the earlier he will sit up independently.   

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Baby’s Vision and Coordination at 5 Months

Your baby’s eyesight will not be 20/20 until they reach 6 months of age but will improve steadily over the first six months. You will start to notice your baby following you from afar and laughing and responding to you from greater distances. Your baby will be able to track moving objects and discern smaller items and can discern lots of different colors and patterns now. 

Your baby’s coordination will become more fluid and their movements less jerky. They will start holding and playing with their own hands, touching their feet (not convenient during diaper changes), and holding onto your hair, clothing, and toys with an even stronger grip. Some babies can pass objects from one hand to another at this stage or pick up objects. 

How much does a 5 Month Old Baby Hear and Talk?

Some babies at this stage are responding to the word NO and even to their own names. Try to distinguish between your baby’s noises as you can often hear different vocal sounds at this stage and maybe even a few consonants. Bracey has started to say the hard C: Ca-ca-ca. Many babies start to babble a lot and to laugh while they do it. 

How Do I Play with a 5 Month Old Baby?

Practice sit-ups, do Tummy Time several times a day, and carry your baby around, explaining what you are doing. Try to create a routine of spending some time playing with your baby after they are full and burped and before their naps so that you avoid the rut of crib-bouncy seat-crib (which also can cause flat head syndrome). You want your baby to be out in the world moving their body around to the extent possible. A short story before sleep time is a great habit. Talk to, smile at, hug, kiss, and snuggle with your baby as much as possible. Sooner than you like, they will be a teenager who won’t let you come near them!

Peek-A-Boo or Object Permanence

Peek-a-boo becomes a fun game around this stage because babies begin to grasp the concept of object permanence. Object permanence refers to the awareness that toys, people, and other things still exist when they are not visible. These games are shown to be wonderful for babies’ cognitive development. Object permanence also explains why babies become upset when Mommy leaves the room. Recognizing that Mommy is gone but still exists, they want her back! 

Breastfeeding and Sleeping Schedule and Amounts for a 5-Month-Old Baby

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How Much Breastmilk Does My Baby Need?

In Month 4, I provide a calculator for how much breastmilk your baby needs per feeding and across a day. This is a helpful tool before your baby starts solid foods, which usually begins at month 6. Take your baby’s weight in ounces (so you are multiplying pounds by 16) and divide by 6. That is the amount of breastmilk your baby needs over the course of a day. Then, divide that number by the number of feedings your baby is taking, which at five months is between 5 and 6. If you are using milliliters, multiply the amount by 30. 

Bracey’s weighs 11 pounds. According to the formula I provided during Month 4, I multiply that by 16 to get his weight in ounces and I divide by 6, resulting in 29.3 ounces. That is what Bracey needs over a 24 hour period. When I divide that by 6, I get 5.86 ounces and for milliliters I get 175ml. Now, if you are feeding directly from the breast, you might not know exactly how much your baby is eating, but this is helpful in case you are supplementing breastfeeding from the breast with bottles of pumped breastmilk or formula.

For Month 5, I generally recommend the same breastfeeding schedule during the day. By this point, many babies can feed every four hours during the day and will have dropped the late night feed. Keep in mind that this schedule is a general guide that aims to help you keep track and consistently feed the baby. By all means if your baby wants to feed in advance of the estimated time, feed them! You should always feed a hungry baby! If your baby is waking at night, try sticking to a more frequent daily feeding schedule and doing 6 feeds over the course of 24 hours (refer to my Month 4 schedule). 

• 7am — sleep 9:30-11am.
• 11am — sleep 1:30-3pm. 
• 3pm — sleep 6-7pm.
• 7pm — sleep 8:30-11pm. 
• 11pm — immediately back to sleep at 11:30pm. This can be called the “top off” feed.  

Over time, your baby will eventually drop the 11pm feeding, as well. 

According to this schedule, your baby takes three naps during the day consisting of a total of four hours and sleeps for ten hours at night (taking a short break for the top off feed) for a total of fourteen hours of sleep. On average, five-month-old babies sleep 12-15 hours a day, and approximately 10-11 hours at night. Many babies at this stage do not sleep for such long stints at night, though. If your baby continues to wake at night, stick to even more regular consistent feeds during the day.

Bottle Feeding a 5-Month-Old Baby 

The calculation for formula feeding amounts remains the same from months 0-6 and I will pop it up here for your convenience. Over a 24 hour period, you want your baby to consume 2-2.5 ounces of formula multiplied by their body weight. To see how much to give per feeding, divide that by the number of feedings per day. For example: 16 lb. baby x 2-2.5/5 feedings = /5 = 6.4-8 ounces (192-240ml) of formula per feeding. Of course, you’ll be playing this by ear and giving your baby an amount that leaves them satiated and rejecting more food after they have burped. You’ll start to recognize what this looks like with your baby. When your baby starts to slow down or push the bottle out of their mouth, give them a burp, offer the bottle again, and make sure they do not want more. 

Formula Feeding and Sleeping Schedule for a 5-Month-Old Baby

• 7am — sleep 9:30-11am.
• 11am — sleep 1:30-3pm. 
• 3pm — sleep 6-7pm.
• 7pm — sleep 8:30-11pm. 
• 11pm — immediately back to sleep at 11:30pm. This can be called the “top off” feed.  

Over time your baby will drop the 11pm feeding, as well.

Developmental Milestones and Premature Babies

Focus on your baby’s personal development and marvel at their new accomplishments and strengths. Don’t waste your mental energy comparing your baby with others of the same age. There is a huge range of what qualifies as normal and you want to marvel and enjoy your baby’s growth, not to feel discouraged. I learned this from my other children who tended to reach the milestones of sitting, crawling, walking, and talking on the late side (they’re all doing great now), and this perspective has helped me parent Bracey, who was 10 weeks premature. 

I’ve noticed with each passing week that in terms of developmental milestones, Bracey is really a hybrid. In gestational terms, he is now 11 weeks old. But he is responding to us, holding up his head, sitting up very well with support, and sleeping well at night with only one night time feed, which are milestones my other children did not reach until 4-5 months. So interestingly enough, it does seem that Bracey is indeed “catching up” with what a full-term baby (born on his birthdate) would do. 

Bracey Update

Bracey had an adventurous month. He ventured from Barcelona to Amsterdam to New York City to Washington, D.C. where Mommy had hip surgery. The silver lining on the cloud was being able to meet his Grandparents, his Godmother Aunt Kiki, his cousin Aine, and lots of Mommy’s close friends including Jen, Nandini, buddies Tamela and Julia, and Kendra. Bracey received a lot of hugs and cuddles. Since Mommy needed to be stuck at home, she could nurse Bracey whenever he needed and there was no stress over bottles or schedules. We went down to one big supplementary bottle of formula at the end of the day and Bracey woke up generally only once at night at around 3 or 4 in the morning. 

At his month 5 appointment, Bracey weighed 5 kilos (up from 3.960) and measured 59 centimeters. The doctor was thrilled. 

Bracey grew stronger during Tummy Time and while sitting up with support, gaining back, torso, and neck strength. He enjoyed chatting, smiling, and laughing with his older siblings, parents, family members, and friends. 

Thanks so much for reading and watching and see you back soon for Month 6 with your baby!

Resources

VeryWellFamily

WebMD

Parents.com

Whattoexpect.com

Kidshealth.org