These resources are brought to you by the Cooperative Extension System and your Local Institution

Articles from our resource area experts.

Have a question? Try asking one of our Experts

Your 4 Month Old Baby

Last Updated: September 11, 2009 Related resource areas: Parenting

View as web page


Provide a Warm Environment to Help Babies Build Their Brains


Download the Month 4 Newsletter (PDF) in  English or  Spanish
Download the Month 4 Newsletter (PDF) in English or Spanish

Infants begin learning during the very first minutes of their lives. By age 3, about 85 percent of the brain’s core structure is formed, or hardwired. The process of hardwiring connections affects development of a child’s vision, language, hearing, movement, and ability to interact with others.

Children need a warm and loving environment to develop the brain connections and pathways that will help them learn throughout their lives. Physical, cognitive, language, social, and emotional development are all linked together. Everything in the brain and the body is connected. Babies are learning to talk, to work their bodies, and to form strong bonds with caring adults. Everything works together to build their brains.

Your baby learns about herself by the way people treat her. When babies can trust caring adults, they have the courage to reach out, explore, and learn. When you spend time enjoying and playing together, your baby learns how to love and relate to others. Parents are the best and first teachers that babies have. Good parent-child relationships are the foundation for your baby’s brain and will last for a lifetime.

The first three years of a child's life are critical for developing the healthy brain circuits that will be foundation for all future brain development. Zero to Three is an organization that has assembled many useful resources on brain development and learning. The group's Web site is: http://www.zerotothree.org/.

Learn More About 4 Month Old Children


See all issues of our Parenting eNewsletters.
See our Resource Links for additional information on child care and development.


Note to Parents: When reading this newsletter, remember: Every baby is different. Children may do things earlier or later than described here. This newsletter gives equal space and time to both sexes. If he or she is used, we are talking about all babies.
References: These materials were adapted by authors from Extension Just in Time Parenting Newsletters in California, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Wisconsin.

Have a specific question? Try asking one of our Experts

Unlike most other resources on the web, we have experts from Universities around the country ready to answer your questions.