The 10 Very Best Things About 5 Month Olds

There is something amazing about a 5 month old! They are just sweet and usually very easy. Among the things, here are the 10 very best.

5 month old baby girl playing in an exersaucer

 

I think with every one of these posts, you will find me saying, “I love this age!” I pretty much just find each stage my new favorite. There are things to love about each stage.

I really try to enjoy each stage for its special merits instead of looking forward to what is to come. It is a hard thing to do in life (live happily in the moment), but something I really strive for, especially with my children.


Read: Enjoy the Moment


Best Things About 5 Month Olds

They really do grow up fast! Here are my top ten favorite things about a 5 month old.

    1. Predictable Schedule: After the newborn months, it is so nice to have two weeks in a row wehre pretty much everything is the same. Waketime lengths are about the same. Naptimes and eating times are about the same. Aaahhhh, predictability!
    2. Raspberries: I don’t like raspberries while the baby is eating (I don’t like wearing the food!), but I think they are super cute when baby is playing.
    3. Open-mouthed Kisses–and Initiates Them: The open-mouthed kiss is just too cute. Your baby might start leaning her body toward you with her mouth wide open. She wants a kiss! Keep in mind, your baby will only do this if you kiss her.
    4. Loves Games and Songs: The five month old will start to show her excitement for the games like peek-a-boo and the songs/finger plays you have been trying to engage her in.
    5. Studies Hands: I love to watch a baby when she first starts to play with her hands. She twists them around. She grabs them with her other hands. She concentrates so hard on them with her brow all furrowed (and if you are McKenna, your tongue slightly out of her mouth!).
    6. Grabs Feet: McKenna is my only baby to do this. She will lay on the ground and play with her feet. I think it is so cute!
    7. Gross Motor Milestones: The five month old is starting to meet some of those big gross motor skills milestones. Kaitlyn was five months old when she started sitting on her own. It is around this age that you start to realize your baby is growing up!
    8. Mom/Dad’s the Coolest: Your baby will enjoy other people still right now, but you are still the best, and that just warms your heart.
    9. Good Listener: You can just sit and jabber on to your five month old and she will stare at your face and listen. She exhibits fantastic listening skills 🙂
    10. Happy Dance: This is my favorite. I love when your baby starts to do the happy dance when you go to get her up from a nap. They wiggle their whole body in different directions and give you a huge smile.

10 Best Things about a 5 Month Old Pinnable Image

There is my top ten. Please share your favorite things about the five month old!

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12 thoughts on “The 10 Very Best Things About 5 Month Olds”

  1. Hello! My little one is almost five months old. He will be on the 28th. I am struggling with naps and would love your advice. Currently, we are on a three hour schedule. I cannot keep him up very long (about your wake time for 20 weeks), yet he is defintely not one that I have to wake from naps. Will he ever stretch out his naps?

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  2. I love how my 5 mo has found her voice and her tongue. She will "talk" and curl her tongue around making various noises – so cute.

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  3. I LOVE the open-mouth kisses! I had forgotten about them. Thanks for the reminder! Be sure to take pictures of her playing with her feet. It's a great shot and it doesn't last long!

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  4. You named most of them! I love the happy dance when I get home from work, and how he watches for Daddy. He will stop everything for Daddy (not good when its time to nurse). And he will talk and chew on his toes all day if I let him. I also love when we say his name and he just smiles, doesn't look at us, but has this ornery little smile. So much fun! God bless! (love your blog!)

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  5. Belly laughs! My daughter's first laughs were mostly giggles a couple weeks ago, but now at 5 months, they're full, hearty guffaws. Hearing a baby's laugh makes all my cares melt away!

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  6. The happy dance is awesome! I get it when I go in after each nap and in the morning!!!! It is so amazing the complete "makeover" they have during that nap. (Even though my DD is the chronic 45 min napper, still!) She is like a brand new baby after her rest!

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  7. Peter, Jolene, and Henry,It is hard to say for sure, but know that the age you were at is a developmental leap and a difficult time for all babies (not just BW babies). See blog label "45 minute intruder", "wonder weeks", and posts on four month sleep problems.

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  8. I am truly loving this age, but have a nap problem I just can't find a solution for. My baby is 24 weeks old and since he turned 21 weeks he has not gone down for his morning nap more than just a few times. Our schedule:530-630 PM –bed (he is too tired to stay up longer)3-4 AM –wakes to nurse (trying to eliminate)6-7 AM –wakes for the day (would prefer 7-8 AM). I do the same naptime routine every day…songs, swaddle, lie in bed, song, say goodnight. I always put him in his bed while he is awake, but sleepy. I nurse him in the morning until he is disinterested. Some mornings he really doesn't seem to want to take a full feeding. Here are some things I have tried with troubleshooting:-Shorter waketime after first feeding of the day (45-55 min)-Longer waketime after first feeding of the day (60-75 min)-Watching for sleep cues (rubbing eyes, staring off, slowing down)-More stimulation during waketime-Less stimulation during waketime-Pacifier-Longer period of soothing before lying him in bed-Letting him cry for 60-75 minutes before getting him from his crib -More swaddle-Less swaddle-Heavier blanket-Lighter blanket-Transfer to swingHe typically lies silently in his crib for 5 minutes, then starts talking to himself for 5-20 minutes and eventually ends up crying for an hour. The only success he has had in falling asleep was with a pacifier or in a swing (but only once or twice). All other naps are in his crib and he goes down awake and then falls asleep. Because he isn't taking this first nap, it creates a domino effect for the rest of his naps and feedings and its difficult to stick to an eat, wake, sleep pattern. This issue is also keeping him on a 2-3 hour schedule. I would GREATLY appreciate any advice, suggestions or thoughts on how I can help my son be well rested throughout the day.

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  9. Have you read the "nighttime sleep issues–revised and updated" and the "naps:troubleshooting revised and updated" posts? Those will help you with further ideas.

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  10. This is an old post but I just had to say, as my son (our first babe!) just turned 5 months, I looove how he grabs toes! I have The Wonder Weeks (thanks to your suggestion here) and when I read how they progress from finding their knees to finding their toes I thought that was strange – I mean, that's pretty specific, you know? As with almost everything in their book thus far, I'm stunned at the accuracy. Sure enough, one day I noticed he was starting to grab (ok, claw is a better description) his knees, with his eyes on the prize. Then two days later, bam – he grabbed those toes! It was adorable because he would immediately fall to the side once he reached them. But he would right himself and start over, again and again. It was hysterical watching him figure out the best strategy for grabbing them at first: he would throw his legs up in the air while flinging his arms towards his feet. Now it's second-nature. This happened to coincide with his learning to screech. We have video of him (actually a video of the video monitor – he was *supposed* to be napping!) laying in his crib, flinging his arms and legs, grabbing his toes and screeching. I've never laughed so hard. 🙂

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