Raising Children Network: the Australian parenting website
  • Suitable for 3-18Months

At five months

 

The 5th month

By the end of the month, your baby:

 … should be able to:

  • hold head steady when upright 
  • on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms 
  • roll over (one way)
  • pay attention to a raisin or other small object
  • squeal in delight 
  • reach for an object
  • smile spontaneously
  • grasp a little rattle held to backs or tips of fingers

… will probably be able to:

  • bear some weight on legs 
  • keep head level with body when pulled to sitting
  • say ah goo or similar vowel consonant combinations
  • razz (make a wet razzing sound)

… may possibly be able to:

  • sit without support 
  • turn in the direction of a voice

… may even be able to:

  • pull up to standing position from sitting
  • stand holding onto someone or thing
  • feed self a cracker
  • object if you try to take a toy away
  • work to get to a toy out of reach
  • pass a cube or other object from one hand to the other
  • look for dropped object
  • take a raisin and pick it up in fist
  • babble, combining vowels and consonants such as ga ga ga ga, ba ba ba ba, ma ma ma ma, da da da da
Children grow and develop at different rates. The information above is offered as a guide. There is no need to expect your child's development to fit with all the above descriptions. If you are in any way worried about your child's development, it's best to speak with your doctor or child health nurse.