I can’t get enough of those chunky baby thighs, his little man body (in these amazing soft onesies) and his smile that just lights up the world! Rush is actually about to turn 5 months old, but he’s still technically 4 months old now, so I’d say this update is still very timely. Right? Rush is a third child and I’m doing an update in the actual month of the month I’m describing. I think that is actually pretty good…
First, where has time gone? I blinked and he went from this teeny tiny little baby to a little man baby in the 97th percentile for height. Every morning when he wakes up, I go in his room to get him + he gives me the biggest smiles and coos up a storm. I am obsessed with how happy he wakes up. I go to his crib and look his sweetness over and admire that he literally grows over night. He has seriously gotten so big.
Rush is really interactive and absolutely adores his sisters. He watches them so carefully + loves when they come to make him smile or giggle. He is SO chill when they smother him with a little too much love, too. (Thank goodness!)
He is on a good rhythm during the day, but the least “scheduled” of all my kiddos. I attribute that to the fact that our schedule is often running here and there for the girls’ school, activities, appointments, errands, etc. so his naps kind of adapt accordingly. I love that he goes with the flow, but in effort to be honest, I wish he could take his long afternoon nap without having to lay on me for a majority of the time.
FOUR MONTH SCHEDULE
- Wakes up anywhere from 6:30-7:30a.
- Plays for a bit, feeds then naps. This nap is most often a car nap, or if we are home, in the swing. Typically around 30 minutes.
- Wakes, plays, feeds before the girls eat lunch, plays again, then goes down for an afternoon nap around 1:00p when they do too.
- He feeds again shortly after he wakes up and is just starting to eliminate that end of day cat nap to stretch him to bedtime. This takes a lot of walking around the house and keeping him as entertained as possible so he doesn’t go to bed at 5:45p. ?
- We usually do bath and bedtime around 6:30p because he just can’t make it any longer. I nurse him and rock him. I know some mamas prefer to not do that to sleep, but it works for us and I treasure that quiet time together just the two of us.
- Nighttime: We are working on eliminating a night feed. He can totally do it on his own, because about half of the time he will sleep from 6:30p-3:30/4a, nurse again and go back to sleep until morning (about 12 hours total). The other half of the time though, he wakes up once more around 1a. Overall, I’ll take all the long sleep stretches I can get and I know he can work toward less night feeds now that he’s big enough to sustain himself + self soothe!
FOUR MONTH ACTIVITIES
Four months is such a fun age that I wanted to highlight some of the things Rush loves – in terms of activity and snuggly items. As mamas know, it’s a rotation of play and rest when they’re this age + they like to keep busy doing different things and I love exposing Rush to different activities and views of our house or outside, too.
Skip Hop Activity Center: I debated whether or not we should get a new item here because we have a hand-me-down, but ultimately, I decided yes. A friend of mine has this table + activity center in one and I just really liked it. Honestly, I am SO glad we bought it. It’s a perfect size for our house and for Rush, and he loves this one more than the other I was putting him in. He’s at the perfect age to want to be upright more often to play, use his muscles and see what’s going on, so we use this frequently throughout the day.
Playmat: Definitely an item that you can use from early on with babies, but now Rush is more mobile and pulling on the toys much more. I do think he’s going to start phasing out of this soon (that’s what happens when they grow up!) but for now, I can usually get some time of engaged activity here on tummy or back, which is great for development.
Baby K’tan swaddle: Rush is a hot box. I wonder where he gets that from… (dad!). These swaddle blankets have really come in handy now that it’s not the dead of winter either. Rush is way too wiggly to want to be swaddled anymore, but the blankets are a very versatile size and the breathable fabric is greatly appreciated. I use this often now in the car seat and can anticipate using it in the stroller a lot too. I love being a Baby K’tan Ambassador and sharing all of their products – don’t forget, the Baby K’tan Baby Carrier is our favorite one! (It gets used ALL the time.)
Dock A Tot: We recently upgraded to the DockATot Grand and I’m really happy we did. Rush sleeps SO well in this and since he scoots so much, it keeps him in a nice comfy position to help him remain sleeping rather than wake himself up while moving around.
Bumbo: I usually use the Bumbo seat when we are all in the playroom and the girls are doing their thing with the kitchen or their babies or you name it. This gives Rush an opportunity to be upright and play with toys on his tray, but gets a break from the Skip Hop activity center. Creates some good variation to his positions, muscles and activities, and gives him a new view!
Toys + Books + Songs: Rush puts everything in his mouth. Everything. If it’s not a toy, his hands are constantly in there! The pediatrician confirmed at his 4 month appointment that he’s definitely working on teeth, but we have yet to see anything poke through his gums. One of our new favorite teethers is from Wild Blissful Collection. Rush also loves reading and looking at books, but then opts to try to put them in his mouth too. He also loves when we sing interactive songs like Itsy Bitsy Spider or Wheels on the Bus. He loves looking out the window and at pictures that we have hanging in our house. I love to give him as much variety as possible + am also grateful we have a comfy chair that sits by a window to look in our backyard because he is getting heavy and likes to be held or close to me ALL the time.
Final thing Rush loves: his mama. To be held, snuggled, talked to, sung to, smiled at, all by his mama. And I’m totally, totally okay with that. ❤
Rush is such a dream boat. I’ve said before, if all my babies were as easy going as him, I’d have at least 20. We love him to pieces and can’t imagine our lives without this little man in them. (I think I’ve finally adjusted to having a BOY.) I’m looking forward to seeing what else he loves as the next stage arrives: more movement and trying solid foods!
XO