The continuing development of language basics is an important milestone this month. You should also see your baby begin to understand the ability to communicate with you.

As a result, your baby will try all sorts of repetitive, high-pitched giggles, shrieks and noises while shaping her mouth to change sounds. You'll start to hear one type of sound over and over as your baby practices. Any day now, your baby will also realize that people and things have a name, such as "Mama" and "milk" - which is a critical part of language development.

What you can do:

To help further develop babies' language skills, spend some time each day repeating words. Repetition is a great way for babies to learn new words. Repeat your baby's name, names of favourite toys and other objects your baby is interested in.

To help your baby move, place a clean blanket on the floor and watch your baby inch along. Babies may also raise their heads and shoulders to look around. To help prepare for sitting alone, practice pulling your baby to a sitting position from the floor. You can work on your baby's sensory and motor development at the same time: Give your 4-month-old toys to grasp that also stimulate the senses, such as crib gyms or brightly-coloured squeak toys and soft, bumpy-textured items with knobs, handles and loops. Contrasting natural colours are a good choice now as your baby's vision continues to improve. Four months of age is also a good time to introduce plastic pliable baby books that your baby can grab and hold.

Immunization reminder!

Has your baby been for his second vaccination yet? According to the latest Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule from the Canadian Paediatric Society, at 4 months your baby needs the Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Poliomyelitis vaccination - and the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and/or the Pneumococcal vaccines - if you decide. Be sure to call your child's doctor as soon as you can if you haven't scheduled his appointment yet - it's your child's best shot to prevent many childhood diseases from the start. Visit http://www.caringforkids.cps.ca/immunization/index.htm for more information about childhood vaccines and your child's immunization schedule.

This month, some babies may:

• Squeal and laugh with delight.
  
  
• Make "raspberry" sounds with their lips.
  
  
• Experiment by making new sounds.
  
  
• Make sounds in response to you.
  
  
• Track moving objects as head and neck development work together.
  
  
• Raise themselves up on straightened arms while lying on their tummy, looking all around as neck muscles strengthen.
  
  
• Reach out for toys and objects with stronger hand muscles.
  
  
• Bear weight on both legs.
  
  
• Start to sleep through the night.

The skills described above generally appear during the indicated time frame. But don't worry -all babies are unique and develop at different rates. Talk to your doctor if you become concerned about your baby's health and development - at any time.