Your 5-month-old: Week 4

Your baby now sees and hears the world almost as well as you do. Her communication skills are expanding rapidly, too, as evidenced by her squeals, bubbling sounds, and operatic octave changes. Her sounds can demonstrate her attitude or response to objects — such as happiness, eagerness, or even satisfaction — with a problem well solved.

At this age, about half of babies babble, repeating one syllable — such as "ba," "ma," "ga," or other consonant-vowel combinations — over and over. A few will even add another syllable or two, making their sounds more complex.

You can encourage your baby by babbling right back at her and by making a game of it ("The sheep says, 'baaa,'" or "The goat says, 'maaa'"). Or, when you hear a syllable you can't identify, just respond enthusiastically with, "Yes, that is a car! See how shiny the red paint is?" Your baby will appreciate your encouraging her by keeping the conversation going.

O Tiago passa-se com isto, mas eu costumo guinchar de volta para o Gabriel e ele adora!!!! hehehe

Your baby's development is now working in your favor when she's fussy: She's increasingly distractible. Intensely interested in the world around her, her rapidly evolving brain zeroes in on things that are new and different. So when your baby is a little cranky, use her growing interest in novelty to your advantage by making a funny noise, singing a song, gently banging a pot — any change from the norm may snap her out of her grumpy mood.