4 months checkup
The 4-month checkup: what to expect and what to ask
Four months is when several conversations arrive together — solids, sleep changing, and a baby who has started moving.
It is also when the sleep that was working often stops working, which is developmental rather than a failure.
What this visit usually covers
- Growth and physical exam.
- Development: rolling, reaching, holding the head steady, laughing.
- The next round of immunisations.
- A conversation about starting solids — timing, signs of readiness, and allergen introduction.
Worth asking
Take this in with you. The appointment moves faster than you expect, and the specific question gets a specific answer.
- Is she ready for solids, and how would you know? Readiness is signs, not a birthday.
- How and when should we introduce the common allergens? Current guidance is earlier than most grandparents will expect.
- Sleep has changed — is this the four-month thing, or something else?
- Now she rolls, what changes about the cot and the sleep space?
Where this comes from
Schedules vary by practice and by country, and yours may cover more or less than this. It is a companion for the appointment, not a substitute for it — the person in the room can see your child, and this page can't.