Baby Development at 5 Months

Attachment can feel more obvious now. Raising Children Network says babies around 5 to 6 months are working out the difference between parents, caregivers, strangers, adults, and children. Your baby may light up for familiar people, watch you leave a room, or need more time with new faces.

Stranger wariness can start around this stage. A baby who used to be passed around happily might now frown, cling, cry, or stare quietly at unfamiliar people. Give them time, stay close, and let trusted visitors warm up slowly rather than forcing cuddles when your baby is already overwhelmed.

Communication keeps getting richer. Your baby might blow raspberries, squeal, laugh, grunt, complain, and babble with sounds such as baba or gaga. The useful response is still simple: copy a sound, answer with a real sentence, pause, and let your baby take another turn.

Hearing, attention, and memory are working together. Your baby may turn toward a familiar voice, pause for their name, look for a dropped toy, or calm when a regular song starts. Repeat the same books, songs, and daily phrases; repetition helps your baby connect sounds, faces, feelings, and routines.

Floor time is the safest place for new movement. Your baby may roll from tummy to back, roll from back to tummy, wriggle in circles, push down through their legs while held, or reach across the body for a toy. Use a mat on the floor, keep one hand on your baby during changes, and avoid beds, couches, or change tables as play spaces.

Supported sitting may begin to look steadier. Raising Children Network says babies around 5 to 6 months might sit with some support and use their hands for balance. Keep support low and close, stay within arm's reach, and expect sudden sideways tips because sitting practice is still tiring.

Sleep may keep changing as movement and awareness grow. Some 5-month-olds roll in the cot, wake when they practise new skills, or need help settling after a busy day. Keep every sleep on the back to start, use a safe sleep space, keep the head and face uncovered, and remove loose bedding, toys, pillows, positioners, and unsafe accessories.

The next routine vaccine visit is close. Pregnancy Birth and Baby's current Australian schedule lists a 6-month round including DTPa, hepatitis B, polio, Hib, pneumococcal, and eligibility-based meningococcal B, with influenza vaccination available annually from 6 months to under 5 years. Book early and confirm the current National Immunisation Program schedule with your GP, nurse, or immunisation provider.