My baby's development: Month 5

My 5-month-old baby: growing stronger, and wary of strangers

By the end of this month, your 5-month-old baby will probably be able to sit up with some support, and be able to pass toys from one hand to another. Depending on how long your friends and family visit you, your baby might start displaying a wariness of strangers.

5-month-old baby sleep patterns and tips

• Your baby could start waking up more during the night to feed, and might not yet sleep longer than five to six hours at a time. He might still sleep about 12 to 15 hours total every day.
• He might start sitting up and waking himself up in the process. If possible, let him try to get back to sleep on his own instead of immediately trying to provide comfort.
• You should decide beforehand, with your partner's consent, if you are comfortable with this type of baby sleep "training." Many parents call it the "cry it out" method.
• Have questions about SIDS?
  Learn about SIDS at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Comforting a crying baby

All babies cry. It's just that some do it more than others, some do it a lot more than others - and a lusty-lunged few do it so much, you're driven to tears yourself.
Experts - and smug mums whose babies barely even whimper - will tell you that your baby's crying because it's the only way he can let you know that something's up. And, as soon as you sort it, the crying will stop.
Sometimes, it just ain't that easy to work what that 'something' might be. Is it tiredness? Wind? Colic? And by the time you have worked it out, your baby may well have screamed himself into such a state that no amount of something solutions will do.
What you need at this point (apart from a big hug) is some tried-and-trusted advice from mums who've been there and borne the hollering brunt before you - mums who can tell your run-of-the-mill crying jag from your full-on bout of colic, and pull some ace comforting tricks from up their parenting sleeves. And, since that's what Mumsnet does best, here you are...