Certified Pediatric Nurse (CPN)

When assessing developmental milestones, what should a nurse monitor in a 5-month-old?

1. Ability to sit without support

2. Transfer objects from hand to hand

3. Begin babbling

4. Raising chest while lying on stomach

The correct answer is: Begin babbling

At 5 months of age, one of the important milestones to monitor is the development of verbal communication, which includes beginning to babble. Babbling typically starts around this age as infants begin to explore their vocal cords and experiment with sounds. This process is crucial not only for language development but also for social interaction, as it often involves back-and-forth exchanges with caregivers. Observing this milestone can give the nurse insight into the child's auditory and expressive language development. In young infants, other milestones are also being achieved, but those typically occur either earlier or later than 5 months. For instance, infants usually begin to raise their chest while lying on their stomach earlier, around 2 to 4 months, as a part of developing their gross motor skills. Transferring objects from hand to hand usually develops between 6 to 8 months. Lastly, the ability to sit without support typically develops around 6 to 8 months as well. Each of these other milestones, while important, doesn't align with the expected developmental progress of a 5-month-old as closely as the onset of babbling does.