Baby in Québec, day by day
Baby at 5 months: what is happening, and what to do in Québec
Five months: rolling over or getting ready to, and starting to eye your plate.
Your baby
Toward first foods
Around six months, the baby shows readiness for food: holding the head, sitting with support, showing interest in what you eat. Milk remains the base. The Mieux vivre guide recommends starting with iron-rich foods and offering common allergens early, one at a time. Our article on allergens explains how.
Rolling over
Between four and six months the baby learns to roll over, tummy to back first, then back to tummy. From then on, never alone on a raised surface, even for a second. The baby grabs objects, passes them from hand to hand and laughs out loud.
Sitting, with then without support
Between five and eight months, the baby sits with support first, then alone, for longer and longer. The baby babbles repeated syllables, recognizes their name and reacts to their reflection in a mirror.
Nights get longer
Around three or four months, many babies sleep longer stretches at night and nap more regularly by day. A simple, repeated evening routine helps mark the difference between day and night. Night wakings remain normal throughout the first year.
Babbling and first exchanges
The baby strings syllables together, “ba-ba”, “da-da”, imitates sounds and gestures, and reaches out to be picked up. Talking to the baby, naming things, describing what you do and reading very simple books feed language, in each of the home’s languages.
First teeth
The first tooth often comes through between six and ten months, but earlier or later is still normal. Swollen gums, lots of drool and a wish to chew are common. From the first tooth, brush morning and evening with a soft brush; ask the dentist or hygienist how much toothpaste to use.
On the back, in their own bed
From birth, the baby sleeps on the back, on a firm mattress, in a crib, cradle or bassinet that meets Canadian standards, with a fitted sheet and nothing else: no pillow, comforter or bumper pad. The Canadian Paediatric Society and Health Canada recommend sleeping in the parents’ room, but in their own bed, for the first six months. Once the baby rolls over alone, any position is fine.
Vitamin D for the breastfed baby
In Québec, a vitamin D supplement is recommended for breastfed babies from birth, because breast milk does not contain enough for our climate. The product and the amount are confirmed with the CLSC nurse, the doctor or the pharmacist; this page gives no dose.
In Québec
Depression after the birth
According to the INSPQ, depression after childbirth affects about 2 women in 10 and about 1 man in 10, and most often appears between two weeks and six months after the birth. Sadness that does not pass, loss of interest, anxiety, no sleep even when the baby sleeps: effective treatments exist. The CLSC, the doctor or 811 are the first doors.
The baby’s follow-up visits
After the nurse’s visit, the baby is seen by a doctor, nurse practitioner or midwife around two weeks, then around two, four, six, nine and twelve months, often at the same time as vaccines. Weight, length, head circumference and development are recorded in the health booklet. Bring your questions and your notes from the past weeks.
Register the baby on the childcare portal
Since autumn 2025, the Childcare Services Registration Portal replaces La Place 0-5. A child can be registered only after birth, and it is the desired start date that counts for the allocation of places, not the registration date. Best to create the file early, with the CPEs and daycares you want, and keep it up to date.
With Maliah
New foods, one at a time
Each new food and each allergen offered is logged in Maliah with the date and any reaction. The list of what the baby has already tasted follows the family to daycare and the doctor.
A routine takes shape
From what the family logs, Maliah shows when the baby most often feeds and sleeps, and suggests a routine you can adjust and share with the babysitter or daycare. Nothing is imposed: the baby sets the pace.
The vaccine record, checked off
The vaccines of the Québec schedule are in Maliah, to be checked off with the date when received. The app never says a vaccine is due or late: it keeps what the family noted and shows it to the doctor at the right time.
Weight, visit after visit
Each weighing is logged in Maliah with its date; the growth curve is drawn against WHO standards, as a fact, without judgment. Before an appointment, the summary for the doctor gathers the measurements and what was noted since last time.
The whole family sees the same thing
The partner, grandma or the babysitter see the last feed, the last sleep and the last diaper when they open the app, no texting needed. Everyone logs what they do, with their name and the time, and nobody asks the same question twice.
Related free tools
Sources : INSPQ : Mieux vivre avec notre enfant de la grossesse à deux ans (guide 2026) · INSPQ, Mieux vivre : Pleurs · INSPQ, Mieux vivre : Prévention de la tête plate · INSPQ, Mieux vivre : Baby blues · Directeur de l’état civil : Déclaration de naissance · RAMQ : Naissance ou adoption · Québec.ca : Allocation famille · Québec.ca : Dépistage sanguin chez les nouveau-nés · Québec.ca : Dépistage de la surdité chez les nouveau-nés · Québec.ca : Programme québécois d’immunisation · Québec.ca : Trouver un service de garde et inscrire mon enfant (Portail d’inscription) · RQAP : faire une demande de prestations · Agence du revenu du Canada : Allocation canadienne pour enfants · Service Canada : numéro d’assurance sociale
This article is for information; it does not replace advice from a health professional. In Québec, call Info-Santé 811 when in doubt (elsewhere in Canada, your provincial health line). In an emergency, call 911. Updated on October 27, 2026.