At 7 months, baby development include introducing solid food to your baby for the first time – apart from breastmilk or formula milk. The excitement of discovery and progress in your baby’s development continues.
Expect this month to be busier than most as the baby is more active and more curious than ever!
How Your Baby is Growing
Depending on gender, the World Health Organization has a child growth chart of good ranges of weight gain. The ideal range for weight at 7 months of age is between 7 to 10 kilograms for both boys and girls. The number is usually higher for boys than girls at most percentiles. The ideal length, on the other hand, ranges from 26 to 27 centimeters.
A Quick Look at Your Baby’s First Year Milestones
Developmental Milestones
At 7 months, baby development involve milestones to watch out for. Physical development is at an all-time high with numerous tricks that you can expect from your baby at this stage.
Motor Skills
At this point in time, the baby can
- Easily roll over back and forth
- Bounce when standing (supported by parents usually in standing position)
- Crawl
- Hold objects easily with a single hand
- Play games like peek-a-boo
- Drink from a cup
This increasing mobility is a large milestone in baby development, even past their 7 months.
Also, teething can begin at this age so expect some adjustments from your little one in this aspect.
Cognitive
Baby development at 7 months also include gesturing in an effort to ask for assistance. You can help your baby stand up or carry them as requested. The baby can also start recognizing objects and stuff out of your adult routine. You can help foster learning by naming the objects that bring interest to your child. Your baby can also start focusing on and tracking moving objects.
Communication and Language Skills
Baby starts to babble at this stage. They may be able to handle one or two-syllable words to express themselves. The sounds that the baby makes also takes on more meanings. You may be able to develop the ability to decode these sounds from your baby as symbols for hunger, sleepiness, or other occurrences.
At 7 months baby development, your little one can understand language better. They should be able to follow one-step commands with gestures.
Social and Emotional Development
You may also notice some form of separation anxiety in your child at this stage. They will cling to you more and enjoy your company as a parent. The baby is also more attuned to the emotions behind words or your tone of voice.
Baby development at 7 months typically also include distinguishing the words yes and no. It is one of the milestones also for baby to enjoy play as a social activity and finds pleasure in mirroring or imitating movements from people.
Feeding & Nutrition
The time between 6-12 months of age is when the baby doubles and triples their birth weight. This is a crucial time to feed a baby with food rich in nutrients. At least 668 to 700 calories are needed by the baby at least and it comes from a combination of breastmilk, formula milk, and solid foods.
For example, at least 95 grams of carbohydrates need to be fed to seven-month-old babies. Cereal, grain products, fruits, and vegetables are some ideal solid food starting points. Just make sure to puree the portions to prevent choking.
Best First Foods for Babies at 6 Months
Baby Care Tips
Teething
Teething is a high priority at this stage. Wet cloth, cold food, and teething toys all collectively help ease the sore feeling of teething in babies. You can also be creative and create a popsicle out of extra breastmilk to suit the baby’s tastes.
In some cases, doctors can also prescribe something for the discomfort.
Sleep
The ideal amount of sleep for babies at this age is around 11-12 hours per day. However, teething may disrupt your baby’s sleeping time because of the discomfort associated with this stage.
Naps outside of the 11-12 hours at night can last anywhere between 1 to 3 hours. Baby is more mobile at this age so you may want to revisit baby proofing your baby’s bed at this stage. Some bed rails and additional safeguards may be essential.
Baby Health & Safety
Baby moves more at this point and must not be left unattended especially when they are atop higher surfaces like adult beds. Give a lot of space for a baby to crawl but make sure you have some safeguards in case your baby hits walls.
Take sharp objects away and add a fence to the play area of your baby, if possible.
What Can I Do to Help My Baby Grow?
At 7 months, you can encourage development in communication by talking to your baby in straight sentences and making a lot of eye contact. A holistic approach to meeting a baby’s physical, emotional, and mental needs is highly encouraged.
- Serve nutritious food to complement the milk intake
- Incorporate learning opportunities in routines like bath time (you can place cups that baby can pour and play with for example)
- Be attentive to the baby’s own cues of readiness
What to Watch Out For and When to See a Doctor
You can seek a doctor’s help if some of your baby’s motor skill milestones are missing. Babies are also more affectionate at this stage so if the baby is stiff and unable to express emotions as freely, it is also a cause for concern and professional evaluation by a developmental pediatrician. You will also need to talk to the doctor to ask for advice on how to soothe the discomforts of teething.
Key Takeaways
If there is anything out of the ordinary regarding your little one’s 7 months baby development, feel free to ask the questions with your trusted pediatrician so that you will be guided accordingly.
Trust your instincts and be vigilant but do not forget to enjoy these moments; your baby is only young once and it is worth savoring these moments for your memories as a parent.
Learn more about Parenting here.
