7 Months Old Baby Development & Milestones

Baby's 7th Month is the time of rapid physical, cognitive, and emotional growth as your baby continues to explore the world around them. Many babies begin to become more mobile as they start to crawl, scoot or roll to move around the house and may even sit up unsupported for short periods of time, making them enjoy their new found independence and freedon to explore things. Their fine motor skills are also getting better as they are reaching for and grasping things with precision and even shuffling them from one hand to the other.

7th Month Milestones

This month marks a huge leap with your baby's new found freedom - Mobility. They are continuosly developing, evolving and gaining new skills each day. Look out for lots of exciting new developments this month.

Every baby develops at their own pace so don't be alarmed if your child is not there yet. Eventually they all usually do catch up in a matter of days to weeks so be on the look out.

Teething

Most babies begin to teeth between 6 to 12 months, first to come in are the front bottom two teeth. While some may start teething earlier or later than the 7th month mark, and all is normal, you may start to see the signs of teething around this time.

Your child may be crying more than usual, irritable, drooling, and waking up during the nights in pain. It is a good idea to give them a mild gum rub with clean finger or clean cloth to ease the pain. You can also offer them cold teether or cold cloth (leave it in the freezer for a few minutes) to chew on but be sure to not freeze them cold as that could harm the gums. Wipe away the drool dry to ensure there are no rashes, and ensure you give them lots of hugs and kisses to soothe them.

Sitting Up

Most babies can sit up assisted by this age and transition to sitting unaided for short period of time, they will be trying to get into and out of sitting as well. As your child's muscles are still not very strong so keep an eye while they are in the sitting position to ensure they don't hurt themselves. You could also lay some soft pillows around them so they have a soft land in case they fall over.

Eye Sight

Your baby's eye sight is also getting better as they grow, every month there is and improvement in their vision and should now be able to easily track objects moving far across the room, vision is not just better than before but also they can now see in full color.

Communication

Your baby's communication and language skills have also eveloved since the last month. You may begin to hear some vowel sounds like 'ahh' and consonent sounds like 'mmm'. They may make specific sounds to express emotions like excitement or frustration and are beginning to start recognizing specific things like ball, comb, dog, that you say daily. Get ready for lost of fun conversations with your little one soon.

Feeding Routine

Things are about to get busy for you with the new freedom of mobility your child gained and the interest in solid foods where they begin to explore new textures, tastes and food groups. You can puree or mash fruits, vegetables and proteins, trying something different each day to keep it interesting and to see what your baby likes and is able to digest.Key is not to introduce different food groups at once but to take it slow over the weeks to get them to try everything. Some babies may resist to try solids yet or are not willing to make the switch from milk to solids, in either case keep trying and eventually they all do make the switch.

Milk still continues to be their primary source of nourishment so don't try to force solids or hold back on breastmilk or formula. Most babies still continue to have 3 - 5 feeds of 6 to 8 ounces or 180 - 240ml and it is completely normal and necessary for your baby's healthy growth and development. As your baby gets used to solids, their appetitie for milk will naturally come down. Slowly replace feeds with solids during the day while they are alert and in a mood to accept the switch over the course of months. By the time they hit 9 months mark many babies willing have solids and you may need to just supplement with milk after solids.

Popular Breastfeeding Positions

Sleep Routine

Your baby may still sleep for around 14 hours each day with about two naps during the day. The sleep during nights get longer with less to no feed interruptions for most part or through the night. While your baby gets into a predictable sleep pattern now, they may still have interupptions due to teething or seperation antiety that kicks in around this age.

It is also time to lower the matteress / crib to the lowest setting as they begin to roll both ways, may crawl and get mobile. Remove any loose fittings, toys, blankets and things in your baby's crib that they could get entangled in.

Height & Weight

The average weight for seven months old baby girl is around 7.7kg and height of 26.4 inches. The average weight of seven months old boy is around 8.6kg and height of about 27.2 inches.

On an average babies grow 2 pounds or around 1kg in weight and about an inch in height each month until 6 months of age and half a kg and half and inch here on till 12 months of age. Every child is unique and so is their growth rate so don't be alarmed if they are not close to these numbers as some babies may be above the average numbers and some take longer based on how much they feed, how often they feed, if they had a low birth weight or were premature or had any illnesses. Know that it is normal to fluctuate a little from the normal at this age, talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Safety

Safety is of utmost importance this month as your baby get mobile around the house, it's time to baby proof the house and remove any article that your baby can get tangled in or hurt themselves in. Also make sure you bring down the height of the baby crib/mattress to ensure baby does not roll/topple over while sleeping or while trying to pull themselves up. Their grasp is getting better and stronger so avoid placing anything in the baby crib that they could get entangled in. They tend to take everything to their mouth so no small items, toys or anything they can choke on in the crib or places accessible to them.

5 Month Old Baby Development & Milestones

6 Month Old Baby Milestones

7th Month Doctor's Visit

There may not be any doctor's visit scheduled for this month but in case of any missed appointments or vaccinations, ensure you catch up this month. Keeping all the doctor's appointments is crucial at this age to spot any health issues or developmental delays as early as possible so your child gets all the necessary interventions at the right time.

Share your concerns or questions if any about the vaccines, it is essential you understand the benefits. It is also strongly advised to never miss any vaccinations recommended by your doctor.