Here’s what you can expect by the end of the seventh month.
- Sleeping: Most babies are sleeping at least 8-10 continuous hours at night by now and many will be sleeping at least 12 consecutive hours (woo-hoo)! She’s probably taking two naps during the day as well. If your baby isn’t on this schedule…don’t worry! Every baby is different! Talk to your pediatrician if you are concerned (or go here for some infant sleeping tips).
- Teeth Every baby is different, but most babies have gotten their first tooth by 7 months. Big Brother was 5 1/2 months and Little Brother was 6 1/2 months.
- Weight: You can expect your baby to gain about 1 pound per month for the next several months.
- Gross Motor Development: Your baby should be able to roll both ways (tummy to back and back to tummy) as well as hold her head up with ease. She will also be able to sit with and then without support. She should be able to bear all of her weight on her legs when stood up.
- Fine Motor Development: Your baby can reach with one hand and should be able to transfer an object from one hand to another. He’ll also use a raking grasp (with his whole hand) to pick something up rather than a pincer grasp (thumb and finger).
- Cognitive Development: Your baby is studying the world around her! She’ll probably attempt find a partially hidden object (if placed underneath a blanket) and will probably struggle (with all her might) to get objects that are out of reach.
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- Language: Your baby recognizes and responds to his name! He also can use his voice to express joy and displeasure as well as respond to a sound with a sound. He can babble chains of consonants “da, da, da, da” and “ma, ma, ma, ma”. He probably doesn’t quite associate “Dada” and “Mama” with his parents, but it is exciting nonetheless! He also might be able to respond to the word, “no” probably by crying.
- Solid Foods: Your child has probably already started eating solids. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that most babies are ready to start solids around 4-6 months. Make sure to give your child one new food at a time, waiting at least 3-5 days before giving another. After each new food, watch for any allergic reactions such as diarrhea, rash, or vomiting. If any of these occur, stop using the new food immediately and contact your child’s doctor. Even though the baby food needs to be highly pureed still, you can vary the intensity of the puree as your child gets more and more teeth.
- Practice sitting up: Let your little one sit up frequently. If he still falls over frequently when sitting up, put pillows around him (always supervising, of course, to ensure that he doesn’t fall face-first into a pillow).
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Read, read, read! It might sometimes feel monotonous or perhaps like your baby couldn’t care less, but continue to read to her anyway. She’ll probably like books with texture at this point in time. Not only will she enjoy hearing your voice, she’ll begin to recognize pictures and start to correlate pictures of objects with the verbal words. Also, try to read books with real pictures, that way she can associate the actual picture of the object with the spoken word.
- Practice standing: Encourage your child to stand by holding underneath her armpits while she bears weight on her legs. Never pick your child up by their hands, though, as it can pop their elbows out of socket (speaking from experience). Some children are more susceptible to this than others…the condition is called nursemaid’s elbow.
- Go for a walk: Weather permitting, try taking your little one on a walk each day. He’s hearty enough by now that he can even go out on cooler days and he’ll enjoy getting to see the world around him! Plus, it’s a great time to talk to him and tell him all of the things he sees. Make sure to keep him in the shade or use sunscreen (specially made for babies).
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Enjoy an exersaucer or stationary activity center. These are great for developing the muscles in the legs, though not for extended periods of time. Put your child in an exersaucer for no more than 20 minutes per sitting!
Avoid baby walkers with wheels as they are considered dangerous by the AAP.
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Feeding: Your most likely full-force into spoon-feeding your baby! Just make sure that the baby food is fully pureed!These
are my favorite spoons because they’re soft and a little bit longer, which makes feeding easier.
- Peek-A-Boo: Playing “peek-a-boo” helps your baby learn about object permanence…an important development milestone for babies. Find out why “peek-a-boo” is so important here. Don’t be surprised, however, if your baby doesn’t seem interested at first. Just keep trying!
- Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
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Seems very floppy, like a rag doll
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One or both eyes consistently turn in or out
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Does not respond to sounds around him
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Head still flops back when body is pulled up to a sitting position
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Doesn’t respond to sounds around him
- Reaches with only one hand
- Seems inconsolable at night
- Does not babble or attempt to imitate speech
- Refuses to cuddle and shows no affection to the person caring for him
- Doesn’t roll in either direction
- Doesn’t smile spontaneously
- Doesn’t seem to enjoy being around people
- Persistent tearing, eye-drainage or sensitivity to light
- Doesn’t follow objects with both eyes at near 1 foot and far 6 feet ranges
- Does not try to attract attention with actions
- Shows no interest in games of peek-a-boo
- Do you have any questions? Leave a comment!
- Likewise, veteran parents…feel free to chime in with anything I forgot to cover or with any tips you may have.
Activities:
Ask your doctor if your baby:
Other Months:
Your turn:
References:
Shelvov, S.P., Hannemann, R.E., & Trubo, R. (2004). The American Academy of Pediatrics: Complete and Authoritative Guide for Caring for Your Baby and Young Child. Bantam Books.
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*Every family should have this book on hand!
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Reisser, P.C. (2007). Baby & Child Care: From Pre-Birth through the Teen Years (Focus on the Family Complete Guides). Tyndale House Publishers: Carol Stream, IL.
Website: http://www.healthychildren.org/
**The content in this post is for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advicediagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site.
Thanks for this! My 7 month old breastfed baby sleeps from 11pm to about 2pm, nurses while she sleeps and wakes up about 3 times to nurse (again, while sleeping) and starts her day at about 10 or 11am. I would say she gets 10 to 12 hrs of sleep – is this ok?
I am certainly not an expert in this area, but if it works for your family then that is what matters!
I would think that at 7 months, she should be able to go at least 6-8 consecutive hours between feedings (although she might not want to), but every child is different!
And here are some suggestions from the American Academy of Pediatrics: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/sleep/pages/Getting-Your-Baby-to-Sleep.aspx
Thanks for your response and the link! oops, I meant 2am.
By the way, I love your blog, it's excellent! I have so many print outs of your entries which I use with my 3 yo. :-)
What a great post! I shared this with my sister, who recently had her first baby. Your site is so helpful!
I love it!
Thanks,
Erin Klein
http://www.kleinspiration.com
Thanks for the link in the comment, I was just going to ask about that. My son is 6 months old and I think his waking to eat might be a way for him to put himself back to sleep. However, I'm reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and it mentions that some babies just take a little longer to grow out of the night feedings. It's tough one because my daughter was sleeping thru the night by now, so it's hard not to compare.
Yeah, I had to push my daughter to go longer at nights as soon as I knew she was able. For example, if she had slept 6 hours between feedings the night before, I wouldn't feed her until at least that same amount of time had passed. She would figure out that even if she woke up, she wouldn't get to eat till enough time passed. I was careful to make sure she was ready for each increase of time between night feeding. We slowly worked our way toward sleeping through the whole night by 7 months.
I did the same thing with my little girl and she started sleeping through the night at 5 weeks. when I knew she could go longer without eating then I would not feed her until that time the next night. each night she would go a little longer until she was sleeping all night. Now she sleeps from 7:30 or 8 p.m. until 7 am. i highly recommend doing this
I think there is an inherent problem in fixing a child’s projected eating needs on their previous nights sleep. Kids grow in spurts, and often their caloric need are based on their growth. Most pediatricians do not recommend withholding food for prolonged periods,especially for breastfed babies when they are very young infants. Even Weisbluth, author of Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child, does not advocate for children to be night weened until 7 months (I think? It’s been 4 years since I read his book). Also, keep in mind that technically sleeping through the night for an infant is 6 consecutive hours. Most babies are sleeping 6 consecutive hours by 7 months? Maybe, but it’s hard to say for sure.
My seven month old almost eight months won’t sleep in her crib at bedtime longer than a few hrs without waking up screaming for me. I try putting her back to sleep and back in her bed but she insists on sleeping beside me in my bed. Any tips or tricks to get her to sleep the whole night in her crib.