Your 7-Month-Old Baby’s Milestones and Development
8-month-old baby development →
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Is your baby sitting up already? That’s so exciting! But just wait to see what comes along with your 7 months baby development…
Crawling!
Your baby is finally starting to become more mobile so you may have to finally start babyproofing your home (if you haven’t done it already).
So without further ado, let’s see what else can you expect from your 7-month-old cutie.
What to expect from your 7 months baby development
Physical growth
Young babies tend to grow at a relatively consistent pace. But as they get older, their genetics slowly start to show. Just like adults can be super tall or quite short, so can your kid’s weight and height now vary significantly.
So unless your pediatrician shows any concern, rest assured that your baby is developing perfectly whether they are on the low or high end.
Still, let’s put things into numbers so you can have a rough idea.
7-month-old baby boys tend to average about 68 cm (27 in) in height and 8.3 kg (18 lbs 5 oz) in weight. However, normal height is considered anywhere from 63 cm (25 in) to 75 cm (30 in), while their weight could vary from 6.4 kg (14 lbs) to 10 kg (22 lbs).
For the baby girls, the average height is about 66 cm (26 in) and it could range between 62 cm (24.5 in) and 73 cm (29 in). The average weight, on the other hand, is considered 7.7 kg (16 lbs 14 oz) but could also be 5.9 kg (13 lbs) all the way to 9.6 kg (21 lbs 4 oz).
7-month-old sleep schedule
Has your baby begun to sleep soundly through the night?
Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you.
Your baby’s first teeth are already working their way through the gums. This can make your little one fussy and uncomfortable. And often, it can disrupt their sleep schedule.
In case your 7-month-old is not bothered by teeth just yet or is just handling them well, they should be sleeping for about 11 to 12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day (in 1-2 short naps and 1 long noon nap).
In their wake time, make sure you provide them enough opportunities to get tired so they can fall asleep easily at night.
Feeding
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By now your baby should be used to the taste of solid food. But your weaning journey is still just beginning.
If you went down the pureed-food weaning process, now may be a good time to introduce finger foods to encourage chewing.
Want to give it a try? Here’s a shortlist of finger foods for 7-month-old babies.
- Sliced avocado
- Steamed veggies (broccoli/carrot/sweet potato)
- Raw banana
- Riped and peeled pear
- Scrambled eggs
- Well cooked green peace
- Homemade muffins
If you’re using the baby-led weaning method your baby should be pretty much used to holding and chewing their food. If not, however, make sure that you serve it appropriately.
For a baby this young this means that all finger foods should be:
- soft enough so your baby can chew using their gums only;
- small enough so it’s easy to hold and bite (maximum size about as long and thick as your pinky finger).
To encourage good eating habits you may also consider including the baby in the family’s mealtime. Babies are great copycats and will slowly pick up a thing or two about feeding themselves.
Core development
Did I mention crawling? Oh yes! While there is no set period in which your baby will start to crawl, most babies do this between the 6th and 10th months.
But there are also babies that pretty much skip crawling and go directly to standing up and move around while holding to the furniture.
That’s what my older did, she crawled for about 2 weeks before she decided she doesn’t like it and moved to walk with support. In anyways, your baby is about to become mobile and start moving towards what has gotten their attention.
Don’t be surprised, however, if your baby’s first crawling attempts are not what you’ve seen in the thousands of cute baby videos.
For example, did you know that most babies start to crawl backward first before they can head forwards?
Here are a few other early crawling types that can be expected as part of the 7 months baby development:
- Army crawl
- Scooting crawl (dragging themselves slowly forward)
- Crab crawl (with one leg extended or bend to the side)
In addition, your baby should now be able to sit up without support. If they still wobble around, encourage them by offering activities that will be easier in a sitting position rather than on their tummy.
Such activities include stacking toys, low-level activity tables, and high chair toys.
You can also opt for a sit-up baby gym and even get a few minutes of low-supervision time for yourself.
TEETH!
Why the caps lock and exclamation mark? Because teething is something many parents are afraid of. And I don’t mean first-time parents only either.
As we’ve already mentioned, teething can make your baby fussy and restless.
While there isn’t any one-fits-all solution for your baby’s discomfort, here are some tips that can ease your little one’s pain:
- Give them something cool to chew. You can place a teething toy or a pacifier in the fridge for a few minutes and offer it to your baby. Still, don’t keep it for too long because if it’s too cold it may hurt their sensitive mouth.
- Teething gels. Teething gels are a popular over-the-counter solution offered for young babies. When choosing a teething gel try to find one without benzocaine because according to the FDA, in rare cases it can result in serious side effects in kids under 2 years old.
- Gums massage. Massage their gums with a clean finger with or without a teething gel. Alternatively, you can also use a finger toothbrush.
Time to babyproof your home
If you’ve planned to baby-proof your home when your little one starts walking, think again.
Your baby’s already on the move! And while they’re still crawling on the ground, you’ll be surprised how quickly they can reach the one thing in the room you didn’t want them to touch.
So give yourself peace of mind and install the following features:
- Outlet covers to all accessible power outlets.
- Corner protectors on any low sharp corners.
- Child safety locks on all low-level cabinets and drawers.
- Remove all small and/or sharp objects from lower shelves. You can use these to display the toys your baby likes to play with so they can pick one themselves.
Related article: How To Practice Montessori At Home In 6 Easy Steps
- Install baby gates between the main living space and stairs, fireplaces, and other off-limit areas.
Activities for 7-month-old baby
Games for 7 months old baby
The best way to encourage your 7 months baby development is by offering them a range of age-appropriate activities. Here are some quick and easy, and yet very effective ways to entertain your infant.
Exploring books
If you’ve spent the last few months showing your baby different images from books, now may be a good time to let them explore them themselves.
Here are a few suggestions that may keep your kid’s attention:
- See & Touch books. There are books that have incorporated different textures into the pages like wool on the sheep’s body or fabric on a little girl’s dress.
- Books with lids. These are not only fun to explore but also a great fine motor exercise. However, be sure to watch your baby closely as they could try to remove the lid altogether.
- Animal sounds book. They basically allow you to play the sound of the animal you’re currently reading about. This will keep your little one’s attention and, in the long run, will help them associate the name and the sound of the animal.
Make some noise
Have you noticed that babies love banging stuff to make some noise? And the loud the better.
The good news is, that you don’t have to spend a dime on toys to give them exactly what they want.
If your baby can sit up for at least a few minutes, place them on the floor, give them a wooden spoon and a few pots, show them what to do, and watch the show.
Encourage crawling
Crawling is an important milestone in the 7 months baby development. So even if your baby is not there yet, you may as well encourage them during playtime.
The easiest way to encourage your baby to crawl is by giving them a goal to reach.
Place your baby on their tummy on the floor. Grab some of their favorite toys and put them just out of reach. When they finally reach the toy applaud them and tell them how great they did, let them play with the toy for a minute, and then place it out of their reach again.
If it’s bottle-feeding time and your baby is not starving yet, show them the bottle and see how motivated they will be.
Cheer them with clapping
You may not realize it, but clapping involves great hand and eye coordination and fine motor skills.
Help them teach this new skill by cheering them with applause every time they do something right and show them how to clap with their own hands.
7-month-old daily routine
If you haven’t created a routine for your baby, it is still not too late. Having a routine makes life easier for both baby and mom.
How?
Babies like routines and repetition because knowing what to expect gives them a sense of security, comfort, even confidence in themselves for knowing what comes next. As for mom, you can plan your day more freely when you know when does your kid usually wake up, eat, nap, play, and goes to bed in the evening.
Here is a sample of a 7-month-old daily routine. The recommended times are in no way mandatory, so you can create a routine that you both feel comfortable with.
7:00 AM Wake up, change, and breast milk/formula feeding
9:00 AM Solid food breakfast
9:30 AM First nap for the day (1 hour)
12:00 AM Solid food lunch + breast milk/formula supplement
1:00 PM Lunch nap (1 hour)
3:00 PM Breast milk/formula
4:30 PM Third nap (30 minutes)
6:00 PM Solid food dinner + breast milk/formula supplement
7:00 PM Start the bedtime routine
7:30 PM Breast milk/formula and bedtime
Of course, this is the best-case scenario and it’s meant to give you an overall idea only.
If your baby likes to go to bed at 11 pm and sleep till 10 am, that’s fine. If they have 2 naps during the day (or even 4 short ones), that is also fine.
As their mom, you’re the one that knows what’s best for your kid, so make sure to follow your instinct.
7 months baby milestones
To wrap up the overview of the 7 months baby development, here’s what you can expect from your baby by the end of the month.
I still want to remind you that babies develop at a different rate so if you don’t meet all milestones from the list by the end of the month, give them some time, encourage them, or discuss with your pediatrician if you think there is ground for concern.
Social
- Recognizes familiar faces
- Shows fear/anxiety around strangers
- Enjoys looking at a mirror
- Responds to their name
Physical
- Sits without support
- Bounces on legs in a standing position
- Rolls over in both directions
- Passes items from one hand to another
- Tries to crawl (and may even be crawling already)
- Recognizes people and objects across the room
- Hold and drink from a cup
Verbal
- Strings vowels together (“ah”, “eh”, “oh”)
- Babbles using consonant sounds (“b”, “m”)
Cognitive
- Explores the world through touch and taste
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