Baby Feeding at Month 7
At 7 months, your baby should be eating both breastmilk/formula and solid foods. Breast milk or formula, however, should be the primary food.
Introduce one solid food at a time to understand what foods may react with your baby’s body. Rashes, vomiting and diarrhea indicate an adverse reaction.
Sleeping Habits at Month 7
Usually, your 7 months old sleeps for a total of 14 to 15 hours in a day. Of the total sleeping time, your baby will have 6-8 hours of uninterrupted night sleep, and about two to three naps during the day. Other infants however may wake up once or twice at night to feed.
Baby Development on the 7th Month
Growth and appearance
Your baby’s physical growth tends to slow down compared to previous months. At 7 months, your baby’s weight is likely to increase by below a pound o, and the head circumference will increase by 3/8 inch or less.
Associated Movement
Your baby’s motor skills are now blooming, promoting their independence.
Your child can now sit independently, maintaining a steady and straight back for balance. Other babies also put their arms on the sides to avoid falling over.
They also have better hand and finger coordination, enabling them to use the thumb and index finger to pick small items. The developed hand and finger coordination also improves their ability to transfer objects from one hand to another. Others can also hold an item in each of their hands.
Sensory Development
At 7 months, your baby’s vision is almost mature. They can track quicker movements with their eyes and trail moving objects closely. Their distant vision is especially developed, enabling your child to see distant persons and items more clearly.
Your baby’s hearing is also almost fully developed at 7 months. They are now more selective on the sounds they will react to.
Mental Development
Your 6 month old child continues to build on their language skills from listening to you and other as you speak. Your baby will also begin linking different sounds-consonants and vowels to make sounds.
Additionally, your little one begins to learn the art of conversation by following your pattern of speech. Your baby also understands what you say to them by listening to your tone.
Your child’s mental development improves greatly with your empowerment as they push limits to what they can achieve. Create a safe and secure environment as your child explores to promote growth and competence.
Social Development
At 6 months, your baby is more skilled using nonverbal communication-laughing, shrieking, cooing, squealing, and crying- to express themselves.
Your little one is also starting to experience stranger anxiety, usually at the peak during the 8th or the 9th month. Crying and clinging to you are signs of stranger apprehension that usually can show.
By the end of the 6th month, your baby may need some discipline because they start testing the boundaries you have created in their exploration. The discipline should be firm and consistent. Effective discipline should also be proactive, such as childproofing the house. The goal of disciplining an infant is not punishment, but ensuring their competence, happiness, and confidence in any social setting.
Vaccinations for Baby on the 7th Month
There are no scheduled immunization shots for 7-month-old babies.
7th Month Milestones for Baby
- Can distinguish strangers from loved ones
- Emulate patterns of speech
- Combine different sounds when babbling
- Start looking for dropped toys or objects
- The trace sounds beyond their field of vision
- Respond to sounds readily
- Track rapid movements visually
- They can transfer items from one hand to another
- Use both hands to pick small objects
- Have better thumb and finger motor skills
- Some can reach out with one hand when supporting themselves in a crawling position
- They can sit and look around
- They are learning to sit unsupported