For you, life has suddenly gotten a whole lot busier. Not only are you likely on high alert with your baby’s new mobility and ability to bring things to their mouth, but you also are probably deeply entrenched in the process of introducing solid foods—a process that can be both fun and messy! “When it comes to development at this age, every baby is different,” says Marie Trace, MD, a specialist in developmental-behavioral pediatrics at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. “Each baby continues to expand on the skills they are learning in order to achieve the next step. But at this age, we expect that most babies can sit without support, support weight on their legs, reach out with both hands and use them symmetrically, and transfer objects from hand to hand.” Here is what else you need to know about your 7-month-old baby. From development, sleep, and feeding to safety and milestones, we cover it all. Read on to find out what you can expect this month.
7-Month-Old Baby Development
As your baby approaches the 7-month mark, it can help to think of this time in their life as a period of transition. Some babies will be crawling already and some will need more time to perfect this skill. Likewise, some babies may love eating solid foods and others might still prefer breastfeeding or taking a bottle. “At 7 months, your baby will be improving on the things they started developing at 6 months of age,” says Benjamin Levinson, MD, a primary care pediatrician with Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Typically, they can sit upright without support and should be able to move around the room whether that is just rolling around, creeping, or even crawling.” Many pediatricians, like Dr. Levinson, encourage parents to not get caught up on comparisons or to push their baby to hit milestones before they are ready. Your baby will develop at the pace that is right for them. Of course, if you are concerned about your baby’s growth and development, talk to their pediatrician. One of the highlights of your baby’s development at this age is how social they are becoming. They enjoy interacting with others—especially their family members—and often laugh and babble. Because this carefree and uninhibited joy is so contagious, you may find yourself laughing right along with them. “At 7 months, some babies are even beginning to respond to their own name,” adds Dr. Trace. “Although this is not a milestone that as a pediatrician or as a mother is talked about a lot, it is still an important social skill for kids to develop.” So, call your baby by name often. You also can use their name in games and while reading books as well. Most babies are delighted at the sound of their own name and will reward you with a huge grin.
7-Month Milestones
Once your baby reaches 7 months old, they are likely a lot more active than in months past and will require more hands-on care from you or others. They are becoming more mobile and exploring the world around them with their newfound skills. One of those skills that starts to emerge at this age is crawling. Although there isn’t a magical age when this skill emerges—and it may never emerge for some kids—most babies begin crawling in some form between 6 and 10 months of age. Some babies will crawl earlier, some will crawl later, and some will skip it altogether. You also may notice that your baby has a different type of crawling than you might have originally expected. In addition to more traditional crawling, it is completely normal to see babies use an army crawl, a backward crawl, a crab crawl, and even a scooting crawl. As long as your baby can move around and explore, you probably have nothing to worry about, says Dr. Trace. To promote movement, give your baby plenty of opportunities to explore the world around them. But be sure to stick to their nap and bedtime routines as best you can so that you both can get the rest you need. Most of your baby’s growth happens while they are sleeping. Another milestone your baby will expand on this month involves language and communication. Your baby will continue to babble as they did at 6 months, but they also may make specific sounds tied to emotions like happiness or frustration. They also will “talk” with you by making sounds, string vowel sounds together like “oh” and “ah” and babble consonant sounds like “mmm” and “bbb.” They may even recognize specific words like ball and dog. “At 7 months, we are expecting to hear vowel sounds and they should be starting with some consonant sounds,” says Dr. Trace. “There also is a clear response to sounds, noise, and visual stimulation.”
7-Month-Old Baby Food
During this month, you are likely continuing to introduce new foods and textures to your baby. But keep in mind, there is no rush. Some babies need time to adjust to the concept of solid foods. For this reason, many pediatricians recommend following your baby’s lead when it comes to eating. At this point in their life, most of their nutrition comes from breastmilk or formula (or a combination of both), so there is no need to push them into eating solids before they are ready. Instead, focus on having fun with it. “There is nothing more enjoyable than exploring food and allowing them to get messy,” says Dr. Trace. Allow your baby to experiment with self-feeding too. Even though they may not have the skills or coordination to feed themselves right now, giving them a few spoons with pureed food already loaded on it helps create autonomy and independence when it comes to eating. “By seven months, you are probably still expanding your baby’s diet and can offer some small, extremely soft finger foods because they do not yet have the pincer grasp,” says Dr. Levinson. “You also can start giving them greater quantities of food if they seem interested. And if your baby doesn’t seem to like baby food, it is OK to give them table food as long as it is soft enough.” You also can offer your baby a cup with some water. Even though they are getting all the fluids they need from breastmilk or formula, introducing a cup at this age allows them the opportunity to practice and makes the transition smoother when they get older. “It is also helpful to reintroduce foods that your baby did not like initially,” Dr. Levinson says. “Just wait a few days and try again.” It is important not to give up on a food if your baby dislikes it at first. With time, they may come to appreciate the flavor or texture. However, if after a few tries your baby still refuses the food, move on. There is no point in forcing a baby to eat something they do not like. It just causes frustration for both of you and makes mealtimes stressful instead of enjoyable.
7-Month-Old Baby Sleep
At this age, your baby probably has a more predictable sleeping schedule than they did in the first few months of their life, but there are still things that can disrupt their sleep at this age like teething, the beginnings of separation anxiety, and even waking up to practice developing skills. “It’s normal to see a change in their sleep cycle or how they fall asleep,” Dr. Trace says. But it’s also not something you should worry too much about. If your baby seems to be regressing with regard to sleep or if they are waking up quite a bit, you may want to talk to their pediatrician. It is possible that there is something else causing them to wake at night and they can help you identify what that is. If, however, you are just having sleep struggles in general, there are some things you can do to establish more consistent sleep, like developing a bedtime routine and putting them to bed earlier. Sometimes parents wait too long to put their baby to bed and by then the baby is overtired and has trouble falling asleep. “I recommend putting your baby in their crib while they are still awake but sleepy,” Dr. Levinson says. “If you put them down asleep, they will wake up scared when you are no longer with them.” It is also important to continue with safe sleep practices by always putting your baby to sleep on their back in a crib with a firm mattress. They should not have blankets, crib bumpers, or toys in the crib at this age. “Move the mattress down to the lowest level as they start trying to pull up,” Dr. Levinson says. “You also should still be following the ABCs of safe sleep (alone, back, crib) at this age and putting them down on their back.”
7-Month-Old Baby Schedule
During your baby’s awake times, you will notice that your baby is very curious and engaged. Your little one is also likely gearing up to become more mobile—if they aren’t already—so it is time to make sure your home is baby-proofed. Babies this age still explore their environment by bringing things to their mouth but they also are developing hand-eye coordination and will reach and grab for things quite a bit. These changes will require a lot more hands-on care from you. One way to keep your baby safe is to play with them on a regular basis during their wake windows, says Dr. Trace. While it is important to allow them some freedom to safely explore, this also is a good time to read books and play with toys together. “Typically at this age, babies will enjoy social play such as peek-a-boo,” she says. “They also are seeking out others’ eyes to make eye contact so they can smile.” You also can cover objects like a ball or stuffed animal with a blanket and then remove it. Because your baby is on the cusp of developing object permanence skills, they will delight in this game. “[Also] give them toys that involve movement so they can move around and get the toys,” says Dr. Levinson. “It is also helpful to have actual bedtime routines at this age if you have not established one already.”
7-Month-Old Health and Safety
Your baby may begin teething at this age if they have not done so already. Be prepared for this development by having pain reliever and teething toys on hand. Your pediatrician will advise how much pain reliever to use and how often. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t give your baby a pain reliever without discussing it with their pediatrician because dosing is often based on weight. “Babies this age are at an increased risk for falls, burns, and choking,” says Dr. Trace. “If you are holding a cup of coffee with a seven-month-old, they are going to be grabbing for that, so you need to be aware and avoid holding them with hot things in your hands.” You should also be sure your home is safe for your growing baby. In addition to baby-proofing your home, watch for things that your baby could grab or pull on, like hot pans and cords to blinds. Gate off unsafe areas like the cat litter box, dog food, and house plants and make sure you are using secure baby gates near stairs, around fireplaces, and other dangerous areas of your home. Finally, your baby should still be riding in a rear-facing car seat. You should check the car seat at this age to ensure that your baby has not outgrown it, that it is still in good working order, and that it is still securely installed in your vehicle.
7-Month-Old Baby Care Basics
In addition to introducing sold food and managing short windows of awake time between naps, you likely have a lot on your to-do list as your prepare for the next stages of your baby’s life. For instance, you may be busy with baby-proofing, car seat checks, and moving baby gates around. But now is not the time to resort to screen time as a way to carve a few minutes of me-time. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screens for children under 18 months, so it is best to put this option off for as long as you can. Instead, ask a friend or family member to help out when you need a break. And, if you are at home with your baby, make use of nap times to do something for yourself. As for other baby care details, you may find that you need to bathe your baby more frequently especially as they experiment with eating solid foods. You may find that they end up with as many peas in their hair as they do in their mouth. Along with that, you may experience some noticeable changes in their diapers as their menu expands. Most of what you experience will be normal—even green poo can be perfectly normal if your baby had a number of bright green vegetables that day. If anything seems out of the ordinary or concerning, a quick call to your child’s pediatrician may be all you need to alleviate your concerns.
7-Month-Old Baby Temperament
As your baby becomes more social, look for signs of their unique temperament, suggests Dr. Trace. Your 7-month-old’s personality is likely beginning to emerge and you will see signs of who they are at the core. “It’s important to recognize that your baby has a unique temperament that you can work to accommodate versus change,” she says. “This is good to know early on because there are times when your child’s temperament may require a little extra patience.” Some of their temperament is out of your control and you won’t able to change it, Dr. Trace adds. But this is not necessarily a bad thing. Recognizing your child’s unique temperament allows you to see who they are and can make you a better parent. “Instead of fighting against it, think about how you can work within your child’s temperament,” she says. “Some parents assume when things get challenging that they must be doing something wrong and then resolve to try harder. That’s why it is important to know there is already a piece there and that we are not creating their temperament with our parenting.” This knowledge can come in particularly handy if your baby shows signs of stubbornness or is bothered by certain textures. You can come to accept these traits and parent in a way that allows your child the freedom to be who they are. These early skills in recognizing your child’s uniqueness and studying what makes them tick will help you become a better parent and more in tune with your baby’s needs.
When to Call a Doctor
All babies develop at their own pace and it may be normal if your baby takes longer to meet certain milestones. However, reach out to you pediatrician if your baby is seems either very stiff or very floppy or doesn’t hold their head up in a seated position. Take note of how your little one interacts with family members, and call their doctor if they don’t seem interested in affection or cuddles or if they don’t smile, laugh, and babble. Get in touch with your pediatrician if your 7-month-old seems to have issues with vision or hearing. They should turn their head to follow a sound and they should be able to follow objects with their eyes.
A Word From Verywell
Your baby’s seventh month is often one of transition. They just passed the half-year mark not long ago and are continuing to work on perfecting both gross motor and fine motor skills this month. Soon they will not only be mobile but will also perfect their hand-eye coordination. Plus, add in all the communication and language skills they are developing and you have quite a busy baby on your hands. Of course, this can feel exhausting at times. But considering how engaging and curious your baby likely is at this stage, it can also be a very rewarding time too. After all, until your baby is fully crawling, you will have their full attention when playing and reading together. This time together not only strengthens your bond but can also be used to build a foundation for future skills like a love for books and family time. You also may notice that your baby gets sleepy around the same time each night. If so, that’s a good indication that they are ready for bed. Ultimately, you need to find what works best for your family and stick to that.
