Your 7-month-old is busy rapidly developing many skills he needs to carry him through the rest of his life. You may be delighted to hear that some of his babbles sound like words or surprised to one day enter his room and see that he has learned to stand upright in his crib. All 7-month-old babies are different and they reach important milestones at different times, but BabyCenter.com says that most follow a similar pattern.
Communication
Your 7-month-old will be able to communicate with you in a variety of ways, including facial expressions, sounds and gestures, says the Mayo Clinic. You will likely hear her laugh, squeal and babble in chains of sounds including "ba-ba," "ma-ma" and "da-da," according to the Mayo Clinic. She may turn in response to her name and she may be able to distinguish the emotional difference between different tones of voice.
Motor Skills
Your 7-month-old should be able to roll over in both directions, scoot and rock back and forth. He may also be able to sit up on his own, crawl across the room or pull himself up to stand with the help of furniture, but many babies don't hit these milestones until later on, says the Mayo Clinic. Your baby is also working on his fine motor skills. He should be able to touch, grab, drop, pick up, sort and stack objects, says WhattoExpect.com.
Cognitive Skills
Your baby may get a kick out of games like peek-a-boo because she's beginning to pick up a skill called object permanence, which means she understands that objects she can't see can still exist, according to BabyCenter.com. However, now that she grasps object permanence, she may cry every time you leave her sight because she can picture and miss you and she hasn't developed the capacity to know if and when you'll come back. This phase, known as separation anxiety, is common and fleeting.
Teething
If your 7-month-old doesn't have any teeth yet, expect his first pearly white to enter sometime soon. The tooth that tends to emerge first is one of the middle lower teeth, according to the Mayo Clinic. Teething babies commonly drool more than usual and chew on anything they can get their gums on. Offer him a teething ring or a chilled, wet washcloth for chewing, says the Mayo Clinic.
Signs of Delays
You may notice that your baby has reached many milestones ahead of her 7-month-old peers but she might also be lagging behind them in other ways. She is most likely right on track. However, the Mayo Clinic recommends contacting your pediatrician if you're concerned about her development or if she displays warning signs of delayed development, including lack of interest in movements such as rolling over and sitting; inability to bear any weight on her legs; lack of response to visual cues or sounds; not reaching for objects or putting them in her mouth; not making eye contact; no babbling, cooing or imitating common sounds.
Tip
If your baby was born prematurely, he is likely to meet his milestones at an age adjusted to his actual due date. That is, if your 7-month-old was born 2 months early, he should only be at about the developmental level of a 5-month-old, according to BabyCenter.com.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Infant development: What happens from 7 to 9 months?
- What to Expect: Your 7-Month-Old Baby: The Love of Repetition
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Developmental Milestones: 7 Months
- BabyCenter: What's normal development for your premature baby?
- BabyCenter: Your 7-month-old's development
