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Your Baby at 7 Months
By: Mary
By the time your baby is 7 months old, he will weigh between 14-18 pounds and be 25-28 inches long.
Your baby this month
Your baby is getting stronger each day! By now he can probably support some weight on his legs, and he may love to bounce up and down. His fine motor skills are also getting better each day. He may be able to scoop things up with one hand, and then transfer them between hands.
She will also start to babble more and more. She loves to bang pots and pans together and hear the effect of her actions (a loud bang!) Your baby may also begin rocking back and forth on her hands and knees, and may even start to move. If your baby isn’t crawling yet, they can still get around the house by rolling around.
Your baby may be getting his first tooth this month if he hasn’t already. Don’t be alarmed if your baby’s teeth come in crooked or with gaps between them, it is normal for this to happen and more often than not your baby’s teeth will straighten and get closer together by the time all of his baby teeth come in.
Your baby is learning how to test your boundaries and patience. He may start pulling on your hair, touching things that you have already told him no, or refuse to follow your directions. Don’t get frustrated, and remember that your baby can’t remember things for more than a few minutes at a time. A simple no, and redirection at this stage is all that is really appropriate.
Separation anxiety also goes to a peek at this age. To help ease your baby’s fear, play peek-a boo often with your baby, with you leaving the room and then popping back in. If you must leave the room that your baby is in, make sure that your baby can still hear you and you keep talking to them, reassuring them that everything is ok.
Baby games
Your baby is starting to actively play during hiding games, and will find a lot of delight in playing with a jack in a box. He will also love having a toy hidden under a blanket, and then pulling the blanket off of the toy.
If you place your baby in front of a mirror, disappear from the mirrors view and then reappear, your baby will be fascinated, and may even realize that you’re not inside the mirror and will turn around to see you.
Another fun game to play with your baby is pat-a-cake. Your baby loves repetition, so don’t be surprised if you end up playing the same game over and over again throughout the day. Balls, nesting cylinders, pop-up toys, and large dolls are also good games to play with your baby at this age.
Stuffed animals may also become a favorite of your baby’s, and one may come out as the favorite animal, or the security blanket. You may encounter a fight if you try to take this toy away from your baby, so don’t be surprised if you end up dragging around a drool filled stuffed dog all day long.
Nutrition
By this time, your baby is starting to eat solid foods. There are still some foods to stay away from, such as egg-whites, milk, citrus foods, and honey. Breast milk or formula is still an important part of your baby’s diet.
If your baby is breastfed, your baby should be eating between 4-6 times a day, maybe more often if your baby is a comfort nurser. Formula fed babies should be getting between 24 and 32 ounces of formula a day. Your baby should be getting between 1\4 and 1\3 cup of cereal a day. You may also want to give your baby around 4 tbsp of vegetables twice a day.
You may also want to start introducing juice to your baby. Four ounces a day is all that your baby needs. Make sure that you dilute your juice with half juice and half water. Your baby can also have yogurt at this age, and may even want to try some biter biscuits or Zwieback toast.
Iron is very important to your baby, so make sure that either your formula has iron, or if breastfed, that your baby eats an iron fortified cereal every day.
At the doctors
Most doctors do not have a well child visit at this age. Make sure that you call your doctor if you have any concerns about your baby.
Safety concerns
Now that your baby is mobile, there are more safety concerns. Make sure that all of your dressers, entertainment centers, and anything else that can be tipped over is securely attached to the wall. Most of the time, you can secure these items using an L-bracket.
Safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs are also important, to make sure that your baby doesn’t try to crawl up them or fall down them. Outlet covers are also important, since your baby is beginning to want to stick small objects into holes. Cords to lamps, televisions, computers and all other appliances should be kept out of baby’s reach.
Window locks are also important. Make sure that your baby can not close a door all the way, so that he does not get his fingers caught.
Keep all small objects away from your baby, and check his toys often to make sure that no small parts have fallen off. Vacuum your floor regularly to keep small, lose objects off of the floor. Keep hot objects, such as a cup of coffee, well out of your baby’s reach.
A good idea would be to get on your hands and knees and crawl around and see what your baby can get into. It may surprise you how many things there are for your baby to play with that may be dangerous to your child.
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