What Should 7-Month-Old Babies Be Doing?

At 7 months old, your baby can roll over and sit, move objects from hand to hand, babble, creep, and many other things.

Seven-month-old babies are more familiar with primary caregivers and learn to trust people who can fulfill their needs. At this stage, babies become experts at nonverbal communication, learning how to use various facial expressions, understanding how you feel, and responding with appropriate facial expressions. They also communicate by making different sounds and using syllables such as da-da. Below are a few common milestones that babies may achieve when they are 7 months of age.

• Babies are able to roll over and sit for a short period with their hands stretched forward for support. They love it if you make them stand.
• By this stage of baby development, babies are likely to show remarkable hand skills such as transferring objects from hand to hand, tearing paper, and banging objects on a table.
• Babies will try to put objects in their mouths, be able to eat a biscuit, and drink from a cup on their own. They gradually develop the ability to drink using a cup and eat with a spoon, becoming more independent during mealtimes.
• They can make polysyllabic babbling sounds and may respond to their name.
• Between the age of 5-7 months, you will see your baby's tooth buds emerging from their gums. During teething, they will drool more and become fussier than before.
• Seven-month-old babies learn to start creeping, crawling, and scooting.
• By 6-7 months of age, babies demonstrate strong head control in all positions. They become strong, independent sitters. They're ready for the next important skill, learning how to sit and get out of a sitting position independently.
• At this age, babies roll from their back to tummy and vice versa. They try to do push-ups in a way to move forward.
• Babies practice taking turns when talking to caregivers.
• They try to test cause and effect such as seeing what happens when shaking a toy.
• They are interested in looking in the mirror during their seventh month of age.
• They use sounds to express happiness, sadness, and anger at this age.
• Seven-month-old babies are able to find their toys when partially hidden. They also enjoy social playing at this age.
• They may be getting better at picking up things by using their thumb and pointer finger.
• At this age, your baby loves playing with you and enjoys games such as peekaboo, ringing bells, and finding toys.
• Babies who are 7 months of age show strong attachment to parents and other close family members or caregivers, but they still are a bit afraid of new faces. This might show up as separation anxiety and stranger anxiety, which are both a normal part of children's development around this age.

Sleeping schedule:

• Your 7-month-old should be napping a total of 2-3 hours per day plus sleeping 11-12 hours at night.
• At this age, some 7-month-olds can sleep through the night without feeding and take two to three naps during the day.
• Babies at this age stay awake between 2-3 hours at a time, on average.

Feeding schedule:

• At this age, babies should attempt to eat three meals a day. At 7 months old, your baby will likely be drinking 7-8 fluid ounces of formula or breast milk three to four times a day.
• They may start eating solid foods. Some babies will want to devour everything you put in front of them. Some will be a little picky about different tastes and textures and some may still not have the hang of it just yet. That's totally fine and normal. It's a learning process.
• Here are some new foods to consider in addition to breast milk or formula.
  • Iron-fortified baby cereals (rice, barley, and oats)
  • Pureed meat (fully cooked beef, pork, and chicken)
  • Pureed or strained fruits (bananas, pears, apples, and peaches)
  • Pureed or strained vegetables (well-cooked carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes)
  • Pureed tofu
• Pureed legumes (black beans, chickpeas, edamame, fava beans, black-eyed peas, lentils, and kidney beans)

Your baby's language, recognition, and social skills are coming along quickly, too. Encourage development with these easy activities.

• Chat with your baby every time you are together.
• Expose them to various sounds and help them locate their sources.
• Imitate sounds your baby makes and encourage them to do the same with sounds that you make.
• Provide quiet times when the radio and TV are not on, so your baby can just focus on you talking.
• Make a photo album of familiar faces and things; point and name the images to help your baby absorb new words.
• Read to your baby.