7 months

Recognition skills
Your baby now actively engages in hiding games. Place one of his favorite toys on the floor and cover it with a napkin. Pull the napkin off and say, "There it is!" Cover it again and repeat.

For more fun, hide an object under something and wait for him to discover it. It's one of the easiest ways to keep your baby occupied!

Your baby can remember that the jack-in-the-box pops up at the end of the song — yet he'll still laugh every time. He's also able to recognize different tones and inflections and may burst into tears if you speak harshly.

Stimulating toys and games
Because he likes predictability, your baby enjoys playing the same game or reading the same book over and over. In addition to patty-cake, try adding classics such as "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "This Little Piggy" to your repertoire.

Sippy time
Your baby may have already started feeding himself finger foods, although this can begin as late as 10 months. Once he reaches this stage, you can introduce a sippy cup.

Try giving him a cup with a spout and two handles. If your baby's getting frustrated that he can't get more liquid out of the sippy cup, remove the valve in the top of the cup. If your baby's having trouble figuring out how to suck through the spout, take the lid off the sippy cup and let him first drink straight from the cup (show him how to tip it back so the drink flows into his mouth).

Switching your baby to a cup sooner rather than later might make it easier for him to give up the bottle. If you're breastfeeding, you can even bypass the bottle altogether and go straight to a cup.

Seven-month-olds are learning to get around, although they don’t all do it in the same way. Your baby may creep, scoot, roll, crawl, or combine all four movements. You can encourage this new mobility by placing toys just out of your baby’s reach. Make sure baby is safe while exploring by putting away any toys or other objects that contain small or sharp pieces.

Because your baby can now sit unassisted and reach for and pick up toys, playtime involves a lot more independence than in months past. The ability to hold and drink from a cup, and possibly eat from a spoon, means that baby is also more independent at mealtimes.

Your 7-month-old should be strong enough now to hold himself up on his legs while supported. Practicing this skill will strengthen the muscles of your baby’s legs and help him get ready for walking.

Seventh Month Baby Milestones: Teething
Between your baby’s fifth and seventh month, you should see those first tiny tooth buds emerge from the gums. You’ll know your baby is teething because he’ll drool more and will probably be fussier than usual. To soothe gum discomfort, give your baby a cold washcloth or teething toy to chew on. Once the first few teeth have popped up, brush them daily with a soft baby toothbrush and water. Hold off on the toothpaste until your child is old enough to know not to swallow it, which will be around age 2.

You’ll probably see the bottom two teeth pop up first, followed by the two top middle teeth. The bottom and top two side teeth should fill in over the next three or four months. Don’t be alarmed if your baby is 7 months old and doesn’t have any teeth yet. Teething can vary widely from child to child. A few babies are born with teeth, while other babies don’t start teething until they are over a year old.

Seventh Month Baby Milestones: Eating
Your 7-month-old should have already started to eat solid foods. Now you can probably introduce chunkier foods -- mashed fruits and vegetables instead of pureed. Adding these thicker foods will help your baby adjust to new textures and learn how to chew. Anytime you introduce a new food, wait a few days before trying anything else and watch for signs of an allergy such as diarrhea, vomiting, rash, or wheezing.
Seven-month-olds are starting to understand the meaning of language. Your baby should respond when you say “no,” although babies at this age don’t always follow that command. You should also get a response -- at least a head turn -- whenever you say your baby’s name.

At seven months, babies are getting to be experts at nonverbal communication. They can make a wide variety of expressions with their face -- from big grins to frowns -- and they can understand how you’re feeling by the tone of your voice and your facial expressions. Your baby should also communicate vocally by making a lot of different sounds -- laughter, blowing bubbles or raspberries, and babbling in chains of consonants such as “da-da-da.”

A 7-month-old’s memory has developed significantly, and along with it comes the concept of object permanence. Just a few months ago, when you hid an object or your face during a game of peek-a-boo, your baby thought it was gone forever. Now, your baby realizes that people and objects still exist, even when they are hidden.

Object permanence means that when you are out of sight at work or running errands, you are not out of your baby’s mind. At seven months, your baby may start to have separation anxiety, crying and clinging to you whenever you try to leave or resisting being left with a babysitter. Because the familiar is more comfortable to your baby, stranger anxiety may also start to become an issue at this age.

Your baby will probably grow out of separation anxiety by age 2 or sooner. For now, try scheduling your departures when your baby has already napped and eaten and is less cranky to begin with. Keep your good-byes short and sweet, and ask your caregiver to distract your baby with a toy or book until you’re out the door. And don’t feel guilty -- your baby will likely stop crying a few minutes after you leave.

Tips for Your Baby’s Seventh Month:
Now that you’ve graduated to solid foods, make your baby part of family mealtimes by pushing the high chair up to the dinner table.
Make playtime a regular part of each day. Itsy-bitsy spider, peek-a-boo, this little piggy, and other staples from your own childhood are wonderful ways to have fun with your baby.

The biggest accomplishment for month 7 is that Little Miss Maggie can sit up all by herself. We were so excited. She has been building her core and doing lots of push ups while doing tummy time. She now flips over and back all the time. Here are more of her highlights:

* 5 bottles a day- 7 ounces
* Oatmeal plus a fruit or veggie twice a day- about four ounces of each
* 9 months clothes in most everything
* Size 3 diapers- Pampers Cruisers are her favorite
* She likes all food, nothing has been rejected yet.
* Watches Buster closely now. She is plotting to go after him.
* Sleeps 12 hours, 7:30 pm to 7- 8 pm.
* Loves books: Baby Bear, Baby Bear what do you see. Good Night Moon, Runaway Bunny.
* 2-3 naps, 30 min in morning, 1.5 hour in the afternoon, and sometimes a mini nap on the way home from Gloria's.
* Babbles and loves to hear herself squeel.

Every day she is more and more amazing and we love her so much.