Your Baby’s Seventh Month - What Are the Things to Look Out For

During your baby's seventh month, he will build on skills he's slowly been learning. This means that his cognitive development will move along, his hand-eye coordination will improve, and you'll be able to interact more with your child. The following are things to look forward to:

Your baby will move to finger foods. Again, this doesn't mean you should stop breast-feeding altogether, as your baby will need milk up until he or she turns one. However, your child will be able to feed himself Cheerios or other small finger foods. This feeding will be messy, of course, but it will be fun and rewarding for your kid. Check with your doctor to make sure everything you feed Junior is safe and nutritious.

Your baby will make new noises. He or she may blow raspberries and make other "wet" noises. This will probably be entertaining and bring about many laughs.

Your baby will recognize voices. This is probably one of the most exciting parts of month seven. By this time, your child should recognize voices. If you start speaking across the room, your child may turn towards you as if listening. It doesn't mean he understands what you are saying or will be able to talk, but he will start paying attention. This gives you plenty of opportunities to interact with your baby.

Your child will imitate sounds. He or she is slowly learning the basic sounds of speech. Don't expect the first "Mama" or "Dada" just yet, but strings of "mamamama" aren't unusual. These are still babbling sounds, but the things that come from your kid's mouth should steadily become more complicated.

Your child will start playing games. Peek-a-boo is the most popular game at this age. Your child should respond to this type of stimulation. This will give you something new to do with the baby. Both of you will laugh during this game.

Your child can tell emotions apart. His or her emotional awareness goes beyond just fear or discomfort by now. In fact, your baby can likely tell how you are feeling based on the tone of your voice. If you are angry, happy, scared, hurt, sad, or excited, your child will know. Talk to your child constantly and their awareness will increase. You may also want to pay attention to his or her emotions. You should be able to tell by the expression on their face or the tone of their cry if they are upset, confused, or happy.