The baby is 7 months old

A 7-month-old child is a baby who is most likely cutting his first tooth, or rather his first two teeth. The order of teeth appearance is as follows: two lower, then a pair of upper, side teeth on top and bottom. Then come the molars, small "fangs" and again molars. Of course, this order is not standard for all babies without exception, each child is individual. Moreover, the famous period with gum irritation, whims, fever, diarrhea is also not obligatory during teething. Many children generally tolerate this phenomenon quite calmly, and sometimes the mother finds out about the tooth only during feeding, when she suddenly feels a "bite".

Before the first tooth appears, the gums may swell and turn red, but often the only sign of approaching "dental" problems is increased salivation and the baby's persistent desire to suck or gnaw on something. To prevent a 7-month-old child from satisfying his natural need with his own fingers or chewing on a diaper, you can alleviate his condition with special products - Bebident, Dentol. Previously popular methods - bagels, crackers, are not recommended to use to avoid the risk of crumbs and pieces getting into the child's windpipe. Today, there are many devices for these purposes on sale - rings with a cooling effect, special chewing toys. In order to prepare the baby for the process of normal chewing, to provide the body with natural protein, iron and amino acids, meat products are introduced into complementary foods - in the form of puree. You need to start accustoming your child to meat gradually, literally with a quarter of a teaspoon, increasing the portion every day. A 7-month-old child is a baby who is not just trying to sit down, but can already do it on his own. At first, he will fall a little on his side, but then he will learn to keep his body in balance. In addition to the fact that the child crawls well on his stomach, he tries to do the same on all fours, most often babies crawl the other way around - they crawl away, which amuses their parents a lot, but little by little they master other vectors, they begin to crawl head first. If the child does not want to master the "science" of crawling, do not rush to worry, it's just that each baby has his own way of developing and learning to move.

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Baby 7 months - height and weight

During this period, the baby gains about 500-600 grams of weight and 1.5-2 centimeters of height. By the eighth month, the body weight can be 8-9 kilograms, and the height is about 60-65 centimeters. If your child's parameters do not meet the standards, this should not be a cause for alarm. It is quite possible that the weight and height indicators are individual and related to a hereditary factor. The pediatrician observing the baby can also measure the head circumference, which by the seventh month should be about 32-43 centimeters, the chest according to the indicators should correspond to 44-45 centimeters. Of great value as a parameter of physiological development is the so-called "nutrition index", which is calculated as follows: add the shoulder circumference indicators, multiplying them by three, with the shin and thigh circumference indicators. Then subtract the height from the sum. The normal indicator is 20-25 centimeters. If the baby is measured and the index is below 20, this does not mean that the child is exhausted, perhaps he lacks some microelements that need to be introduced into complementary foods.

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Baby 7 months – movements and communication

In addition to the fact that the baby has learned to sit, his grasping skills are extremely developed. He drags literally everything that is within reach. Therefore, you should take care of the child's safety and remove all sharp, piercing, poisonous objects and substances away. Also, a blanket and pillows laid near the bed can be used to prevent bruises during falls, which are inevitable in any case. But a playpen is much more convenient and safer in this sense, which will be a kind of comfortable playground for the baby, where he can sit, crawl, and explore a variety of bright toys. By the way, such a portable playpen is also convenient because the mother can move it to the kitchen so as not to leave the child alone. At this age, the little person already understands what loneliness is and begins to violently protest against it. In any case, even without a playpen, you can’t leave a seven-month-old baby alone in the room; when getting acquainted with unknown territories, the baby can crawl anywhere and get hurt. In addition, the baby tries everything “by taste”, that is, pulls it into his mouth; during this period, and in the following months, he needs constant supervision.

The child's speech also develops every day. The speech apparatus becomes more perfect, a 7-month-old child is a real "orator" who pronounces not only inarticulate sounds, but also syllables - "da-da", "ma", "na". His speech becomes intonationally richer, the baby is able to express his emotions, both positive and negative - in the form of joyful exclamations or dissatisfied protests. The baby tries to imitate adults, so you need to talk to him more often in order to quickly form a speech skill. It is during this period that the foundations of the ability to intonationally express emotions in words and sounds are laid. Mom or dad should also monitor their own speech, it should be friendly, affectionate even in communication with each other. Often, adults think that the little member of the family is not yet able to understand the meaning of expressions and words, parents allow rude phrases and similar phrases. The baby really does not understand what semantic load words carry, but he absorbs everything emotionally, this is how his psyche and character are formed. It is important to remember that a 7-month-old child is a very sensitive creature, who, like a sponge, absorbs everything that the most important people in his life, mom and dad, do and say.

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Seven month old baby - nutrition and sleep

The baby's diet, in addition to mother's milk or formula in the case of artificial feeding, includes fruit or vegetable purees, juices with pulp. Only one type of complementary food should be given every day so that the baby's digestive system gets used to the innovations gradually, without overload. One meal, which previously consisted of drinking milk or seven, is replaced with vegetable or fruit complementary food. Then, starting from the second week of the eighth month, two meals of dairy food should be replaced. Also, the baby's menu can include the yolk of a boiled chicken egg, and even meat puree. Here is an approximate schedule and diet for a seven-month-old baby:

Morning, 6.00	Breast milk or formula	200 ml
Morning, 10.00	Puree of boiled vegetables Yolk of a boiled egg	200 g Half
Lunch, 14.00	Breast milk or formula	200ml
	Puree from boiled or steamed fruits	30 g
Evening, 18.00	Porridge with milk	200 ml
	Juice - fruit or vegetable	30 ml
Evening, 22.00	Breast milk or formula	200 ml

Vegetable puree can be combined with a meat dish, gradually adding mashed boiled meat to the vegetables. Meat products not only supply the child's body with useful substances, but also form chewing and swallowing skills, strengthening the muscles of the tongue, cheeks, and lips. The food should gradually become denser and harder. The baby should be fed in a sitting position, it is convenient to do this with a special chair with a table.

A 7-month-old baby is no longer the little "sleepyhead" who slept literally all day long at the age of two or three months. During the day, the baby should sleep three times for 1.5-2 hours. A daytime nap in the fresh air would be ideal, and compliance with the regimen depends on the desire and persistence of the parents themselves. If the mother does not postpone the baby's sleep by ten to twenty minutes each time, then the 7-month-old baby will fall asleep on time, accurate to the minute - this is how his body works. The same applies to night sleep, which should be at least 10-11 hours. If the child is healthy and active during the day, his appetite is normal, then at night the baby sleeps soundly and practically does not wake up. The only reason for maternal anxiety at night may be the child's desire to uncover and throw off the blanket. This problem is solved by regulating the temperature in the room, 22 - 24 C is a fairly comfortable temperature even for an uncovered child.

A 7 month old child should have the following skills:

• It is good to crawl on your stomach or on all fours.
• Be able to swing while on all fours (forward and backward).
• Lying on his back, he can lift his torso.
• Can hold toys in both hands and can connect hands.
• Actively explores his body, puts his hands and feet in his mouth.
• He can grab toys not only with his whole palm, but also with his fingers.
• Can respond to jokes and games with a smile or laughter.
• He looks at himself in the mirror with pleasure.
• Reacts to the strict tone and intonation of parents.
• He can search for an object not only with his eyes, but also with his actions.
• Can imitate sounds and repeat syllables.
• Pronounces syllables, usually with voiced consonants - "da", "na", "ma".
• He enjoys looking at pictures in books.
• Recognizes mom, dad, close people, turns his head towards them, points with his hand.
• Responds to his name.
• Plays with objects, not just rattles.
• Finds and shows an object at the request of parents.
• Begins to understand limitations and the words “no”, “you can”.