The seventh month
Say goodbye to the days of leaving your baby on his playmat and knowing he will stay there. He is going to be on the move very soon, if he isn’t already … and it is time to think about baby proofing!
Don’t stress though, there are a few things he’ll have to learn before he stands up and runs away!
Firstly he’ll start to prefer tummy time - you might have already noticed that he deliberately rolls onto his belly to play. He can probably prop up on straight arms and reach out to play with his toys. The next step is to use his arms to pivot, and if he has already mastered moving in circles he’ll be going backward, then forward before long – doing what is called a ‘commando crawl’.
Not all babies ‘commando crawl’ though, some go straight to crawling on all fours and a few might do this already by seven months – they will usually give you some warning though, by rocking back and forth before they take off for good.
Your baby can probably sit unsupported now, but if she falls to the side she probably can’t save herself.
Feeding
Your little one might be getting into a more regular pattern with his feeds – probably only having feeds 3-4 hourly and maybe 4-6 hourly overnight. If your baby has a few teeth already you may receive a painful bite soon, if you haven’t already. You might want to nip that in the bud (excuse the pun). One way would be to remove your baby immediately and say ‘no, biting hurts mummy’.
Sleeping
These days your baby will be having most of their sleep at night. They might start having longer day sleeps (yay for all those catnappers!) and cutting back to just two a day. Your baby still might wake once or twice a night. If your baby is on the move you may start to find it difficult to keep her in the one spot as she falling off to sleep. This should settle down once the novelty of her newfound skill wears off.
More useful links:
Find a local store selling baby safe products in our directory
Find out more about baby-led weaning
Ask forum members how they stopped baby biting while breastfeeding
Please note: All babies are different, these are generic guides and aren’t a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact your health care provider.
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