Baby Development at 7 Months old

• Talking to your baby, playing and singing together helps with brain and body development and communication skills
• Clapping and action rhymes help to develop co-ordination
• Standing or bouncing baby on your lap helps develop and strengthen muscles
• Quiet time to play and to look around will give your baby space to absorb and make sense of the world

Sitting up, laughing and giggling, ‘eating’ everything, picking up small objects - how clever your baby is! What did your baby get up to today? Don’t forget to record the details.

It's all too easy for parents to worry, but try not to fret about whether your baby is reaching all the developmental milestones at the ‘right’ time. Every baby is different, and your baby will probably be ahead of others in some things and behind in others. One baby may be walking at 10 months; another may still be crawling at 15 months. Remember, it’s not a race. The key is taking the time to enjoy every stage as it comes!

This is the perfect time to start introducing foods with more texture. Learning to chew is important for babies’ development (and has an effect on speech development, too). Babies can chew quite well even if they have no teeth. However, it can be a little stressful for you at first, as your baby might spit out the lumps or even cough them back up to have another chew at them!

HiPP Organic Stage 2 varieties from 7 months contain just the right sort of small soft lumps for babies who are learning to chew.

At this age, you'll want to make sure you are giving your baby some foods that are rich in iron. This is important, because the stores of iron babies are born with run out when they are about 6 months old. To improve iron absorption, you can give a food or drink that's rich in vitamin C, such as fruit or diluted fruit juice, along with an iron-rich meal.

Follow-on milk is fortified with vitamins and minerals, so it's another good way to make sure your baby is getting enough iron. Find out more about HiPP Organic Follow-on Milk.

Mums should think about whether they’re getting enough iron, too (most women under 50 aren’t). Did you know that drinking tea with meals REDUCES the absorption of any iron in that meal? So if you're trying to make the most of the iron you consume, it might be best to put off that morning cuppa until an hour or so after you've had your cereal.

If your baby is enjoying three meals a day, you can try dropping one milk feed and offering water or diluted fruit juice in a cup or beaker instead. There’s no need to boil tap water for babies over 6 months, unless you are using it to make up milk feeds.

We've got lots of great ideas for foods for your baby - and advice on what quantities to give - on our handy, downloadable HiPP Organic weaning chart.