What can a 7 month old baby do?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vu Quoc Anh - Pediatrician - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.
There are many cases where some babies at 7 and a half months have not yet learned to sit while others have managed to sit up on their own at this stage. Therefore, the question of what a 7-month-old child can do is also of great interest to many parents and wants to learn.

1. What can a 7 month old baby do?

1.1. Gross motor Motor development in children 7 months old includes the following skills:
Begins to sit on their own, gradually becoming more stable. Practice crawling and know crawling proficiently afterwards. Can hold onto strong walls to get up. 1.2. Fine motor: Between 7-9 months, babies develop a number of more flexible movements, including:
Grab two objects and bang them together. Grab an object and switch it from one hand to the other. Any other finger and thumb can be used to pick up objects. 1.3. Language In terms of speech, the child will have an expression, such as:
Turns head towards the voice calling or talking. Babbling makes simple sounds, for example: grandma, dad, dad, mam... 1.4. Individual - social Some of the actions 7-9 months old children are able to do below are classified as individual - social groups:
Baby eats cake by himself. Likes to play with friends and family. Reach out for toys that are out of reach. Know how to wave or cheer when required. 1.5. Cognitive For neuro-cognitive development, children aged 7 to 9 months will:

Responds when called by name. Babies often hide their faces when they refuse (avoid eating). Cover your face with your hand when your loved one washes your face.

2. The risk of slow movement when the baby is 7 months old

Many parents find that a 7-month-old baby who can't crawl or a 7-and-a-half month old baby who can't sit up will start to worry that their baby has motor delays. According to doctors, sitting firmly or crawling is the basic movement of children from 7 to 9 months old. Therefore, children 7 months old but can not perform some common actions on their own is still not called abnormal. Parents should continue to let the baby practice sitting and crawling regularly to help the baby's back become stronger.
2.1. Rickets For the case of rickets - calcium deficiency, in addition to sitting unsteadily and not knowing how to crawl, the baby also has some of the following symptoms:
No teeth yet; Excessive sweating; Hair loss... Relatives should note that children with average weight and height, within normal limits, are also at risk of calcium deficiency, threatening rickets. The baby needs to be taken to the pediatrician for examination and prescribed calcium, vitamin D or zinc supplements if necessary.
2.2. Mental retardation There are many different causes and circumstances that cause children to have mental retardation. If a child has to live in an environment that lacks love as well as care and closeness from parents, especially during the first 3 years of life, there are many risks leading to this condition. Symptoms include:
No need to breastfeed. Babies sleep a lot, move less, cry little or no. Less responsive to noises or slow response. Children are slow to smile, slow to pay attention to surrounding stimuli. Slow motor development such as: slow rolling, crawling, sitting, walking, standing, speaking, chewing. Or lie down and watch your own hands move. Do not pick up dropped items. Too gentle, naive; or vice versa, too hyperactive, inattentive. In fact, children with mental retardation may develop normally until a certain age, usually before age 3, when there are signs of motor or other mental retardation, and vice versa. again. Therefore, if parents suspect that their child has mental retardation, parents need to take their child to a doctor and monitor them carefully to get accurate conclusions, from which timely and appropriate treatment intervention.
2.3. Cerebral palsy When a child is 6 months old or older and has the following signs, it can be suspected that the baby has cerebral palsy:
Does not recognize the mother; Difficulty eating; Not responding when called or asked; Cry a lot day and night. In addition, it is necessary to take the child to the pediatrician in the Rehabilitation or Pediatric Neurology room for examination immediately if the child shows the following signs:
Not rolling, unable to control the head and neck, lying on the stomach but not raising the head. Have spasms or stiff legs when standing. Two hands clenched, not knowing with grip.

3. Diet for 7 months old baby

According to nutrition experts, if you want your baby to develop comprehensively, the diet of a 7-month-old child can refer to the following:
Milk: About 500 ml/day, if the mother has enough milk, continue to give breastfed babies, only use more formula when mothers go to work or do not have enough milk. Flour: Eat 3 meals of powdered solid food a day, each meal includes 20g of rice flour + 20g of meat (or fish, eggs, shrimp, crab...) change during the day, note that green vegetables and fat must be added for the baby. Yogurt: Give your baby about 50g more a day to support digestion and should be taken at least 30 minutes after the main meal. Cheese: You can add cheese to porridge or morning powder to add calcium. Practice letting your baby try a little, then gradually increase and reduce meat or fat to avoid too greasy meals. Porridge: At this age, just give the baby porridge to eat weaning, stop when the baby doesn't like to eat anymore, no need to eat full and force the baby. Foods that can cause allergies (seafood, beef) and pork, not pureed, should be introduced to the baby slowly, little by little after 9 months of age so that the baby does not vomit.
Although sitting or crawling and some other movements are common in 7-9 months old baby, parents don't need to worry too much when they see that their 7-month-old baby is not yet able to crawl. Instead, it is advisable to spend time patiently and regularly practice for 7-and-a-half-month-old babies who do not know how to sit so that they become stronger. At the same time, pay attention to providing adequate nutrition for children to avoid deficiency or stunting. If it is found that the child has abnormal signs of motor-nerve development, it is necessary to take the child to a pediatric medical facility for examination and monitoring.
7-month-old babies need 5mg of elemental zinc/day to eat well, reach the correct height and weight and exceed the standard. Zinc plays a role in affecting most biological processes taking place in the body, especially the breakdown of nucleic acids, proteins... Organs in the body when zinc deficiency can lead to a There are a number of diseases such as neurological disorders, irritability, etc. Therefore, parents need to learn about the role of zinc and guide them to appropriate zinc supplements for their children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
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