Things You'll Need

Instructions

• Play peekaboo. When you reappear, your baby's delighted laugh signals both his enjoyment of the game and his sense of relief. He's just beginning to learn that you're still there, even if he can't see you.

• Let your baby help you turn off the light switch while you say "lights out." After a while he'll make the connection between the light being switched off and the room getting dark.

• Give your baby toys to play with that can be named easily: cup, telephone, doll, kitten, spoon, dog, block, rattle, banana or clown. Name each toy as he reaches for it.

• Have a play date with a baby your child's own age. Your baby will also enjoy watching older children play.

• Cut out large, colorful pictures from magazines: a telephone, a dog, an airplane, a spoon, a teddy bear. Then paste the pictures into a blank notebook. Sit your baby on your lap and "read" the pictures together.

• Try dropping games. Show him how to drop a hard ball into a large plastic bowl; he'll be intrigued and want to try it on his own.

• Let your baby be your guide when selecting activities: What new skills is he working on? What sorts of toys engage his attention? What makes him smile?
• If a particular activity seems stressful or frustrating, stop and give it a try another day.
• Remember that all babies develop at different speeds, usually with spurts and plateaus.
• Consult with your pediatrician if you have any concerns about your baby's development.

Life gets exciting with a seven-month old in the house. An infant at this stage is undergoing rapid developmental changes and parents can observe their little one learning new things every day. Cognitive, language and motor skills are all progressing as a baby starts to develop more of her own personality. Parents can monitor their baby and watch her reach milestones to know she is on track for a seven month old.

Cognitive Skills of a Seven-Month-Old
 
Babies use their toys to learn about cause and effect.
A seven-month-old baby is learning new things all the time. Parents can almost watch her little brain growing as she inspects her toys and concentrates on how they look and work. One of the main milestones a seven month old should acquire by the end of the month is object permanence. Up until this point, an infant believes that when something leaves her line of sight, it ceases to exist. With object permanence, the baby starts to understand that even though a toy, pet, or even mommy and daddy leave the room, they are still there and will eventually come back.

Parents who want to see if their baby understands object permanence can simply take a toy that the baby is playing with and place it under a scarf or light blanket. If the baby moves the blanket to retrieve the toy then she is starting to understand this concept.

Much of what a baby learns at this stage is cause and effect. According to "Cognitive Development" by Healthy Children, infants this age will experiment with whatever is available to them to figure out a pattern of cause and effect. For instance, a baby will shake a rattle and figure out that the movement of her hand is causing the sound. When she pushes the cow on her electronic toy, it says "moo." When she throws her spoon on the ground, Mommy picks it up. By repeating these things over and over, a baby's cognitive skills are progressing.