Your Baby’s World Is Growing!

Your baby is ready to get moving. When a baby rocks back and forth on hands and knees, crawling isn’t too far off. Your baby is sitting up better as her lower back gets stronger. Soon, you’ll see her pushing up on her hands and knees and crawling or creeping across the floor. If your baby isn’t moving on her tummy yet, encourage her. Sit in front of her and put her favorite toy just out of reach. Praise her when she tries to get the toy.

Temper and Frustration: Normal Growing Pains

As your baby gets around more on his own, life is more exciting. It is also scary and frustrating.

Temper and frustration begin to show. Your baby moves into another room to explore and satisfy his curiosity. He doesn't see you, so he gets scared and starts to cry. If you leave the room, he begins to scream because he is frightened of being away from you. He might drop a toy out of sight. He screams with anger because he can't see it or get to it. He wants it back.

Temper and frustration are normal. Help your baby learn ways to deal with frustration. If your baby drops a toy, help him look for it. If you leave the room, tell your baby you will be back. Give him some extra cuddling during these bursts of independence.

Keeping Calm

When your baby is pulling leaves off your favorite plant — one by one — or smearing cereal in her hair, it’s hard to stay calm.

If tempting things such as houseplants and wastebaskets are left in your baby’s reach, she will explore them. The easiest way to keep her out of trouble, and you relaxed, is to put "do-not-touch" things where she can’t see or reach them.

Babies do things that are upsetting to parents, but they don’t do these things on purpose or to annoy you.

When your baby bangs toys together, it’s because she likes the noise. If it gets on your nerves, give her a quiet toy and take the noisy toys away.

Keep your baby safe. A baby can drown in 2 inches of water. Never leave your baby alone in or near a bathtub, toilet, pail of water, or pool — not even for a moment.

Remember, your baby is not doing anything to try to upset you. She’s busy learning about her world, and that learning can get messy and noisy. When you see things from your baby’s point of view, you will feel less stressed.

There are people who can help you talk over parenting challenges. Call your local helpline or Extension office to find out about parenting groups in your area. Also check out this Web site: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/state_partners.html.

What’s It Like to Be 7 Months Old?

How I Grow

• I creep on my stomach. I may even crawl. Move the crib mattress to the lowest position, so I can’t climb up and fall out.

• I also get around on my back by raising my behind and pushing with my feet.

• I balance myself and sit for a while with no support.

• I keep my legs straight when you put your hands under my arms and pull me up, and I try to stand by myself. Don’t be surprised if I fuss then because I don’t know how to sit down. Show me how to do it. It’s a little tricky to learn how to sit down again.

• Be careful not to lift me by the arms. My bones can still be easily dislocated. Lift me by putting your hands under my arms.

• I explore my body with my mouth and hands.

• I might keep my diaper dry for up to two hours.

• I may have some teeth.

• I feed myself finger foods — but I’m pretty messy!

• I play with a spoon and a cup, but I’m not good at using them yet.

• I used to hold things in a clumsy way. Now, I may hold things between my thumb and forefinger, moving things from hand to hand and turning them around. I like to play with nesting cups, plastic bowls, and small blocks.

• I turn my eyes and head to see you when you come in the room. If you think I might have a hearing problem, call the doctor.

How I Respond

• I want to be included in all family activities.

• I like to see and touch myself in the mirror.

• I get excited when I see a picture of a baby.

• I like to make things happen. I like to grab, shake, and bang things and put them in my mouth.

• I like toys that make noise — such as bells, music boxes, and rattles.

How I Understand

• I can focus better now, and I spend lots of time examining things.

• I can tell if something is near or far.

• I can tell when people are angry or happy by the way they look and talk.

• I can grab things and hold on to them, but letting loose is something I am just learning how to do. I may straighten my whole arm and fling things down because that is the only way that works for me right now.

How I Talk

• I imitate the sounds I hear. That’s how I learn.

• I say several sounds (such as ma, mi, da, di, and ba) — all in one breath.

• I watch your face when you talk to me. I may even try to put my hand in your mouth to see where the sound is coming from. I’m a smart kid!

How I Feel

• I may be afraid of strangers, so stay with me when they’re around. Allow extra time for me to get comfortable with a baby sitter or child care teacher. Gently tell me that you will be back, and then leave. It will take many months for me to learn that you really will come back.

• I feel strongly about what I want and don’t want to do.

• My sense of humor is starting to show. I feel playful, and I like to tease you. I may laugh if you pretend to eat from my spoon or when you do other silly things.

For more information on your baby's development, check out developmental milestones at the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/stages.cfm or the Centers for Disease Contol at http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/.

Play With Me: It Helps Me Learn

The Mirror: An Eyes and Hands Game

Purpose of game: Helps your baby learn how he looks.

How to play: Stand in front of a mirror with your baby and point to his reflection. Using his name, say, “I see Brandon. Where is Brandon? Find Brandon. Look at Brandon.” Encourage him to point to himself in the mirror.

Still sitting in front of the mirror, do the same thing with objects. Pick them up one at a time and move them behind your baby’s head. Name the objects, telling your baby something about them such as, “This is a ball, and it is round.”

Then ask your baby, “Where is the ball?” and encourage him to point to the mirror.

Your baby may enjoy sitting in front of a wall mirror and playing with his toys.

Games Show Your Baby He Can Make Things Happen

Your baby loves to throw things out of the high chair or over the side of the crib. He watches an object fall and listens to the sound it makes when it hits the floor. Your baby is exploring cause-and-effect relationships. He is trying to learn his effect on his world.

Help your baby play this game by giving him objects that fall differently, such as a:

• Washcloth
• Wooden spoon
• Plastic key
• Plastic container
• Rattle
• Ball

As your baby plays, talk about how the object falls and how the object lands. “Oh, look how slowly the washcloth fell, and it didn't even make a noise when it landed.”

Games Help Your Baby Learn to Crawl

Give your baby a reason to want to move. Place a favorite toy just outside your baby's reach. Help her wiggle to it. This is the first step in learning to crawl.

Whatever your child’s timetable, encourage her to move, explore, and be active. Whenever your baby moves around, it helps her get exercise and learn to crawl.

Be sure your home is baby-proofed!

You Are the Most Important Teacher

Researchers have found two types of play between parents and their children. One style is similar to a professor lecturing to a class. The other style is called “pingpong” because it's similar to a pingpong ball going back and forth between parent and child.

Lecturing doesn’t help babies learn. "Pingpong” is best.

To be a pingpong-type teacher, do this: When your baby giggles, you giggle. When your baby hands a block to you, hand two blocks back to her. When you do something, your baby will react to what you do.

The best learners have adults who spend time playing with them.

Feeding Your Baby

Your baby will probably be eating:

• Breast milk and/or formula when hungry — about 30 ounces a day

• Infant cereal mixed with liquid — several tablespoons twice a day

• Vegetables, pureed — 2 to 4 tablespoons daily (include green and yellow)

• Fruits, pureed — 2 to 4 tablespoons daily

Give your baby new foods one at a time. Don’t force a new food. If your baby doesn’t like it, put it away and try again the next day. It may take seven to 10 tries before your baby starts to like a food.

If your baby is interested, let him try to hold his own bottle or spoon. Also offer finger foods, such as crackers and dry cereal, so he will try to pick them up. It may take a while, but that’s OK. He’s learning a very important skill.

Your baby will be messy when he is first learning how to feed himself. Try not to become overly concerned about neatness now. A large plastic tablecloth under your baby’s chair will make cleanup easier.

Check for the circle of safety when buying baby food. Do not buy jars that have the circle pushed up. Listen for a pop when you open the baby food jar. That will tell you that you have broken the vacuum seal, and it is safe to feed baby.

Serve and feed your baby from a dish, not directly from the jar. Don’t put leftovers from the dish back in the jar. You can refrigerate the unused baby food in the jar for two to three days. After your baby begins to eat an entire jar in one meal, then you can feed him from the jar.

No sweet foods! Candy, sugar, presweetened cereal, sweet desserts (including baby desserts), fruit juices, fruit-flavored drinks, and soda pop are filled with empty calories. These foods should not be fed to your baby because they will spoil his appetite for healthy food. These foods also are harmful to your baby’s teeth. Do not add sugar, sweeteners, salt, butter, oil, or other seasonings to your baby’s food.

Keep your baby’s teeth healthy. Do not give your baby a bottle to drink in bed while he is going to sleep. Do not give your baby sugar-coated foods or put sweets on pacifiers.

About weaning: Some babies lose interest in nursing as they become more active. Some mothers decide to wean their babies from the breast about now. We recommend you continue breastfeeding at least until your baby is 12 months old, if you can. Check out these sources for more good reasons to continue breastfeeding: http://aap.org and http://lalecheleague.org.

When you decide to wean your baby, try to do it gradually — over several weeks. Replace the feeding in which he is least interested with a bottle or cup feeding. After a week or two, replace another feeding. Do this gradually until your baby is weaned. During weaning, give your baby extra hugs and kisses.

Building Good Food Habits

Did you ever stop to think why you don’t like some foods? Food habits are formed during childhood. If a variety of nutritious foods are offered in the early years, most children will eat a variety of foods throughout life.

Children copy their parents, brothers, and sisters. If your baby sees her family eating healthy foods, she probably will, too.

Ways to help your baby develop good eating habits:

• Make meals pleasant and relaxed.
• Feed her with the rest of the family.
• Feed her as much as she wants, but don’t force her to eat more than she wants.

Introduce foods one at a time. After you are sure your baby is not allergic to a new food, introduce another one. Over time, your baby will learn to like a variety of healthy foods. Use colorful foods to make eating more interesting. Give different textures to help develop chewing skills.

Prevent choking. Do not give your baby small, firm, and slippery foods such as peanuts, raisins, whole grapes, hard candy, popcorn, raw carrots, or hot dogs cut into circles. Some people think it’s OK to cut foods into small circles for babies to eat, but this is the perfect size to cover their windpipe and choke them. Do not cut foods into small circles.

Your Baby’s Eyes

Babies learn a lot by looking. Here are some facts about the eyes.

• It’s normal for infants’ eyes to look crossed momentarily during their first 18 months

• It takes time to develop binocularity, which means having both eyes work together. If your baby doesn’t seem to be getting better at having both eyes work together, talk to your doctor.

• Unless there is a problem, most children don’t see an eye specialist, which is called an ophthalmologist, until they are about 3½ years old.

Help your baby use her eyes:

• Play with your baby in ways that make her use both eyes and both sides of her body.
• Take your baby for walks so she can see different things. Zoos, parks, and museums are fun places for you and your baby to see new things.

Baby Shots Reminder

Baby shots, or immunizations, protect your infant against many serious diseases. The shots are so much safer than the diseases.

Vaccines work best when they are given at certain ages. Your child needs a series of shots. If you have missed shots, don’t worry. You can start now. Call your doctor or clinic. Many communities offer free immunizations. Check with your public health office.

Babies are scheduled for a series of shots that can be given anytime between 6 and 9 months old. This includes Hepatitis B, diphtheria, and flu, as well as polio. If you aren’t sure if your baby needs more shots now, call your doctor or clinic.

Attachment and Stranger Shyness

One of the most important things that babies do is become attached to their parents and other important adults in their lives. You’ll know that your baby is getting attached when he starts to cry when you leave. This does not mean that your baby is spoiled. It’s a sign of attachment. This will set the foundation for healthy relationships throughout his life.

Around 7 months of age, babies may start to respond differently to the people they know and the people they don’t. Your baby will talk, coo, and laugh with the people he sees every day. But when a stranger, perhaps even a grandparent, picks up your baby, he may be quiet or even scream.

This is normal. It’s a sign that your baby is picking up on the differences in people. Your baby is learning that not everyone is the same. He is likely to accept new people after he has spent some time with them and knows he can trust them.

Your baby is learning about good and bad feelings. Help him by talking about emotions. Say, “You fell over and are crying. You feel bad. Let me help you up. Now, you’re feeling better.” Learning about our emotions takes a long time. The first steps begin right now.

Your child’s tears may be hard to take. It will pull at your heartstrings to see your little one feeling such pain. But tears are a sign of healthy emotional growth. Your baby is reacting the same way you would when you trip over a bump in the sidewalk, fall down, and get drenched in the rain — all on an empty stomach.

Tears can be good medicine — they help us relieve tension, reduce stress, and get us ready to bounce back to feeling better in a short period of time. Tears help us deal with bumps in the road.

Language Games

Has your baby learned to blow air or to make a clicking sound with his tongue? These are two skills that are good for language development. These are difficult tasks, and may take a lot of practice.

Make a game of blowing air and clicking your tongue. Your child will probably try to imitate you.

Put a small ball on your baby’s highchair tray. Blow on the ball until it rolls toward him. Does your baby try to blow it back to you? Put the ball away when you have finished playing so that your baby doesn’t try to put it in his mouth and choke.

Touch-and-name games will help your baby become more aware of himself and his body. Touch different parts of your baby’s body and name them. Say, “This is Mike’s foot. Here is Mike’s nose. Where are Mike’s fingers? Here they are!!” Touch your own body parts and do the same thing. “Here’s Mommy’s nose. Here’s Daddy’s nose. Here’s Mike’s nose.”

Playing language games will help your child learn. As your baby’s language skills grow, so does his brain.

Storing Baby’s Toys

Your baby probably has some books and toys, and you need a good place to put them. There are several options.

Shelves or low bookcases make things easy for you and your baby to see and get. Arrange them so your baby can discover different books and toys on different days.

A large basket or a plastic laundry basket will keep everything in one place, and it will be easy to move.

A toy chest may make the room look neat, but it’s harder for your baby to explore. If you decide on a toy chest, look for these safety features:

• A lightweight lid that your baby can lift
• Air holes, in case your child climbs inside
• Slow-release hinges, so fingers don’t get pinched — and so the lid can’t drop suddenly on your child’s head.
• Closings that don’t lock automatically
• No splinters or sharp metal edges

Sun Safety: Baby Skin Is Delicate and Burns Easily

Babies need fresh air and light, but too much sun can be harmful. Researchers have found that severe sunburns in childhood can lead to greater risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, later in life.

Here are some simple steps to help you and your baby enjoy the sun safely:

• Stay out of the sun from 10 am to 3 pm, when the sun’s rays are strongest.

• Keep your baby in the shade. If you use a stroller, keep the sun shade on.

• Put a hat on your baby, and dress him in lightweight clothes that cover her body. Dress like that yourself.

• Before 6 months keep your baby out of the sun. After 6 months, always put a sunscreen lotion with a 30 or higher sun protection factor (SPF) on your baby and yourself when you’ll be in the sun. Test a small area of your baby’s skin to test for a reaction before applying all over. Re-apply every two hours.

• If you or your baby gets sunburned, put cool, wet towels on the burns. If a fever or blisters develop, call the doctor.

Mom and Dad

Your baby needs lots of love and attention. It’s also important to find time to nurture yourself and your relationship with your partner.

Now that you are developing into loving and responsible parents and feeling more confident about parenting, find time for each other and for your hobbies, sports, reading, and other activities that revitalize and reconnect you. Healthy parents, who take time to keep themselves healthy are just what children need.

Who can watch the baby while you recharge and relax?

Family Violence Hurts Everyone

Women are victims of violence in about one out of six families nationally. Children, including babies, are affected by what they see, whether or not they are the direct targets of the abuse.

Seeing parents hit each other or shout at each other affects girls and boys differently. As teens and adults, boys who see parental hitting are more likely to be violent against women in their lives. Girls are more likely to seek out and tolerate abusive partners.

Children in violent homes learn that it is OK to hit the people they love. They also learn to solve family conflicts with violence.

Most families solve their disagreements by talking them out, not by hitting. When partners don’t agree, they can try to compromise, take turns doing what they want to do, or seek outside help to come up with a solution.

If you or someone you know is living in a violent home, think about the children. It’s against the law for people to hit each other, whether they are married or not. Abuse may be physical, emotional, sexual, or a combination of the three.

If you think you can’t protect yourself or your children, you need to get help. Get support and information from a telephone hotline, advocate, counselor, or trusted friend. You can call a national domestic violence prevention hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or 800-787-3224 (TTY) for help.

These people can help you:

• Find a safer way to stay in the relationship
• Leave the relationship or your home safely and find a new place where you will be safe
• Get help with housing, food, clothes, and other needs.

Another Baby?

Raising a baby is hard work. Raising two children can be a lot harder, especially if they are close in age.

Imagine trying to bathe an active 2-year-old while your newborn is crying. Imagine how your 2-year-old will complain when you can’t give her the time you do now. You know how your baby can demand your attention whenever you want to talk on the phone. Imagine how the older one will feel when you have to ignore her to care for the new baby.

And how will you feel? Happy, we hope. But you may also feel worn out! That is why experts give this advice: If you want to have another baby, don’t do it too soon. Wait a while, at least until your baby is 2 years old or older. Research shows that siblings get along better when they are not too close in age.

There are many safe ways to prevent pregnancy. Talk with your doctor, clinic, or spiritual adviser before deciding what to do. You can also look under “Family Planning” in the yellow pages of your telephone book.

Planning your family takes effort on your part. But it can make life easier for you, and it can help you be a better parent.

Are You Talking with Other Parents?

When you’re out walking or shopping, you will see other parents and their babies.

Stop and talk. Ask questions. It’s fun to compare notes.

Ask how the baby has changed in the last one to two weeks. What is the latest thing she is learning? What is the baby’s favorite time of day? What does she seem to enjoy the most?

You will have your own questions, too. Other parents will have their own tricks for soothing a crying baby or making feeding easier. Ask about them.

Other parents are like you. They have learned a lot — and they love to talk about their babies!

Be Your Own Best Friend: Give Yourself a Pat on the Back

Remember how you felt just before your baby was born and during those first hectic months?

Now would be a good time to think about how your feelings as a parent have changed since that time.

Are you feeling more confident and relaxed about bringing up your baby? Are there still times that you feel unsure of yourself and guilty that you’re not being the perfect parent?

You know, there is no such thing as a perfect parent. We often expect too much from ourselves. It’s impossible to be patient, understanding, and loving all the time. We just try to do the best that we can.

Yet many parents feel guilty and discouraged if they don’t live up to their expections of parenting. They have a whole list of “shoulds,” such as:

"I should always put the baby’s needs ahead of mine."

"I should always have dinner ready when my partner comes home, no matter how tired I am."

What are some of your shoulds? Make a list. Try to fill in the following sentences. Just write down any thoughts that come to mind:

• A good mother should:
• When I’m tired, and my baby is cranky, I should:
• As a parent, I should always:

Where did you learn your shoulds? You might want to think about where they are coming from. Are they coming from your own parents or your friends?

Don’t be too tough on yourself. Instead of putting yourself down with your list of shoulds, try to accept your feelings and realize it’s not easy to be all things to all people, even little babies. Remember, too, that no one’s perfect. Be a good friend to yourself.

Take Good Care of Your Back

• When you pick up your baby, bend from your knees and kneel or squat, keeping your back as straight as possible.

• Hold onto your baby, and straighten up from the knee-bend or squat position.

• Make your knees do the work, not your back.

• Do not bend over from your waist.

Want to Learn More about Child Care and Development?

Check out this Web site: http://www.zerotothree.org Zero to Three for Parents on development in the first three years of life.

If you have questions, contact your local Extension office. Find the nearest office at: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/state_partners.html.

When reading this newsletter, remember: Every baby is different. Children may do things earlier or later than described here. This newsletter gives equal space and time to both sexes. If we write he or she, we are talking about all babies.

Credits: This newsletter was adapted from Extension Just In Time Parenting Newsletters in California, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Tennessee, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.