Introduction
Mumma, Dada, did you know that by the end of my seventh month, I’m learning and doing so many new things? Here’s what I’ve been up to:
The Benefits of My Early Development
Gross Motor Skills: I display good balance while seated without using my arms for support. I can bend forward and backward to reach for a nearby object. While sitting, I can rock and bounce on my bottom. I move with determination, using army crawling, sometimes with an object in one hand. I attempt to get up on my hands and knees to get into a crawling position.
Fine Motor Skills: I can hold two objects simultaneously, one in each hand, and I can bang them together. I can hold and manipulate an object while observing another one. I use a raking grasp with my index and middle fingers to rake nearby objects closer. I examine objects from different sides and perspectives, improving my understanding of their 3-dimensional attributes. I clap energetically and move my hands around to express excitement while seated.
Cognitive Development: I have a higher ability to focus and demonstrate curiosity about people. I recognize names and react when called. I react to seeing a picture of another baby with babbling and movement, associating the image with myself. I have a high propensity to taste, suck, and take everything to my mouth to better understand and explore the world.
Speech Development: I expand my variety of consonant and vowel syllables, but I often repeat the same syllable multiple times before moving on to another. I experiment with taking turns to talk, as if having an actual two-person conversation.
Sensory Development: I feel curious about hearing and pay close attention to subtle sounds like the ticking of a clock.
Self-Care: I begin to develop a strong preference for different food tastes.
Social-Emotional Development: I experience separation anxiety, triggered by my new understanding that you and I are separate entities. I realize you might leave me periodically. I start to learn very basic manipulative behaviors to get a reaction from you (e.g., dropping a spoon to make someone pick it up). I maintain interest in playing for longer periods of time with an increased level of engagement. I wave goodbye (between months 7 and 10).
Types of my developmental milestones
Other Development Highlights: I experiment with my hands, moving them in different ways, grasping, and dropping objects. My visual acuity is approaching that of an adult. I often express separation anxiety through fear of strangers or any separation from you, Mumma. My character and personality started to emerge more clearly this month. I might feel compassion when someone cries; occasionally, I might join in crying or may imitate someone’s mood. I push away or reject something unwanted. I reject forms of confinement (i.e., confined play yards).
Additional Physical Development: I start to use my thumb to grasp various objects in addition to my index and other fingers. I can do a full 360-degree roll over onto my sides. I can stand on my legs while taking my full body weight on them while holding a support object to balance. I have good body balance and can bend forward to pick up an item and come back to the original position. I extend forward from a sitting posture by stretching my body to reach slightly away objects. I use my index finger and thumb to pick up tiny objects of grain size.
Additional Cognitive Development: I am able to focus on objects and people when introduced and engage independently with objects. I start to show a strong preference for certain foods and express it with facial expressions. I am able to anticipate the movement of falling objects and track them from top to bottom.
Additional Communication Development: I babble the same words in a chain manner and also do differential babbles like "babadadada," etc. I communicate protest by crying when something is snatched, hidden, or not reachable. My protest ends as soon as my demand is fulfilled. I babble by taking turns acting like a conversation when spoken to while making good eye contact. I begin to combine consonants (like B, T, G, H, etc.) during babbling and repeat them multiple times.
Additional Social and Emotional Development: I show separation anxiety when you move out of sight. My personality traits are starting to show more clearly. I empathize when someone is in pain or crying and may sometimes join in as well. I push away or reject unwanted things or food by moving my face away, thus learning to make choices. I look out for social engagements, liking to be picked up, hugged, kissed, placed on your chest, etc.
Conclusion
Research shows that these early developmental milestones are crucial for my growth and learning. According to studies in Pediatrics and Infant Behavior & Development, engaging with me through talking, playing, and responding to my needs helps enhance my cognitive, motor, and social-emotional development.
Maa and Daddy, your love and interaction play a significant role in my development. Keep talking, playing, and cuddling with me, and watch how I grow and learn every day!
