The nurse assesses the hearing of a 7-month-old by clapping hands. what is the expected response?

Your baby is now growing up fast. They may well be sitting on their own, eating solid foods — although breastmilk or formula will still be their main source of nutrition — and understanding more about what you want from them. It's an exciting time to watch them grow.

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Your 7-month-old
How can I help my baby develop?
Where can I go for help?

Your 7-month-old

At some time between 5 and 7 months, you may well see the first tooth bud appear in your baby’s mouth, probably in the middle of their lower jaw. Don’t panic if your baby isn’t teething yet, it’s quite normal not to see a tooth until they reach 12 months. When teeth start to grow, expect a lot more drooling. You could then give your baby a teething ring to chew on to ease discomfort.

Your baby will likely be taking solids by now. They may be chewing, holding onto a bottle or putting food in their mouth. Try a variety of soft foods, but make sure you avoid cow’s and goat’s milk, honey, salt, sugar, butter or fruit juice. Don’t give your baby anything hard that they could choke on, such as nuts, seeds, raw carrots, celery sticks or chunks of apple.

A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.

Your baby's fine motor skills will be getting better. They will be able to pick up things with one hand, pass an object from one hand to the other, and may be able to clasp their hands together. They will be picking things up with their fingers and dragging objects towards them, then examining them closely, banging them together or putting them in their mouth.

By 7 months, many babies can sit unsupported — but you should still make sure they are surrounded by cushions for a soft landing. They will be able to turn around to reach something and may even be able to sit up themselves from lying on their stomach. They will be able to support some weight on their legs and will love bouncing up and down.

Some babies at 7 months can move around by crawling, rolling or shuffling. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to make sure their environment is safe by baby-proofing your house.

Their memory will also be getting much better. That means they will look for something when it’s covered or when it’s dropped on the floor. They will love a jack-in-the-box or pop-up books with stories they remember.

Their growing awareness means they understand more about what you want from them. They will get excited when you enter a room and will hate being apart from you — that’s often why they call for you in the middle of the night. It’s the start of separation anxiety and will fade as they grow older. They may also start testing your authority at this age and refusing to do what you ask. It doesn’t mean they are being bad; testing the boundaries like this is a normal part of their development.

Your baby will be babbling a lot and starting to mimic the sound of language. They may be saying ‘mama’ or ‘dada’, although they won’t really know what these words mean. They’ll be able to use noises to grab your attention and will use facial expressions like frowning or grinning to communicate with you.

How can I help my baby develop?

Playing with a 7-month-old is fun! Spend plenty of time reading together and talking about the pictures to help develop their imagination. Talk to them constantly, describing the world around them and telling them what you are doing around the house. Your baby will love spending time outdoors – but remember to keep them safe in the sun.

Babies at this age like things that are predictable, so they will love repetitive games like peek-a-boo, round and round the garden and pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake. They may also have a favourite soft toy by now, which you’ll need to take everywhere — just make sure you don't lose it!

Babies develop at different rates. When your baby reaches 7 months, talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if they:

aren’t starting to move at all
aren't showing any interest in or reaching for objects
don’t recognise you or a main carer
don’t turn towards quiet sounds
aren’t babbling or recognising sounds made by other people
don’t make eye contact
can’t be comforted by you or a main carer
hold their body stiff rather than trying to sit

Where can I go for help?

If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.

Last reviewed: October 2020

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Birth to five years ‘red flags’* developmental milestones chart for quick office reference

Age	Gross motor†	Fine motor	Speech-language	Cognitive	Social-emotional
Newborn	Moro, positive support primitive reflexes (3) Flexed posture (4)	Hand grasp primitive reflex (3)	Root, suck primitive reflexes (5) Orients to sound (6) Smiles to voice (6) Variable cries (6)	Visual focal length ∼10” (7) Turns to visual stimuli (8) Prefers human face (eyes), contrast, colours, high pitched voice (7,8)	Cries when infant cries (empathy) (8)
Two months	Head up 45° in prone (4)	Holds placed rattle (9)	Gurgles (6)	Follows horizontal arc (9)	Awake more during day (7)
Four months	Asymmetrical tonic neck primitive reflex (3) Lifts chest in prone (4)	Brings hands together in midline (4) Extends straight arms toward rattle, supine (9) Reaches and grasps rattle (9)	Coos (6)	Watches hands (8) Explores environment by looking around (8) Anticipates routines (7) Looks to find caregiver (7)	Calms when spoken to, picked up, sucking or looking (7,8) Enjoys eye contact (8) Facial expressions of joy, anger, sadness, distress, surprise (8) Self-soothes to sleep (7,8)
Six months	Primitive reflexes gone (3) Pulls to sit (4) Sits tripod (4)	Shakes rattle (9) Holds cube between two hands, holds one cube in each hand, ulnar-palmar grasp (4th and 5th fingers), radial-palmar grasp (1st and 2nd fingers) (9)	Looks toward person talking to him (6) Vocalizes to answer (5,6) Laughs (5,6)	Bangs objects together (10) Trial and error problem solving (8) Looks for dropped object (11)	Predictable schedule (7) Smiles to initiate engagement and respond (12) Back-and-forth engagement through facial expressions and eye contact; shares enjoyment (joyful looks) (12) Prefers familiar people (8) Shows interest in other infants (empathy) (8)
Nine months	Postural reflexes present (3) Rolls both ways (4) Sits well (4)	Transfers, radial-digital grasp (thumb with 1st and 2nd fingers, no palm), touches cheerio with finger, raking pincer grasp (9)	Looks to familiar named object, inhibits to ‘no’ (10) Vocalizes to initiate (6)	Object permanence (8) Explores caregiver’s face (8) Searches for hidden toy (8)	Attachment development established (8)
12 months	Gets to sit (4) Crawls‡ (4) Pulls to stand (4) Walks with one hand held (9) Catches rolling ball (9)	Pincer grasp (9) Voluntary cube release, into cup (9) Holds bottle (13)	Turns to name, understands routine commands (6) Babbles (6) or gestures intentionally for behaviour regulation (request: reach, point, up; refusal: push, arch away) and social interaction (attention seeking: move arms and legs; social game: imitate clapping; representational: bye-bye) (14)	Looks for object not seen hidden (8) Trial and error exploration (8,10) ‘Cause and effect’ toys (pushes button to see popup or pulls string to hear sounds) (8)	Plays pat-a-cake (14) Peekaboo (initiates by putting blanket over head) (10,14) Gives to infants (empathy) (8) Joint attention: gives or shows by extending object to comment (10,14)
18 months	Gets to standing, walks alone (narrow-based, heel-toe gait) (9) Walks up and down stairs, with railing (9)	Inserts shapes, stacks two to three cubes (9) Scribbles: fisted (9) Self-feeds (fingers) (13)	Follows one-step commands, points to six body parts (6,10) 15 Words: labels, requests combined with gesture (gives, takes hand to bring toward, object) (10,14) Claps from excitement, hugs stuffed animal (representational), shakes head ‘no’ (refusal) (14)	Follows visible displacements (11) Imitates using real props (sweeps with broom, bangs with hammer) (11) Functional object use (brushes own hair with brush, pushes toy car) (14)	Imitates peers (10) Joint attention: points to comment, seek information (14) Uses transitional object to self-calm (8) Temper tantrums (11)
24 months (Two years)	Runs, jumps, kicks (9) Throws ball overhand three feet forward (9) Walks up stairs marking time, no railing (9)	Copies vertical line (9) Stacks six cubes (9) Uses spoon, helps dress (13)	50 words, two-word phrases (10) Talks instead of gestures (5) Nods ‘yes,’ blows kisses, ‘shh’, ‘highfive’ (representation) (14) Speech 50% intelligible to strangers (5)	Symbolic representation, simple pretend (toy broom, toy cup to self/doll, pushes car to work) (8) Strategies without rehearsal (11) Tries to make toys work (8)	Social referencing (8) Comforts others (empathy) (8) Joint attention: points to clarify word approximations (14) Parallel play (8) ‘No’, ‘Mine’ (8)
36 months (Three years)	Pedals tricycle (11) Walks down stairs marking time, no railing (9) Walks up stairs alternating feet, no railing (9)	Copies horizontal line, circle (9) Stacks 10 cubes (9) Uses spoon well and fork, drinks from open cup, removes socks and shoes, undresses, indicates voided (13)	Follows two-step commands (6) Three to four word sentences, sequential narratives (5,6) What, who, where, why? (5) Speech 75% intelligible (5)	Object constancy (7,8), symbolic pretend play (stick as broom, doll feeds self block, gives car gas then washes windows) (8) Names one colour, counts two objects, sorts shapes, completes three-four piece puzzle, compares two items (‘bigger’) (10,11)	Separates easily, initiates peer interactions, shares (7,8,10) Role play (eg, ‘house’, ‘doctor’) (8) Understands rules (8)
48 months (Four years)	Hops (9) Walks down stairs alternating feet, no railing (9) Walks backward in line (9)	Copies cross, draws two-to-four-part person (7,9) Cuts paper in half (9) Dresses no buttons, indicates need to void (13)	Follows three-step commands (6) Complex sentences (5) Reports on past events, creates imaginary roles (5) Word play, jokes, teasing (6)	Theory of mind, time concept (8) Generalizes rules (8) Self-talks to problem solve (8) Counts four objects, understands opposites (7,8)	Preferred friend (8) Offers sympathy to peers (empathy) (8) Elaborate fantasy play (eg, ‘superhero’) (7,8) Usually compliant (8)
60 months (Five years)	Catches ball (9) Balance one foot 10 s (9) Sit-ups (9) Skips (9)	Copies square, draws 10-part person, colours between lines, tripod pencil grasp (7,9) Washes and dries hands thoroughly (13)	Recalls parts of a story (7) Narratives have plot (5) Future tense (6) Speech 100% intelligible (5)	Names four colours (7) Preliteracy/numeracy/writing skills: rhymes (5), counts 10 objects (7), writes name (5)	Plays away from parent, more elaborate discussion of emotions (6,8) Insists on group rules (7)