7 – 9 Months Spiritual and Social Development

In months 7-9, your baby learns to think and solve problems. When the toy falls to the ground, he can look down to see where it goes, and starts to understand what is happening by following you and your actions. You should associate your actions with his behaviour and tell him, such as „do you want this toy, don’t you, here you go, get your toy…“ etc.

Your baby learns to express his feelings and wishes in these months. When he gets bored, cheerful or angry, he can tell you about it with the sounds he makes. You can also help him to express his feelings by describing the situation at that time; For example, if he was angry that you receive something from his hand, you might say, for example, „You are angry that I took the fork from your hand, but you can take this toy instead.“ When someone speaks to him, your baby starts to respond. The voices he makes are increasingly diversified in these months. He begins to respond to some of the movements you do, repeating the same; this is an important stage in the communication skill. You can repeat his actions and his voices, for example, if he is waving at you, you should wave and smile. If your baby is looking at a new and unknown object, you should point to that object and tell its name and what it does. For example, if he stares at the music box, you should say „This is a jukebox, when you do so, it plays music.“ This will contribute to the development of your baby’s speaking skills, as well as improve the communication between you.

One of the things that observing will be most excited for you is that your baby’s personality begins to become apparent in these months. Your baby likes a sound and moving environment or, on the contrary, he may enjoy silence and tranquility. He can get used to people he doesn’t know and get warm or he may not feel comfortable for a while. He might like to sit around and watch what is going on around him, or not sit around and want to be active and to participate in what’s happening. You can observe your baby to learn what he likes and prefers. It also shows you how to entertain him and teach him something.

Ensure him playing with the toys with push-buttons to feed his curiosity and the thrill of discovery; when he presses a button, it will support him to know why he hears a sound. Provide a safe environment where he can move freely to understand the consequences of his own actions.

Your baby learns many things by following you. Your attitude towards him is an important clue to your baby when a new person arrives. If you welcome the newcomer, your baby will feel comfortable. If you are nervous in any event, that your baby gets nervous is inevitable. Never forget that you are a model to your baby.

Many babies who have come to the 7th month can now sleep without waking up all night. For this habit to be formed in these months, try to ensure the right sleep habits of your baby. Creating a routine for bedtime and night sleep is an issue that requires patience for parents. If necessary, talk to your doctor about this and get suggestions.

Your baby may not like to move away from you in 8-9 months and may react by crying, even if it was not a problem in separating from you in previous months. Although he does not see the people he loves, he will learn that they continue to exist during this period. When you leave him, try not to be nervous so that he can continue to feel safe. Leave him with a series of routine behaviour, such as a song, a kiss or a hug. You can play a game that your baby loves before, together with the person who is going to stay and care for him (that could be his grandmother or babysitter) to make him feel relaxed. Do not forget to say goodbye to your baby in the end, if you can go without notice to him, he will worry about that you will suddenly disappear at any time.

Do not Forget:

Remember, each child is unique and shows its unique growth and developmental characteristics. Not all babies acquire exactly the same developmental characteristics at the same time. Premature infants also show these developments later than babies of the same age group. Thus, do not compare your baby with his peers and follow your baby relying on his own development line. Please talk to your doctor if your baby has not shown the expected improvement in these months.

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