How to Stimulate a 7-Month-Old's Senses
At around the age of 7 months, your baby will be starting to roll over, sit up and grab hold of anything she likes the look of. As well as developing her fine motor skills, she is busy sharpening her five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. You have the chance to stimulate one or more of your baby's senses every time you interact with her. In addition, it is a great opportunity for valuable bonding time with your child.
Instructions
Show your baby books with large, brightly colored pictures to stimulate his sight. At 7 months, he will have much greater visual awareness and be able to focus and distinguish between more colors than he did a few months ago. Take him to lots of different places to give him many interesting things to look at and enjoy, such as the supermarket and the play park. Sit on the floor with your baby and roll a ball to him. He will track the movement with his eyes, which will improve his ability to focus. Hold a variety of objects in front of him to encourage him to reach out and hold them to help his hand-eye coordination. Chat to your baby constantly to stimulate her hearing. At 7 months, she is starting to learn basic communication skills and differentiating between different sounds. She may understand the word "no" and react to her own name. Encourage the noises she makes by saying them back to her. Introduce lots of new words that she can relate to items that are part of her everyday life, such as "doll," "book" and "milk." Engage your infant with story books and rhymes at all times of the day to help him hear the cadence of the spoken word, suggests Heidi Murkoff, the author of the bestselling pregnancy book "What to Expect When You're Expecting." Use funny voices and make animal noises to help keep him captivated. Introduce solid foods to your baby's diet, if you haven't already done so, to stimulate his taste and smell. Kids Health recommends introducing one new food at a time, and waiting a few days before trying the next. Expose him to a range of sweet and savory foods to help establish a varied, nutritious diet. Persevere with foods he may initially refuse, as it can take time for him to accept certain flavors. Give your baby lots of cuddles, caresses and kisses to make her feel safe and loved and stimulate her sense of touch. You can also introduce her to a wide range of textures, saying whether something is hard, soft, spongy or rough as you touch the object together. Take advantage of all opportunities to explore textures, both indoors and out. Murkoff recommends giving your baby a variety of household object to explore, such as plastic bowls, wooden spoons and cups in different sizes.
