The developmental milestones for a 7-9-month-old baby focus on significant physical, cognitive, and social growth. During this period, babies become increasingly active, curious, and interactive. This guide will cover a variety of topics to address expected developmental milestones and possible red flags for baby’s motor, feeding, sensory, communication, social and emotional, and sleep development. Some of the topics that will be discussed through video, written guides, and downloadable resources include:
Food texture progression: Introducing foods to a baby is an important developmental milestone, and understanding how to progress food textures helps support their oral motor skills and feeding confidence. Our guides will explain our preferred methods of introduction, how to progress through stages and textures, utensils and seating equipment, and ways to address red flags that may arise.
Spoon feeding: Teaching a baby to spoon-feed is a significant developmental milestone that involves patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement. Our guides will help parents navigate and understand if a child’s ready to start spoon feeding, which spoon is right, and how to set up the environment to support them the best.
Straw cup, open cup drinking: Teaching a baby to drink from a straw or cup is an important developmental step that encourages oral motor skills, coordination, and independence. The guides will help parents determine when and how to introduce both forms of drinking, which types of straws and cups to use, and which cups and products to avoid.
Crawling + transitions: During the 7-9 month period, motor development undergoes significant advancements, particularly in the area of gross motor skills like crawling that support exploration and interaction. Our guides will help parents to understand the correct progression and positioning for crawling, prerequisite skills for crawling, and other related gross motor milestones with a focus on encouraging and supporting it through play.
Sleep posture + hygiene: Ensuring proper sleep posture for babies is essential for their safety and well-being. Sleep postures can also provide a lot of information about other areas of development or symptoms that can be addressed, the guide will walk you through all of this. Sleep hygiene refers to a set of practices and habits that create the ideal conditions for getting consistent, high-quality sleep. It involves behavioral, environmental, and lifestyle adjustments aimed at supporting the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Good sleep hygiene helps improve overall health, cognitive function, mood, and energy levels. Our guides will help parents develop and facilitate sleep schedules, a sleep friendly environment, and bedtime routines that work for their household while also supporting optimal development.
Variety of movements for sensory development: Sensory development in babies is the process by which they learn to interpret and respond to information from their environment through their five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell, as well as body awareness (proprioception) and balance (vestibular system). This development begins in the womb and progresses rapidly during the first year, laying the foundation for physical, cognitive, and emotional growth. Occupational therapists are experts in sensory development, our guides will help parents navigate sensory development in a play based and feasible manner to set their child up for optimal sensory processing skills, improving their ability to explore, learn, and engage throughout their life.
Oral habits: Oral habits in babies are natural behaviors that help with exploration, self-soothing, and development. Babies use their mouths as a primary way to learn about the world and meet their needs. While most oral habits are normal and temporary, understanding them helps parents know what to expect and when intervention might be necessary, our guides will provide the information and resources necessary for that!
Baby sign language: Baby sign language is a way for parents and caregivers to communicate with babies before they can speak. By teaching simple signs, babies can express their needs, feelings, and desires through gestures, which can help reduce frustration and strengthen the parent-child bond. Our guides will teach when and how to introduce and utilize baby sign, as well as which signs are most helpful and common based on age and developmental abilities.