You
The thrills of being a parent are a daily benefit of caring for baby, but that care takes energy and nearly all of your time. Fatigue is a common problem with new parents, but as baby’s sleeping schedule evens out and he sleeps through the night regularly, you will catch up on all those lost hours of sleep. Try to maintain a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and plenty of water. As much as you want to spend all of your free time cleaning and catching up on chores, try to catch a nap or go to bed early a few days a week.

Your Baby’s Development
He’s moving, moving, moving – everywhere. As baby grows stronger and his muscles develop you may notice changes in how he moves around a room. He is sitting up strong on his own now and that strength soon gives him wings, or in baby’s case, legs. He may start crawling as early as seven months, but even if he hasn’t master the crawl he is more mobile now than ever before. Baby-proofing is a must. Keep all small objects that can fit in baby’s mouth out of his reach. Lock cabinets with safety locks and shut doors to rooms you don’t want baby to access.

Your Baby’s Food
By now you’ve likely introduced a few new solid foods to baby, but his primary nutritional source should still be breast milk or formula. He won’t move off breast milk until at least 12 months – though many mothers choose to breastfeed beyond the first year. If you are formula feeding, there are new formulas for toddlers designed to provide the nutritional support growing, active toddlers need well beyond 12 months.

Around seven months of age your baby will start grabbing for the spoon or food on your plate. This means he is ready to start trying out finger foods. Finger foods are about more than nutrition. Grasping small pieces of food and bringing the food successfully to his mouth requires great neurological skill.

Your Baby’s Health Issues
There is no well visit this month, but baby is old enough for a flu shot, if applicable. His immune system is getting stronger, but it is far from being as strong as an adults. Keep baby away from anyone who is sick, especially people showing signs of the flu. Ask friends and family members to wash their hands before playing with baby or holding baby to reduce the risk of illness.

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