Meat
- Trim the fat
and cook it thoroughly in water.
- Drain and purée finely
No spices, no salt.
- Start with one teaspoon
and build up to two or three spoonfuls a day.
7 to 12 months
Sitting up, crawling and teething
Your baby starts to move: rolling, sitting, crawling, pulling up, maybe a first step. Meals get more interesting, teeth arrive, and the house needs a fresh look at floor level.
Meals from seven months
By seven months your baby can move their jaw and the first teeth are coming through, so they are ready for more. Keep breastfeeding, and keep introducing one new food at a time, about four days apart.
Legumes
- Soak overnight
Lentils, foul and other beans.
- Boil thoroughly
then take the skins off.
- Purée
until smooth.
| Group | Good choices | How to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| Cereals | Rice, oatmeal, barley. Usually the first “solid” foods. | Buy a mix and add boiled water, or grind ¼ cup of grain (not instant oats) and simmer with a cup of water for 10 minutes, whisking all the time. |
| Vegetables | Green beans, carrots, peas, squash, sweet potato or yam. | Cook or steam until tender, then purée. |
| Fruit, raw | Banana, mango, avocado. | No cooking needed. Peel, remove the stone, and mash. |
| Fruit, cooked | Apples, pears. | Peel, core, cut up and cook in a little water until soft, then mash. Papaya may need steaming. |
| Fruit, baked | Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, prunes. | Bake, or soak and steam prunes. Remove skins and stones, then purée, adding plenty of water to prunes. |
If you are not sure about a food, ask your doctor or health visitor.
Helping them sleep
The same simple routine works: a warm bath, then some gentle play. If your baby still won’t settle, check whether they are hungry, whether something is uncomfortable, whether noise or bright light is bothering them, or whether they are in a light stage of sleep.
Teething
20milk teeth: 10 in each jaw
~6 monthswhen the first usually appear
~2½ yearswhen the last ones come through
Teeth begin to form during pregnancy, which is why the mother’s balanced diet matters. Each jaw gets four front teeth, two canines and four molars. The lower ones usually appear first, though the order varies. If no tooth has appeared by the end of the first year, see a doctor.
Signs of teething
- Swollen, inflamed gums.
- Lots of drooling and red cheeks.
- A slight cough.
- Biting anything within reach, chewing hard things, sucking fingers.
- Pain as a tooth breaks through, and a short temper.
What teething does not cause
Many mothers believe teething brings diarrhoea, fever and chest infections. There is no direct link, so don’t put those symptoms down to teething. Ask your doctor.
Easing the pain
- Rub the gum gently with a clean finger.
- Offer a rubber teething ring, chilled in the fridge first.
- Put Vaseline on a drool rash under the chin.
Caring for milk teeth
- Give calcium- and vitamin D-rich foods.
- Keep breastfeeding. Breast milk is rich in calcium.
- Clean the teeth with a soft brush in a gentle up-and-down movement, careful of the gums.
- Never let your baby fall asleep with a bottle in their mouth.
Milk teeth decay more easily than permanent ones, and neglecting them can harm the teeth that follow.
Dummies and thumb-sucking
Pacifiers
Pacifiers can affect the jaw and milk teeth, carry germs into the mouth and make crooked teeth more likely, so many parents avoid them.
Some health services say a pacifier at sleep time may lower the risk of sudden infant death, once breastfeeding is settled. Ask your doctor what suits your baby.
Finger sucking
Very normal. Babies spend their first months relying on sucking, and it can be a sign of worry or of missing the breast. Don’t scold, because that can add to their anxiety. Breastfeeding for two years, if you can, lessens the need. The habit usually fades quickly after weaning.
When does my baby start to remember?
- From birth
Knows the sound of your voice from the womb. A breastfed baby knows your smell within about a week.
- About 2 months
Recognises some people and simple actions. In one experiment, two-month-olds stuck out their tongues a day after a researcher had done it to them.
- A few months
Prefers familiar faces, such as yours and their father’s.
- 6 to 12 months
Can recall details: where toys are, what usually follows a meal, a bath or bedtime, and actions they saw a week ago.
- 14 to 18 months
Long-term memory of specific events begins.
Why babies still cry now
After six months they cry less, and you know most of the signs. They never stop altogether. The usual reasons at this stage:
- Teething pain.
- Upset over new foods. They come to enjoy them with time.
- “Mama, I want more attention.”
- Feeling you are paying them less attention, or missing you when you leave.
- Boredom while you do the housework. Leave age-suitable toys with them.
- Bumps and bruises as they start to move. Make the house safe.
Month by month
- Body
- Kicks, pushes, rolls both ways.
- Tries to pull up to stand, but can’t yet.
- Holds more than one toy. May crawl backwards.
- Talk
- Listens closely. First three-syllable sounds like “da-da-da”.
- Connect
- Knows you and the family. Upset if strangers pick them up.
- Body
- Sits without help and crawls.
- May stand holding furniture, but needs help to sit back down.
- Picks up small objects.
- Talk
- Knows some sounds (a cat’s meow) and starts to understand “yes” and “no”. Turns to their name.
- Connect
- Likes to be the centre of attention. Anxious around strangers. Imitates you.
- Body
- Tries to stand without holding on. Walks with support.
- Goes from standing to sitting. May crawl up stairs.
- May eat with a spoon. Waves bye-bye back.
- Talk
- May say a clear “Mama”. Copies many words without understanding them.
- Connect
- Objects loudly if you take a toy. May fear heights. Gets very upset when you leave.
- Body
- May stand alone and moves round furniture.
- Climbs onto chairs and up stairs.
- May drink from a cup. Plays with colourful blocks.
- Talk
- Understands more words. May say simple words with meaning. Point and mumble count as talking.
- Connect
- Loves peek-a-boo. Their character shows: bold and smiley, or shy. Answers “Where is Baba?” by pointing.
- Body
- Stands alone, bends down, squats.
- Climbs stairs. Crawls energetically, sometimes carrying a toy.
- Talk
- Follows simple requests such as “Give me the ball”.
- Connect
- A month of discovery: cupboards, drawers, bags, toy box. Loves books and turning pages. Knows what upsets you.
- Body
- Some walk. They fall often at first, and most still prefer to crawl.
- Look for a lost toy, try to take clothes off and climb furniture.
- Talk
- Three or four clear words such as Baba, Mama, Dada. Understands “come here”, “look”, “no”.
- Connect
- Wants independence, like a teenager in miniature. Notices when you are happy or upset. May put things up their nose.
Setting limits, gently
Around eleven months your baby needs to learn limits, but not harshly. If they pull the cat’s tail, move their hand away, look into their eyes and say, “Don’t do that, it hurts the cat.” Then show them how to stroke gently.
Their wish to explore is far stronger than their wish to listen. What looks like disobedience is curiosity.
Strangers and goodbyes
Around eight months, being surrounded by strangers upsets your baby, especially when tired. It is hard to watch, but let them feel a little upset, leave briefly and come back. It teaches them you always return, and that builds confidence.
Talk about everything
Name what you see, count the stairs as you climb, tell them the fruit, vegetables and colours in the shop. Answer their babble with “Really? How nice.”
Books and choices
Read picture books and ask them to point. Let them choose: red socks or blue socks, blocks or rings.
Play peek-a-boo
Cover your face and ask, “Where am I?” Then uncover it and say, “Here I am!”
See the house from floor level
Every new skill your baby learns needs a new precaution. Sit on the floor beside them and look at what they see. Then rearrange the house to match how they are growing.
Kitchen
The most dangerous room. If you can keep your child out, do.
- Push utensils to the back of the counter. Keep knives, forks and spoons out of reach.
- Don’t carry your baby while you cook. Keep hot drinks and hot pans well away.
- Cleaning liquids on a high shelf. Plastic bags, matches and sharp things out of reach.
- No tablecloth they can pull. Unplug appliances and keep them away from water.
- Wipe up spills and grease.
- Keep the fridge, washing machine and dryer firmly shut. A child can climb in.
Bathroom
Drowning is silent, can happen in a tiny amount of water, and takes seconds.
- Never leave a small child alone in the bath, even for one second.
- Get everything ready first. If you must leave, take your baby out, wrap them in a towel and take them with you.
- Empty the tub and every bucket straight away.
- Keep the toilet lid closed, or fit a lock. A baby’s head is the heaviest part of them.
- Test the water with a thermometer, about 37°C. Cold water first, then hot.
- Keep the bathroom door shut.
Bedroom
- A separate crib is better. A deeply sleeping mother can roll onto her baby.
- A comfortable room temperature, and no heater left on while they sleep.
- No pillow in the crib, and no bottle in their mouth as they fall asleep.
- Back to sleep, never on the tummy.
- Keep hard toys out of the cot. Lock away scissors and other sharp tools.
- Heavy furniture with rounded edges, so it can’t be pulled over.
- Watch for the day they can climb out of the crib.
Living areas
- Never leave them alone in a room with a fire, stove or fan on.
- Nobody smokes around your child.
- Lock windows. Keep chairs away from them. Tie up blind cords and ropes.
- Nothing small they can swallow: coins, nuts, pins, pen caps, small batteries, olives.
- Socket covers, and soft guards on sharp corners.
- A gate at the top and bottom of the stairs.
Garden
- Keep them away from sprayed areas, sharp-edged benches and animals.
- Never alone near a paddling pool, and empty it after use.
- Lock tools, chemicals and harmful plants away.
- Grass or sand under play areas. Teach them not to eat sand or weeds.
In the car
- A car seat that suits their age and weight, ideally fitted by a professional.
- Newborns go on the back seat, facing backwards. A lap is more dangerous than a seat.
- Doors locked, never leave them alone, shade from the sun.
- Check under and around the car before you drive. Toddlers sit by the tyres.
Out and about
- Never let go of their hand. If the stroller won’t fit, carry them or skip the shop.
- Use pedestrian crossings, not fast roads.
- Teach them, without scaring them, not to wander off or go with anyone.
- If you lose your child, contact the nearest police station straight away.
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