Games to play with your 7 month old

Put a small ball on baby's high chair tray and blow on it until it rolls toward him. See if your baby can blow it back to you.

Now is also a good time to play the "touch and name" game. Touch different parts of baby's body and name them: "Here is Billy's nose. Where are Billy's fingers?" Touch parts of your own or your partner's body and do the same thing. "Here is Mommy's nose. Here is Daddy's nose. Here is Billy's nose." This game helps baby learn about herself and her body, understand the connection between words and objects, and practice speaking. Most infants cannot point to a named body part until about 18 months of age. But research shows beginning to play language games now will help your child learn quickly.

In the early months, baby held things in her hands in a single, clumsy way no matter how the object was shaped. Slowly, your child learned to hold different things in different ways. By now she may be able to hold things between her thumb and forefingers and turn them skillfully around. At first baby was interested in the size, shape, and texture of things. By now he may also want to know how things fit together. If a toy has several parts, it will hold his interest.

Give baby nesting cups (such as plastic measuring cups) to play with. Babies this age also like to put things into containers. Try small blocks and a bowl.

At 7 or 8 months most babies will put one thing down before picking up another. But baby is learning to use each hand by itself. She may be able to pass a toy from one hand to the other now. Soon baby will be able to hold two objects at the same time.

Around 9 months, baby will hold and compare two toys, bang them and try to fit them together, or put one inside the other.

Try this activity: Give baby a small object, such as a block. Then offer baby another. What does he do? Does baby move the first block from one hand to the other? Does he have a preferred hand (right- or left-handed)? Does he hold both blocks? After a while, offer baby a third block. This is a challenge! What does your baby do with the third block? Try it again in a week.