Is a 28 week old baby 7 months?

Your 28 week old baby is now seven months old and is a chattering, moving bundle of energy!

Your baby is probably enjoying her solids, working hard on learning to crawl and perhaps even starting to sit up.

At this age, some babies might already be pulling themselves up to stand, while others are still happy to roll around to get to where they want to go. These are normal variations of these typical developmental milestones.

Your 28 week old baby’s brain is also working hard, developing rapidly to power her towards standing upright and walking in the coming months.

You might notice an increase in appetite, changes to sleeping habits and periods of fussiness and frustration, as she develops new skills. Once she achieves them, she practices them endlessly, wiring the pathways in her brain and central nervous system as she prepares for the next stage. There is no rest for this rapidly developing body!

28 week old baby – Feeding

Although most babies take to solids with enthusiasm, some babies are not so keen. It’s important to keep in mind that the move to solid foods is a transitional stage that occurs during the second six months and babies make this journey at their own pace. If your baby shows no interest in solid food, don’t worry; she will eat in her own time.

Continue to involve her in family meal times and make foods available to her; simply remove what remains at the end of the meal without a fuss. Forcing her to eat will only create negative associations with food and lead to ongoing battles. Most babies start to become interested by around eight months and are eating a range of family foods by twelve months of age.

28 week old baby – Tongue Tie

If you find your baby is having difficulty with food – whether it is puréed, mashed or finger food – it is worth checking whether tongue tie is the problem. A restricted tongue can limit the movement needed to open the mouth widely, move food to the middle and then to the back of the mouth before swallowing.

A full range of tongue movement is required to form food into a compact mass for swallowing or to move food to the sides of the mouth to be chewed by gums and, later, by teeth.

Gagging, coughing or vomiting can be caused by inadequate tongue mobility and coordination while eating. If you are concerned, it is worth consulting a speech therapist, paediatric dentist or IBCLC lactation consultant, to have your baby’s tongue function assessed, especially if tongue or lip ties were an problem or concern during breastfeeding in the early days after birth.

To learn more about tongue tie, read our article What Is Tongue Tie – 8 Facts To Be Aware Of.

28 week old baby – Sleep and settling

With night waking still a regular thing for most seven month old babies, many parents turn to co-sleeping at this age, if they haven’t already.

You might be interested to learn about the benefits of co-sleeping for you and your baby. If so, read our article Babies And Co Sleep: The Benefits of Co Sleeping.

It’s easy to meet your baby’s night-time needs by sleeping with her next to, or in, your bed. This can override any previous concerns you had about sharing your sleep space.

If you are still worried, this is an article you might find reassuring: Sleeping With Baby – 13 Ways To Prevent SIDS

Bed-sharing allows you to doze or sleep while your baby breastfeeds and, now that your baby is older, she can latch and detach herself without your help. You might even sleep through some breastfeeds during the night! Provided you are still able to meet the guidelines for safe bed-sharing, co-sleeping could be the right option for your family.

Related reading: Co-Sleeping With Baby – Safe Co-Sleeping Tips.

28 week old baby – Fussy

Until the next Wonder Week, at 37 weeks, you might expect your 28 week old baby to be relatively settled. Unfortunately, the eruption of teeth around this time is likely to mean some distressed days and nights. By seven months, most babies will have one or two of their lower front teeth (incisors); the matching top ones usually appear by eight months. You might notice swollen, red gums, especially around the top teeth, as they get close to eruption.

28 week old baby – Teething

Your baby will appreciate cold things to bite and chew on; try chilled carrot sticks or teething toys. Even eating cold yogurt or fruit can help numb the discomfort. Toys labelled for teething don’t have any advantage over other toys or household objects your baby can hold and bite down on (obviously, though, be aware of choking hazards).

The shape and size of traditional teething toys, however,are often designed to fit more easily into sore parts of the mouth. Biting can ease the pressure in your baby’s gums and give relief.

Related reading: Teething Symptoms | 9 Signs Baby Is Teething.

28 week old baby – Play and developmental milestones

As your 28 week old baby builds strength in her hips and legs, in preparation for standing and walking, you might find a favourite game is jumping or bouncing up and down on your lap. It is fine to support her under her arms as your baby plays in this way; it will be some time before she will be fully able to support her own weight while standing.

At what age do babies crawl?

Your little one might be able to sit up unsupported, or perhaps use her hands occasionally to balance herself. When she can sit up and play, she will enjoy toys that she can move from hand to hand, bang together, shake and make move. She might become frustrated when her toys move out of arm’s reach but, as she learns to crawl, she will move, by herself, from a seated position onto all fours to go after them.

Although it’s tempting to retrieve out of reach toys for your baby, don’t always do it. This will keep her motivated to go crawling after them herself. Rolling toys will also encourage crawling and she will enjoy following their movement with her eyes.

Most babies learn to crawl by ten months, and some successfully do so by seven months. Give your baby plenty of opportunities for floor play; it will allow her to work through the developmental stages that lead to crawling.

Related reading: Teaching Baby To Crawl | 5 Easy Steps.

At what age do babies start talking?

Learning to communicate by language is a process that begins at birth, as babies observe those around them speaking. You will probably find your 28 week old baby listens intently when you speak to others; she might even add her own contributions.

She is learning the ‘speak and pause’ process of conversation and will enjoy games where you repeat sounds back to her, and pause for her to take her turn. By playing with different sound patterns, pitches and tones, you are helping your little one to wire her brain for the speech to come in her second year.

Related reading: When Do Babies Talk? Magical First Words.

As parents, your life is busy and you’re juggling so many things: meeting the needs of an active baby, doing night feeds and running a home, as well as paid work. It’s easy to become resentful about interrupted sleep as your baby gets older.

Although many ‘experts’ continue to perpetuate the outdated belief that babies should be sleeping through the night by a certain age, modern research shows this isn’t realistic; most babies will continue to wake for feeds at least once a night, until twelve months or beyond.

Related reading: Baby Sleep Myths | 4 Big Myths Busted.

If you would like to know more about infant sleep research in the 21st century, read our article 6 Awesome Baby Sleep Experts Worth Following.