Development of a 7-Week-Old

Your 7-week-old still has many characteristics of a newborn, but he is developing at a rapid pace. With every passing day he meets new milestones and his personality shines through a little more. Knowing what to expect at his 7th week will help you assess his progress, but keep in mind that all babies develop at their own pace and if your baby was born early he may need extra time to meet milestones, says BabyCenter.com.

Your 7-week-old baby may be able to lift his head for brief periods. (Image: Purestock/Purestock/Getty Images)

Physical Growth

By now, your baby should have already regained her birth weight and gained a little extra on top of that. At this point, she should be gain about 2/3 oz. every day and grow between 1 and 1-1/2 inches every month, says KidsHealth, part of the Nemours Foundation. And although you can't see it, her brain is growing rapidly: it will grow about 5cm in her first 3 months, according to BabyCenter.com.

Gross Motor Skills

Your 7-week-old is less likely to appear curled up as he did when he was first born and more likely to seem steady and alert when he's held upright, according to BabyCentre.co.uk. He may even be able to lift his head and chest for brief periods of time when he's lying on his stomach, and soon he should be able to roll from his stomach to his back or vice versa.

Fine Motor Skills

When your baby was first born her hands were mostly clenched, but by your baby's 7th week they should be mostly open. She's not able to grab hold of an object yet, but she should be able to hold onto objects placed into her hands, according to BabyCenter.com. She might also be starting to try to bat at objects, so now's the time to remove dangerous objects such as hot beverages and sharp objects from her vicinity.

Visual Development

Your 7-week-old should be able to track moving objects with his eyes much better than he was able to when he was first born, says BabyCenter.com. And, while he had trouble discerning between colors and patterns when he was first born, he should now be able to discriminate between more colors and more complex designs, according to WhattoExpect.com.

Tips

Foster your 7-week-old's rapid development by stimulating his senses, but back off if he starts to fuss, because he may feel overwhelmed, says WhattoExpect.com. Talk to him about what you're doing and where you are, ask him questions and imitate his sounds him to help him develop the ability to comprehend and eventually produce words, says WhattoExpect.com. Reading to him using brightly colored books will foster both language and eye development and moving toys and other items slowly from side to side in front of his face will encourage him to follow them with his eyes.