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All your efforts and hard work as a doting parent will begin to show during your baby’s second month. Your baby isn’t quite capable of providing you with feedback about how they are currently doing but this month can be a bit more rewarding. Expect more smiles and a lot of cooing as your baby becomes animated. You are sure to get a strong emotional connection than earlier as you revel in the joys of motherhood.
Growth of Baby
An important factor of your two month infant development is its growth and weight gain during this period. It is likely to gain about 150-200 grams of weight every week during its second month. However, do not get worried if the weight gain is a lot during one week and lesser in the next. It is also important to remember weight is one of the growth indicators and there are other factors to be considered. These include length, head circumference, general health, growth in appetite and sleep patterns. These are as important as the weight that shows up on the weighing scale. It is best to measure your baby’s weight over a few weeks and not every week.
Baby Development
The growth of 2 month old baby can be divided into four weeks to understand it in a better way. So here goes:
8 Week Old Baby Development
During this period, your baby will show growing interest towards slightly more complicated designs than the bright colours it preferred earlier. Introduce him to stuffed toys, softballs and animal-shaped cushions by allowing him to touch and interact with them.
The baby is also able to tell apart your voice from other sounds and will follow the noise source too. Keep talking to your baby although you may not get a response; he may watch your movements and expressions intently.
9 Week Old Baby Development
At this stage, your baby will want to put everything that’s in sight, into her mouth, beginning with her fingers and toes. She will also begin to drool as there is more saliva to contend with than she can swallow. However, teething is at least three months away, so drooling is simply because of her eagerness to put things into the mouth. Baby drool is packed with disease-preventing proteins, and this gets coated on to the toys and other items.
Expect your baby to sleep for longer stretches of time instead of waking up in a couple of hours. Two or four sleep sessions and 10 hours of staying awake should be the norm during this time.
During this week, you will love the efforts the baby takes to move from the back to the side and vice versa too. Since the baby’s neck and arm muscles haven’t developed completely, it won’t be able to roll over which is about a month away. Now since she can move around a bit, you will have to be careful not to leave her alone on the bed.
10 Week Old Baby Development
Your baby at week 10 may not have mastered all the smooth moves yet, but he sure has overcome the awkward, uncoordinated movements. Give him a lot of space to stretch his arms and legs around. Place him on a mat or a blanket to give him the freedom. His strength is growing, and these movements will develop those tiny muscles further. It is around this time that he will turn on his tummy and try to push ahead using his legs.
Watch that beautiful smile light up when someone wants to hold him or makes an attempt to talk to him. As your baby is very receptive during this time, it becomes an ideal time to start introducing him/her to people, especially those who are going to spend time with him later.
11 Week Old Baby Development
It is discovery time for your baby as it is downright fascinated by its own hands, gazing at them intently. Putting them in the mouth and sucking at them will become a favourite pastime for him till he comes across another one. Do not worry if he seems too obsessed with his digits as this will not only allow you a break from the routine but is self-comforting for the baby too.
At week 11, you will notice your baby is able to hold up its head for a little bit longer than earlier. He will also hold the head a lot steadier and erect when you support him into a sitting position.
Baby Health
Your baby is now ready to be immunized when it is 2 months old, so it’s time to mark that calendar and set mobile reminders to ensure you do not miss the dates. Your little one’s first immunizations are critical so do not overlook. There are quite a few free immunisation drives that are conducted by the Government and Municipal Corporations which you could take advantage of. Alternatively, your doctor will administer them too so check with him/her. It is best to create personal health record diary so that vaccination dates and future appointments can be marked in it. Use your mobile calendar to do this job and set alerts accordingly. It is also important to check your 2 month old baby weight at regular intervals and report any unusual changes to the doctor.
Baby Milestones – 2 Months
It is time to reap the fruits of those trying months of pregnancy and sleepless nights after delivery as your baby will reach the following milestones:
- You will be rewarded with your tiny tot’s first smile around this time. It is a genuine smile and not the previous wind-induced ones, so it’s time to rejoice.
- The baby will now grip toys or your hands with a sense of purpose than the involuntary reflex some time ago. Gradually, introduce it to rattles or small soft toys that are safe.
- The discovery of their own hands and feet will be a huge one and will keep your baby engaged for long periods. Holding up feet and studying fingers will become a regular pastime.
- At 2 months, your baby’s vision will allow it to follow you, recognize your face and notice movements around. Hold up fingers or a colourful toy to check of both eyes work unitedly.
Behaviour
When your baby is 2 months old, he/she will break all previous records of crying aloud. Most parents feel worried about this excessive crying, but there is no reason to get worked up over it. There could be many or simply no reason behind this behaviour even though you may feel all their needs have been taken care of. It could be that your baby is tired or simply wants to be held close for some reassurance. Since the nervous system is also maturing, your baby may find solace in crying. During this time period, it is best to follow your instincts about the baby’s needs. As a mother, you will know what is right for your baby, whether it is plain simple cuddling to calm her down or putting her in a pram to show her the outside world. Your baby will frequently need your reassuring touch and familiar smell to remain calm and quiet.
2 Month Old Baby Activities
Try the following activities when your baby is two months’ old:
- Sing songs: Through this simple activity, your baby will develop listening skills and understand language. Vary your voice pitch and see if it is responding to your voice.
- Dance: For emotional bonding and development of listening skills, put on a peppy number at a decent volume, hold your baby against your chest and dance to it. Ensure the volume isn’t too loud and the music is soothing.
- Show toys: Bring a colourful toy or stuffed animal within your little one’s visual range. Make movements to grab its attention and slowly move it from one side to another. This helps in visual development and tracking.
- Massage: This activity can turn out to be very relaxing for the baby and also helps the baby to feel its mother’s touch. Massage its tiny feet, hands, arms and belly lightly. Lift his legs gently and give it a cycling motion.
- Read together: Although your baby may not understand a word of all that you read, holding a book, showing images and introducing it to colour is very important at this stage. It will help in concentration as you point out to words and images which develop cognitive skills.
2 Month Old Baby Care
It is important to follow the below-given tips at this juncture:
- Keep small objects and toys away from the baby as it is prone to putting things in her mouth.
- Since the baby’s movements are on the rise, ensure there are no sharp edges or corners around her periphery.
- Keeping animals away is important as your baby’s immune system hasn’t fully developed and he is susceptible to allergies.
- Note his reactions to external stimulus like sound, touch or light and take necessary steps if you find any gaps.
Feeding
As your baby steps into its second month in its new world, it may show growing demands of hunger and thirst which will mean more feeds during the day. Your baby will prove to be your best guide to feeding times so keep your trust and feed accordingly. It is now time to offer both breasts to the baby if you have been breastfeeding it using one all this while. If you are hoping to catch up on lost sleep for all the previous sleep-deprived nights, this should be the ideal time to do so. Although the night feeds may still continue for a while, his sleep period may be longer, around 5 to 6 hours. This long sleep duration will give you and your partner a chance to sleep longer so go for it.
Sleeping
During this month, you will notice a fairly defined sleep pattern being developed for your baby. He/she will sleep between 1 to 3 hours in addition to their regular day sleep. The best time to put your baby to sleep will be 30-60 minutes after he has had his feed. During this period, he will show signs of tiredness, and this is the right time to place him in his crib/bed for a snooze. At 2 months, he will sleep between 10-18 hours, but this will vary a lot over 24 hours. However, this is considered normal at this age.
Tips for Parents
- Touch is an important medium of communication between mother and baby during the first few months. Skin-to-skin contact through baby massage is highly recommended by experts but gentle rocking while holding her close to you is good enough too.
- There are many different soothing techniques you should use when your baby cries. Singing, playing soft music or white noise (putting the vacuum cleaner or listening to the continuous pitter-patter of rain) are some ways. You can provide a pacifier at this time if you haven’t done so already.
- The experience is new for the child as well the parents. Do not hesitate to ask for help when you need it. Your paediatrician is your best bet for reliable advice while your parents or friends can provide a lot of practical information.
- The internet is a massive source of information, but it needs to be used selectively and carefully. Choose websites where data is reliable and reviewed by experts on a regular basis.
- Since people travel a lot today along with their babies, a lot of time is spent in baby carriers and car seats. If you fit in this category, ensure your child gets a lot of space to develop those muscles which will be needed for crawling, rolling and later on, walking. Hold the baby in your arms, cuddle her, ensuring she does not regularly spend time confined to car seats.
Remember that your baby is unique and your baby’s development may not be identical to that of your neighbours or friends’. Do not compare your child with another and things will be fine as long as you do not notice any major gaps in its growth and development.
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