Babies 2nd month

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Jennifer Ann Steinort studied health economics and is a state-approved nanny. She mainly writes on real-life topics, and experiences from working in health facilities and her own family life with three children flow into her work.

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

Babies in their 2nd month are officially no longer newborns. Exciting development progress can nevertheless be expected, including the first lifting of the head. Your child will now consciously contact you. Read here which milestones your baby will reach in the second month and how you can support your offspring.

Babies 2nd month

From now on, growth and social interactions with the environment are in the foreground. And above all, you are the environment! Rejoice, because your child will smile back and utter the first few sounds. With a little practice, your baby will be lifting and turning his head by the time he is two months old. Overall, your child's movements are more harmonious than they were a few weeks ago.

Babies 2nd month - physical development

Your baby will grow around three to four centimeters in the second month. It has an average clothing size of 56 to 62. Your baby will also put on a lot of weight in the second month. While it was previously 150 to 200 grams per week, your baby's scales can now display new weight records.

Experts are still discussing whether there are so-called growth spurts. In most cases, a two-month-old baby will grow consistently. It is normal that your child seems to thrive faster or slower. As with adults, appetite is not always the same.

Motor skills and reflexes

You are probably asking yourself: “What can a baby do at two months?” A lot! After all, your child has been practicing hard in the last few weeks. The movements become more fluid and the grip reflex is effective.

You will observe how the little hands slowly open from the constant fist position. At two months of age, many babies only keep their hands temporarily open or loosely clenched into fists. This is the first step, because in the second month your baby can explore his environment more actively. For a short time your child can hold and move a small grasping toy (e.g. rattle).

The development in babies' first two months is shaped by the beginning of body awareness. At the age of two months, the first joining of the hands is more of a random movement, which only later gives way to targeted movements. Your two month old baby is very active. It kicks and waves its arms and puts a smile on your face.

In the first two months, your baby will develop ambitions: he will strive for new skills. The coarse and spontaneous reflex patterns such as the bracket reflex (Moro reflex) subside and give way to harmonic movements. However, there is still a long way to go before your child gains full control over their heads.

But the first cornerstone has been laid, because your child can - lying on their stomach - lift their head briefly and even turn it. Do you see your baby actively turning to interesting objects or light sources when they are two months old? In a sense, this is necessary for survival. Even if your child is unaware, they have to remain curious in order to learn.

The development of the senses

Your offspring were born with amazing sensory abilities. In babies' second month there is more progress that will bring your offspring a whole lot closer. The mouth and hands are important tactile tools. In the coming weeks, your two-month-old baby will use it to inspect his environment. The fine receptors all over baby's skin sense touch and love gentle caressing.

Sense of hearing

Hearing is fully developed in babies' second month. Your child may be particularly sensitive to noise. Then it will start crying in a noisy environment. So create a calm atmosphere for your child. You should avoid radio or television as background noise. Your offspring would much rather hear your familiar voice.

See

A lot has happened in terms of vision for your offspring! In the second month, your baby can look up to a meter and fix objects or people. It can now also follow objects or people who are moving in the field of view. But babies at two months of age prefer to watch faces. Research shows that the eye-nose region is particularly interesting for two-month-old babies.

Sense of smell and taste

Your baby's sense of smell and taste is also very pronounced at the age of two months. From birth, it is influenced by the smell and taste of breast milk. Your baby especially likes to smell sweet smells (banana, vanilla). Even so, you should avoid using artificial fragrances in your two-month-old baby. Because with this you could cover up your natural smell - and the little ones don't like that at all! Your offspring will feel particularly at home where they can recognize the familiar scent of the caregiver.

Babies 2nd month - mental development

After four weeks, your baby is officially an infant with all the new achievements. The most important of these is the active building of social relationships. And what better way for your two-month-old baby to do that than with the first conscious smile. You can also look forward to facial expressions and the first slurred dialogues.

Emotional development

At two months, your baby is increasingly receptive and more alert. Ambient noises make them curious, but can also frighten them. Your two month old baby needs you to feel safe. As a constant caregiver, you strengthen your child's basic trust. Promote healthy emotional development by recognizing and meeting his needs. It relies on you and reacts to unfamiliar or terrifying situations by crying or screaming.

The most important thing for your child: closeness to you! Together with you, it would like to discover its environment. Make the environment calm and cozy for your two month old baby. It will show its comfort and joy with joyful kicking and rowing with its arms.

Social development and communication

Your two-month-old baby can now actively participate in society because it has the most beautiful means of communication - smile. This is no longer the angelic smile that often occurs unconsciously during sleep. Your child is now consciously using his smile.

The moment you notice the first (real) smile is indescribable. Your child is quick to find out that their smile can do something for you and will try it out a lot from now on. Exchange is very important for development in babies' first two months. Your baby wants to get in touch with you and is watching your reactions - smile, your child smiles back.

Your baby would most like to engage you in a conversation. To do this, it makes eye contact with you and makes babbling noises. For the first time, your baby will express itself in a way other than screaming. Your two month old baby has now reached an important milestone in language development!

2nd month - This is how you support your child in a playful way

At two months old, babies love little games that stimulate the senses. The practical thing is that you only need simple utensils for this.

Crawling games: Climb the different parts of the body with your fingers (alternatively a hand puppet). There are also numerous rhymes and songs that will bring joy to your two-month-old baby.

Tickling games: These will make your child laugh in their second month. There are numerous funny verses, for example: "A little snail crawls around the corner (crawls with his hand around his neck), a little rabbit that pinches your nose (carefully pinching your nose), a little dwarf who crawls over the mountain (crawl with your fingers over your head), and the little flea does it (tickle your stomach) ”.

Sense of touch journeys: stroke your baby's skin with various materials such as feathers and cloths.

Visit to the pediatrician in the 2nd month

The U3 preventive medical check-up is due between the 4th and 5th week of life. This is usually the first appointment with your pediatrician - the previous examinations are generally carried out in the clinic after the delivery.

The pediatrician can give your child their first vaccination at this appointment: The first dose of the vaccination against rotaviruses - common pathogens that cause diarrhea in infants - should be given from the age of 6 weeks and at the latest up to the age of 12 weeks. Don't worry: your baby will not get an injection for this, but the immunization will take the form of an oral vaccination.

By two months, babies often experience digestive problems and abdominal pain. If your baby cries persistently for several hours, it could be three months of colic. According to experts, one of the reasons for the problems is an immature digestive system. However, the crying attacks in a two-month-old baby generally decrease and usually go away completely by the end of the third month.

Your child can also express himself with yelling when it is difficult to "switch off" and is therefore constantly overstimulated. The associated unbalanced sleep rhythm is a problem for you and your child. However, over time, your offspring will learn to calm themselves down.

Tips for the 2nd month

At two months old, your baby is now part of the active world. You can encourage this, but you shouldn't overstrain it.

Lying correctly: Avoid a preferred lying side for your baby, otherwise position-related asymmetries on the head will arise. One-sided hair loss is a sure sign of this. If your baby loses the hair in the middle of the back of the head in the 2nd month, there is no such asymmetry. If your baby has a favorite side, you should encourage them to turn to the other side, too, by moving visually appealing objects into their field of vision. An example: while the wall on the favorite side remains white, you could attach colorful stickers or a mobile on the other side.

Go to bed ritual: Prevent sleep deficits and develop a go to bed ritual. Watch out for signs of tiredness (rubbing eyes, averting stimuli, uncoordinated movements) and create a disturbance-free environment for your two-month-old baby to fall asleep.

Seeking help: Get help if necessary: ​​Does your baby cry a lot at two months and even though all apparent needs have been met? Isn't a normal everyday life possible? Has your pediatrician ruled out an organic cause? Then you should definitely go to a special baby crib consultation. Knowledgeable people are at your side in the stressful situation and give you tips on how to deal with a crying baby. In many places, midwives have also specialized in the crying baby phenomenon.

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