Reaching two months of age is a significant milestone not only for your baby but also for you as a parent. You’ve survived the first few months at home with a newborn, and you’re starting to grow your parenting legs. With each new month, you may wonder what’s next in your baby’s growth and development. This article will help you understand the new 2-month-old milestones they will reach, how much they should eat and sleep, and what activities you can do with a 2-month-old.
Each month, your baby will learn more and more skills, pushing them along their developmental path. As your 2-month-old grows, these are some of the developmental milestones they should reach:1
- The head is raised when they are on their stomachs
- Move both arms and legs equally
- Briefly opening and closing their hands
- Watching others as they move or walk
- Focus on your face or a toy for a few seconds
- Makes sounds other than crying, such as cooing
- Calms when spoken to or when picked up
- Smiling at you when you talk or smiling at them
- Responds to loud noises
At the 2-month-old milestone mark, your baby will begin to have a more predictable feeding schedule than they did as a newborn. They will still eat every two to four hours during the day, but it will be more predictable and may include a longer time between feedings at night. 2-month-olds typically consume 4 to 5 ounces of formula or breast milk at each feeding.2
For most 2-month-old babies, their hunger cues are similar to those of a newborn. This includes:3
- Repeatedly putting their hands over their mouths
- Turn their head towards the breast or nipple of the bottle
- Puckering, smacking, or licking their lips
- Shaking their hands
Many babies will cry when they are hungry, but this is also a late sign of hunger. As your baby grows past the 2-month-old milestone, you can better recognize their hunger cues to avoid reaching this late stage of hunger.3
As your baby begins to space out the length between their feedings, it is important to monitor them for signs of satiety and for signs that they are getting enough to eat. Some signs of fullness include:3
- Their mouth is closed when the breast or bottle nipple is presented
- Keep their head away from the breast or bottle nipple
- Push the breast or bottle away
- Relaxing their hands
Your newborn will feed more often when they’re going through a growth spurt, and it can be hard to know if they’re getting enough to eat. The best way to determine this is to check their diaper. Your baby should have at least five to six wet diapers a day and poop on a regular schedule. Some babies poop several times a day, while others may go days between poops. As long as your baby is having their normal number of wet and poopy diapers a day and is gaining weight appropriately, you know they are getting enough to eat.2
Many parents ask, “When do babies start sleeping through the night?” and for most babies, that doesn’t happen until about three months or later. Sleeping through the night is usually seen as sleeping for six to eight hours without waking up. Babies under three months old cannot go long between feedings, so night waking is to be expected.4
As your baby grows out of the newborn stage, they will develop a new sleep schedule. Most babies at the 2-month-old milestone will sleep about 14-17 hours a day, broken up into two to three daytime naps and longer sleeps at night.5 Many breastfed babies can sleep four to five hours between feedings at night, while many formula-fed babies will sleep five to six hours between feedings at night.6 Don’t be alarmed if your baby wakes up more often throughout the night than expected; It’s completely normal for a 2-month-old to wake up several times a night as they continue to develop their sleep schedule.
Even though your 2-month-old will start to have a more predictable sleep schedule, some babies will still struggle or only fall asleep when held. To help your baby adjust to sleeping in his crib, try putting him in his crib before he falls asleep. This will help them adjust to sleeping without being held.11
Even at two months, your baby’s daily schedule is largely dictated by their sleep and feeding schedule. Their feeding and sleeping schedule may be more predictable than it was as a newborn, but that doesn’t mean they’ll stick to a strict schedule. Trying to keep a strict daily schedule can lead to stress and frustration. Your baby’s preferred bedtime or feeding time may change from day to day as they grow, and that’s okay!
At their 2-month-old milestone, your baby will have a well-child visit with their pediatrician. During this visit, your pediatrician will monitor their weight gain, perform a physical and developmental exam, and discuss any immunizations your child may need.7
Monitoring your baby’s weight will be the main focus during these well-child visits. While many parents want to know the average weight for a 2-month-old, that’s a tough number to nail down. Every baby is born at a different pace and will have their own growth patterns. Most babies get about 1 ounce daily, but this can vary. Your doctor will monitor your baby’s weight to make sure they are growing at a steady pace.13
Many parents have heard of two-month vaccines but may not be familiar with what those vaccines are. Vaccines a baby receives at two months of age include:8
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Rotavirus vaccine
- Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP) vaccine
- Haemophilus influenza type B vaccine (Hib)
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- The polio vaccine is inactivated
While it may seem like a ton of vaccines to receive at once, it is perfectly safe for your baby to receive them at their 2-month-old milestone visit. Many of these vaccines are combined to reduce the number of shots needed and are usually given as three intramuscular shots (usually the thigh) and one as an oral vaccine. Please talk to your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about the vaccines your baby may receive.8
Your baby’s well-child visit is the perfect time to bring up any concerns you may have about their feeding, development, or general health. Some concerns you’ll want to bring up with your pediatrician are:9
- Your baby is having difficulty feeding or is not eating enough
- They do not respond to loud noises
- They cannot follow objects or faces with their eyes
- They seem stiff or floppy in their arms, legs, or both
Young babies are more susceptible to illness because their immune systems have not had time to fully develop. Some common illnesses you’ll want to watch out for in your baby include:7
- Diarrhea or vomiting that causes dehydration
- Increased irritability accompanied by fever or rash
- Skin irritations
- Respiratory infections such as colds
- A fever of more than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is unusual and indicates that your baby needs to be seen by their doctor right away
As your baby enters their second month, they will be more awake. A 2 month old’s wake window can be up to two hours.12 This longer waking period will give you and your 2-month-old plenty of time to work on their developmental milestones. Some fun activities you can do with your baby include:1
- The rattle rattled next to their head and looked to see if they were looking for the sound
- Imitating your baby’s sounds
- Having your baby look at themselves in the mirror
- Encourage supervised tummy time with toys at eye level in front of them
- Talking to your baby while you feed, change, and bathe them
- Hug and hold your baby
Having a newborn and keeping them safe from danger can seem overwhelming. At this age, babies cannot move on their own, but that does not mean that there are no safety measures that need to be implemented. At this age, safety focuses on keeping the environment around your baby safe. This may include:10
- Not drinking hot liquids while holding your baby
- Use a playpen to keep them in a safe place
- Not using baby walkers
- Use toys that don’t tear, don’t have sharp edges, or aren’t too small for your baby’s mouth
- Setting your water heater to less than 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- Your baby will not be left alone with siblings or pets
- Not leaving your baby alone in a place where he could fall, such as a couch or bed
The second month of your baby’s life is full of growth. It’s such a fun time watching them meet their 2 month old milestones, grow, and develop new skills on a daily basis. Your baby grows a lot in the first few months of their life, and some of the most exciting parts are yet to come!
