Your Two-Month-Old

Your two-month-old has adjusted to life outside the womb and is ready to meet the world. Cause and effect...he hits a mobile and it moves. He calls and you look. He smiles and you smile back. This month is all about empowerment. Your baby is discovering that he can make things happen!

Jump to these developmental stages:
Social/Emotional | Language | Cognitive | Large Motor Skills | Fine Motor Skills

Social/Emotional Development

She is becoming a social butterfly; almost literally as sometimes she waves her arms excitedly. Once she has your attention, she will bubble over with delighted smiles and might even laugh. Both familiar and new faces elicit a big smile. In fact she will smile at anything that looks like a face -- a paper plate with a smile drawn on it, a puppet or a mask.

Have you noticed that she has different cries for different needs? As well as calling out with specific sounds she also pauses between cries, anticipating a response.

Language Development

Just as he's getting good at smiling, he's also beginning to babble. He strings vowel sounds together, ah, ee-ee-ah-ah-ah and repeats strings over and over. He really seems intrigued by these sounds and can often entertain himself with his voice.

When someone else joins in the conversation he is delighted and mixes talking with smiling. As gestures and sounds are mirrored back and forth, a conversation begins. This month you will notice his noises are louder and he may have added screeches to his repertoire.

Cognitive Development

Hearing and vision have both become more sophisticated. She is able to visually follow an object, especially a fluttering object or an older sibling. Towards the end of this month, she will establish a clear connection between seeing and hearing in a familiar setting. When you speak, she'll turn to find your face. If she hears a tinkling, she'll look for the bell.

She's very interesting in how things feel. Now that her hands are open most of the time she enjoys feeling different tactile sensations -- warm, soft, bristly, cold...

She is learning cause and effect. If she shakes her hand, the rattle makes noise. If her thumb falls out of her mouth, she can get it back in. If she cries, you come to see what is wrong. If she turns her head, she can locate the source of a noise. How amazing that she is learning to control her world!

Large Motor Skills

Although there are no major milestones achieved, you'll noticed a huge difference in the quality as your baby moves his body -- he moves further, steadier and stronger! His limbs stretch all the way out, makes rhythmic cycling and freestyle motions.

When on his tummy, he can probably lift his head higher than his bottom. Some especially strong babies this age are able to support themselves on their arms. Have you noticed him making crawling motions? first using one knee and then the other. Flip him over to his back and he might roll from back to side.

While held in a standing he's able to bear some weight and can hold his head steady a few seconds.

Fine Motor Skills

Those flappy things that magically appear in her range of vision? Guess what? She has discovered she has control over them! You can help her practice with her hands with a brightly colored sock or wrist band. Sometimes place it on the left hand, sometimes the right and sometimes on both. You can enhance her experience by securely sewing a bell to the sock.