Baby’s Second Month Of Life: Getting To Know The Little Body

The baby’s second month of life will reveal many changes from the first month. You will find your child much more active and sociable.

During the second month of your baby’s life, you will notice how his senses begin to coordinate and how much more active he is than he was when he spent practically all day sleeping. This is an ideal step to start interacting and stimulating your baby.

This period creates great enthusiasm in parents because they will see clear progress in the child’s development. He will emit the first sounds, he will hear voices and sounds and he will be much more attentive to what is happening around him. Despite that, you still won’t be able to identify the sound or light sources.

Characteristics of a two month old baby

At this stage of your child’s life, he will have the following characteristics:

• You’ll keep your neck up for a while.
• It will move its eyes and head to follow the movement of something or someone.
• Will give the first smile. Many more will come later. But don’t forget to register this moment!
• Despite already moving the extremities, it still doesn’t have enough coordination to hold objects.
• As far as possible, breast milk should be the only source of food, except in some circumstances that require the use of formula milk.
• The evacuation rate will change a little. The baby can go up to five days without defecating without this being a problem. This is because breast milk generates almost no waste to eliminate. On the other hand, if the baby takes formula milk, he is likely to defecate more frequently.

Changes in the organism during the baby’s second month of life

Regarding food, the average for babies aged two months is 5 to 6 feeds per day, approximately 150 to 180 milliliters each.

As for weight, despite depending on other factors such as the week of gestation in which the baby was born, the weight and size at birth and gender, a two-month-old baby can weigh between 4 and 6.5 kilos. The average height varies between 53 and 60 centimeters approximately.

Regarding motor skills, the two-month-old baby is able to learn new movements as he acquires coordination and muscle strength. He is learning to control his body, but he can now lift his head a little when lying on his stomach and resting on his arms. He can also hold his head up if you put him in a sitting position.

As eyesight begins to improve, the two-month-old baby is able to identify his parents. This will provoke some smiles from time to time. Also, he will react when he sees the mother’s breast or the bottle. In this sense, you will notice that the baby already has experience when it comes to suckling. Therefore, breastfeeding periods will be shorter and more effective.

It is important to highlight that whenever one talks about the development of babies, standard guidelines are taken into account. But each baby will have its own progress and its own capacity for growth.

Advice for raising the baby in the second month of life

1. It is essential to take into account and respect the vaccination schedule. The little one’s immune system is still vulnerable. So he needs those doses to stay out of harm’s way. Remember that the application of vaccines can cause fever in the next few hours.
2. Try to keep an eye on the baby at all times, even when you put him on the bed or changing table. Some babies can be quite restless, and even if they still can’t stand up, they can turn and move when they’re lying down. Be very careful to avoid any kind of accident.
3. Regarding hygiene, it is important to change the diaper frequently to avoid irritation in the private parts. The ideal is to clean the baby with damp cloths. A very positive fact of this phase is that the baby will have fun in the baths, which can continue to be daily or every two days if good genital hygiene is maintained. Experts have differing opinions on this topic.

Two month old baby stimulation

The baby’s second month of life is a very productive phase for stimulation, as he will be increasingly in contact with the environment and will be able to relate to people and objects. It is essential to take advantage of the growing waking moments to talk, cuddle and show the baby around the world. Let him touch and explore his own body and yours.

When you lay him down, lay him on his back with something hanging over his head. It is an opportunity for the baby to try to identify, focus their eyes and recognize colors, sounds and movements. You can also take him for a walk. The baby is in the process of discovering the outside world, help him to do this fully.