It happens so quickly. Week after week, this little newborn surprises you with a new, more developed skill. Time is racing and you probably want to freeze it to preserve every moment. The bad news is that unfortunately, that’s not possible. The good news is that many unforgettable moments still await you – incredibly exciting and beautiful. And every age and stage has something special, something unique, along with new challenges of course. So that you know what to expect, last month we launched our new blog series “Baby’s developmental milestones with Ergobaby: Baby’s first year” starting with “Your 1 month old baby”. With the help of our midwife Katrin Ritter, we would like to share what new skills and abilities your baby could learn in each month. Of course, the periods we talk about are only guidelines, as every baby develops at their own pace. But we’ll tell you which baby milestones you can look out for in your little miracle and which you can even encourage through play. Today our focus is 2-month-old baby development and what you can expect in baby’s fourth to eighth week of life.
2-month-old baby development – which baby milestones to expect
The start of head control
It’s a huge step towards independence and the first step towards standing upright: the beginning of head control. It’s a real milestone in your child’s physical development, which is reached at around eight weeks. The reason for this important developmental step: your little one’s growing curiosity. So many new stimuli hit a newborn through sight, hearing, touch and taste that the urge to move grows more and more. Gradually, they use more and more strength, for example to reach for an object or to see it better. At the same time, they develop their neck and supporting muscles and begin to consciously lift and move their head. And this is what you see during this time.
The supine (on their back) position is more stable, and the hands open up
Your two-month-old baby’s spine is now becoming increasingly straight and symmetrical, so that they lie more stably on their back. They are already turning their head from the side to the centre, but not yet beyond. Their little fists open and your baby starts to play with their fingers, exploring them. They will gradually bring their hands together in front of their chest. Over time, you will also notice that your baby lifts their heels slightly off the floor when lying on their back. This is because tension is slowly building up in the abdominal muscles.
It’s not uncommon for a sudden storm of movement to occur in this position: your little one sees something and suddenly starts fidgeting with their arms and legs and reaching for it with their whole body. At this point, they don’t yet know how to consciously use only their arms and hands to do this. This is also one of the reasons why you should never leave your little one alone on the sofa or on the changing table.
Short head control in the prone position
We have already explained here that the prone position (on their tummy) is incredibly important for your baby’s further development during this phase. If you’re not sure when and how to put your baby in the prone position, take a look at this blog article. It will tell you everything you need to know. But what happens in their little body when they’re lying on their tummy and how do they suddenly manage to lift their head at around two months?
At first a little one’s centre of gravity moves more and more towards the feet. This allows the baby to support themself better on their forearms and the head can be lifted – even if only briefly – and held in the centre. Sometimes this works well, sometimes less well, but you will be able to observe their progress. However, it will be a few months before your little one can fully and consciously control their head. This ability is usually only fully developed after a good six months.
Hand-mouth coordination in the prone and supine position
Baby’s slightly open hands are now being used more and more in both prone and supine positions. Lying on its back, the baby gradually brings its hands together in front of its chest and plays with its fingertips. This is the start of targeted movement and grasping. So please don’t interrupt your little one on this small but important journey of discovery.
Once your baby has turned its head to the side in a prone or supine position, you will notice that it is now bringing its hand to its mouth (hand-mouth coordination). They will feel their hand with their mouth and their mouth with their fingers. Hello body!
Baby’s eyes fixate on something for about 3 seconds
Incidentally, the eyes are the first part of the body to detach from the above-mentioned “mass movement” of the baby’s body. A 2-month-old baby can already fixate something with its eyes. Only for three seconds, but still. So if your little darling is lying on his blanket and daddy walks past, he can follow the person with his eyes and even turn his head a little. It can now also fixate objects with clear contours or black and white contrasts. Mummy or daddy’s face anyway. Your baby is also now developing farsightedness. If you hold a toy too close to their face, they will probably squint their eyes. Why don’t you try it out?
2-month-old baby development – how to encourage them
You can of course help your baby to master head control more quickly. On the one hand, by repeatedly placing your baby in the prone position, preferably with a towel roll for support. On the other hand, a baby carrier or wrap will also encourage your baby to develop head control. The upright position and the constant movement stimuli to which the little body is exposed further strengthen the muscles so that your baby can control its head better and better. The tiger in a tree hold (carrying in a prone position) is also an effective way of encouraging the beginnings of head control. It strengthens your baby’s core muscles and encourages them to actively work against gravity with their head.
A 2-month-old baby’s development is full of small, subtle steps but as you can see, the baby milestones your little one achieves in this period is a lot! At least if you look at it within their capabilities and bear in mind that this little creature has only been in this world a little while. Have fun watching and marvelling.
Source: Babys in Bewegung, Kienzle-Müller, Wilke-Kaltenbach, 4. Auflage, Urban & Fischer
