So the first two months of the baby’s life passed. Parents and the baby adapted to each other, the regimen of the day was adjusted, many fears are gone. But each mom continues to worry about the proper development of the crumbs. Now the issue of what a child should be able to do in 2 months is becoming relevant. Also, many people care about how to notice a lag in time. Let's talk about it.
Height and weight
What should a child be able to do at 2 months? Its main “duties” are to sleep soundly, eat well and grow intensively. On average, by the age of two months, children grow by 3 centimeters and add about 800 grams of weight. The chest increases by two centimeters, and the circumference of the head - by one and a half.
The height and weight of the baby largely depend on these indicators at birth. Normal growth is considered to be 52-62 cm. The weight of boys at 2 months ranges from 4.3 kg to 7.1 kg. Girls are more petite. 3.9 kg are considered the lower limit established for them. The upper bar is 6.6 kg. If the baby does not reach the bottom indicators, this is an occasion to seek the advice of a pediatrician. A too intense increase in head circumference should also worry parents.
Food
For the baby to grow actively, he needs mom's milk. The baby takes food 7 times a day. The interval between feedings is approximately 3 hours. At night, the baby wakes up between 3 and 8 hours, demanding that he be given milk. Not all babies withstand the prescribed interval. Therefore, many mothers during this period practice feeding on demand.
If the baby is breastfed, he does not need to be weighed after each meal. The kid himself knows his norm. Another thing is if you feed your baby with an artificial mixture. There are strict rules. Divide the weight of the crumbs by 6. The baby should eat so many grams of the mixture per day. The average figure for this age is 900 grams.
What can I give my baby at 2 months? In Soviet times, when maternity leave was short, the baby was already introduced to juices, fruit purees, and yolk. Modern pediatricians do not recommend doing this. Any complementary foods are an additional burden on the immature gastrointestinal tract. It is better not to conduct such experiments until the baby is 5-6 months old.
Physical development
What should a child be able to do at 2 months? The list of his achievements is quite impressive:
- The kid is actively learning to hold his head. Some already confidently twist it in different directions. Others lift it from a supine position, tearing off its shoulders as well. Most babies can hold their head for a minute.
- Improving the movement of pens, legs. The baby begins to reach for the object that interests him. If you put a rattle in your palm, the baby will grab it reflexively.
- Many babies can independently roll over from the "lying on their side" position.
- At this time, hypertonicity fades. First, in the upper limbs. Cams open. A little later - in the legs. The crawl reflex disappears. If you put the crumbs on your stomach and put your palm under your feet, he will not push off.
- Children have not lost their ability to swim and really love to do it.
- The sucking reflex is very developed, so the baby pulls everything in his mouth.
Useful activities
What to do if the baby does not hold his head well at 2 months? How to get rid of hypertonicity, open the handles, stimulate physical development? The secret is in the proper organization of the regimen of the day. Include in it:
- Massage and simple gymnastics.
- Air baths when the baby stays naked. Start hardening from 1 minute and gradually increase to 10 minutes.
- Walking on the street from 2 to 4 hours a day.
- Bathing in a large bath with swimming elements.
- Healthy sleep. At night, the baby sleeps for about 11 hours, waking up to feed. During the day he rests 4 times, awake for no more than 1-1.5 hours.
When the baby is not sleeping, often lay it on the tummy so that it trains to hold the head. To develop fine motor skills, put small balls or rings of different materials (fabric, rubber, plastic) into the pens, smooth and ribbed.
Massage and gymnastics
These procedures should be carried out half an hour before meals. Undress the baby completely. If it’s cool, cover with a diaper, exposing either the handle or the leg.
What kind of gymnastics should a baby do at 2 months? Nothing complicated is required from mom. A sample list of exercises is as follows:
- Stroking the hand from the brush to the shoulder, without touching the elbow joint.
- Raise the leg by the heel. Stroking her from foot to hip, without touching the knee. We are doing the same procedure with the other leg.
- With our thumbs we massage the feet, draw eights on them, rub our fingers.
- Stroking the breast with palms from the middle to the sides.
- Massage the tummy in a circular motion clockwise.
- We put the child on the stomach, stroke the back with palms from the neck to the buttocks and back with the back of the hand.
- Turn the baby on the back. We put our thumbs in his hands, grab the small handles, raise them and shake them slightly.
- "Frog". We press the bent legs of the baby to the tummy, then we part it to the sides. You can make them circular movements.
- "Walking". Holding the child under the armpits, let him touch the hard surface with his feet. Reflexively the baby will begin to imitate walking. Make sure the baby walks with the whole foot.
If you have a fitball at home, you can practice it. The baby is laid belly on a ball covered with a diaper. In this position, the child can swing, perform springing movements. If the baby is not afraid, try to do the same thing, laying him on the back.
Bathing in the "adult" bath
Infant swimming is very useful for physical development. Classes can be held in a regular bath. Many parents are scared of the "big water." How to keep a baby at 2 months so that it does not drown?
There is nothing complicated. Put the baby on the back, supporting the back of the head with both hands. You will see that this is quite enough. The tummy will pop up itself. When swimming on your stomach, put one palm under your breast and raise your chin with the other above the water. The main exercises at this age are swimming in a straight line with pushing away from the walls of the bathroom and writing out “eights”.
Unsure mothers during swimming lessons put a special circle on the baby’s neck.
Sight, hearing
What can a child do in 2 months of life? The development of all his senses continues. Hearing becomes much sharper and more selective. The kid turns his head toward the rattle, begins to understand what will happen if you shake it. He remembered his mother's voice, joyfully responds to it.
Glance is no longer floating. The child knows how to focus it on one subject. He monitors the movement of toys, the movements of adults. Recognizes mom, very carefully examines human faces. Too bright light, unexpected loud sound scare the baby.
It is important to choose the first toys correctly. A useful acquisition will be a mobile, rotating above the bed with animals, balls, stars and other figures. They need to be changed regularly. Kids react best to objects in black and white. Crib pendants are also useful.
Rattles he is better to play with his mother. Kids love to follow the toys with their eyes, look for where they heard the ringing, try to hold in their palm. They are amused by bracelets with bells, dressed on a handle or leg. It is useful to include tiny classical music, for example, Mozart.
Speech development
A two-month-old baby is already ready to enter into a dialogue. When mom bends over the crib, he actively moves his legs, arms, and abounds. What sounds does a baby make in 2 months? Usually these are vowels pronounced with different intonations. The consonants "k", "x", "g" can also slip. In addition, the baby can squeal, groan, coo.
It is very important to emotionally communicate with him, changing intonation. Speak loudly, now softly, be surprised, ask, comment on your actions. Children like to listen to songs, rhythmic verses. They do not understand their meaning, but they respond to the timbre of the voice, various shades of speech. Try to ensure that during the conversation the baby saw the face of the interlocutor, the movement of his lips.
Emotional development
We continue the listing of what a child should be able to do at 2 months. The range of his emotions is expanding significantly. The baby deliberately smiles in response to the affectionate treatment. Having witnessed a quarrel, it may burst into tears. He feels the mood of loved ones. Able to rejoice and be surprised, offended and angry, demand attention and protest.
The main way to communicate is crying. According to him, mom is able to determine the cause of dissatisfaction. In pain, the baby screams plaintively. Wanting to eat - loudly and persistently. Feeling bored, the baby groans and whimpers with displeasure.
It is important not to leave the child alone in the crib. During wakefulness, often carry it on your hands, gently talk, smile, grimace. The baby’s favorite toy is Mom’s face. He watches with interest the change of facial expressions. A good exercise is to look at pictures with faces expressing different emotions. Sometimes instead of toys above the crib, you can also hang photos of family members in which they joyfully smile at the baby.
How to detect a deviation
Any lag in the norm can be a sign of a serious illness. However, excessive suspiciousness is also not needed. Do not raise a panic only on the grounds that a baby at 2 months old does not smile at her mother. Nobody has canceled individual features. Perhaps your baby is too serious for smiles.
However, there are a number of signs that should alert you. Consult a specialist if the child:
- Not able to lift his head from a supine position and hold it for at least a few seconds.
- Does not focus on toys, does not follow their movement.
- He does not listen to the ringing of a bell one and a half meters from the crib.
- He continues to cry when they take him in his arms, hug him, give him a chest.
We discussed what a baby should be able to do at 2 months. Now let's talk about the responsibilities of parents. Their main task is to be close to the baby all the time, to communicate emotionally, smile, often carry it in their hands, getting to know the world around them. Without close contact with mom (even with proper care), the development of crumbs is inhibited. Therefore, do not be afraid to spoil the child with your attention at such a young age.