Your baby is gradually growing in size as well as showing other signs of development as he steps into the second month of his life. Here we will take a look at the several milestones achieved by him in these four weeks.
Vision development
The baby’s vision appears to be more developed than the first month. His fascination towards contrasted colored objects changes and he is now attracted to bright colors, complicated designs and shapes [1]. He prefers a close-up view, able to see people and things that are about eighteen inches away [2].
Motor skills development
Two-month-old babies can lift their head up to about a 45° angle [8] when lying on their stomach or while being supported in an upright position [2]. It is a common thing for babies at this age to continue sucking their fingers as they seem to comfort themselves in this way [2]. Though they are unable to develop hand-eye coordination to play with their toys, they may be attracted by colorful objects hanging in front of them, also being able to hold it for a short time.
Physical changes
Your baby has a soft spot on his head at the time of birth that consists of two fontanelles, the anterior one at the top of his head, and the posterior one at the back. The posterior fontanel closes between the second and the fourth months [9, 10]. As the neck muscles strengthen, head lag is reduced [10]. He also shows a reduced flexing of hands and legs during tummy time, with his movements becoming smoother than before [10, 12].
Infantile reflex
The newborn reflexes like Moro, Babinski, rooting, grasping and sucking persist [11]. However, the stepping or walking reflex, in which the baby lifts his feet when held upright on a flat surface gradually disappears in the second month [10].
Cognitive development
As the baby’s brain is maturing, he will be more active and cautious of his surroundings than the first month. His reflex smile will be replaced by a real one or social smile [12]. He also begins to develop interest towards new and complex objects, as if trying to know the world through them [13].
Communication
Though crying remains the primary mode of communication, a few grunts, coos and gurgles may be heard. He develops the ability to recognize the voice of his parents, responding in his own way when you try communicating with him [2, 12].
How much should a 2-month-old eat
This month the baby will continue to feed on breast milk or formula food with his intake slightly increasing. A two-month-old may eat about four to five ounce per feeding [3]. If your baby has formula milk, then he is to be given about 100ml to 105ml (3.4 to 3.7 ounce) during each feed [4]. He will quickly finish feeding and look around for more if he is not full [4]. However, make sure that the hole of the nipple on the bottle is of the correct size with the milk passing slowly rather than pouring out in one go [3].
How much should a 2-month-old weigh on an average
The baby should gain about 0.35 pounds to 0.5 pounds weight every week [5]. Moreover, he will increase one to one and a half inches in length this month [6].
Sleep schedule
Your baby’s sleeping pattern has not changed much in comparison to the previous month. He may sleep for about fifteen to sixteen hours a day though not in one go, with breastfed babies waking up more frequently compared to those fed on formula milk [2].
The associate director of ‘Sleep Disorders Center at the Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia’, Jodi Mindell, is against rocking babies to sleep. She suggests that as by the eighth week they begin to learn sleeping habits, it is better to put them down when they are sleepy, so that they may try sleeping on their own and begin following a regular sleeping schedule [7].
Drooling
In the second month, most babies are found drooling. They also start putting everything into their mouth, resulting in an increased saliva secretion that they are unable to swallow.[14, 15]. There is not much to worry if your baby puts his playthings into his mouth as his drool has disease-preventing proteins that will form a coat on his toys, protecting him from germs or infection[14]. While tying a bib around his neck, make sure it is loose enough and does not strangulate [14].
Teething
Though drooling at this month is not always a sign of them cutting their first tooth [14], some of them may start teething as early as this time [16].
Bowel movements
In the second month, the baby’s bowel movements primarily depend on his feeding. Breastfed babies will have a seedy, yellowish color stool, with a mild odor. If your nursing baby is passing out watery stool of green color, it means that he is drinking more of your foremilk (the milk that comes out in the beginning, having a high water content) than hindmilk (the milk that comes out later with a high fat content) [17, 18].
A formula fed baby will pass stool of yellow, brown, tan or green color, which is normal if there is no bleeding.
At the second month, a baby may have many bowel movements in a day or even go without passing stool for many days, which is not too much of a problem. In fact, the hardness of the stool decides if there is something wrong [19].
Common ailments
Diarrhea
In case of diarrhea, the baby will discharge watery stool at an increased frequency accompanied by runny nose and fever[20]. Consult your doctor at the earliest.
Constipation
It is normal for breastfed babies above one month of age to pass soft and large stool after four to seven days [21]. However, if babies are passing hard, pebble-like stools or if there is blood in the stool seek medical consultation [22].
Fever
Children below three months will need the intervention of a doctor if their body temperature is above 100.4°F [23].
Cold and Congestion
These are common viral infections affecting their upper respiratory tract. Your two-month-old may be prone to common cold as his immunity power is still developing. It may come along with other symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, restlessness, red eyes and swelling of lymph nodes. He will also have trouble in breathing because of a stuffy nose [24]. Infant paracetamol may be prescribed if he is born after 37 weeks, weighing above 9lbs [24].
Vaccinations
5-in-1 vaccine(DTaP/Hib/IPV): At the second month, the first dose of this vaccine is given to protect against five different diseases namely tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough (pertussis), Haemophilus influenza type B or Hib (a bacteria that may cause meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottis in infants) and polio [26].
PCV, PPSV: The purpose of these shots is to help the body fight against pneumococcal diseases such as pneumonia, ear infection, meningitis, and septicemia [25].
Rota: This is an oral vaccine given to help the body to combat rotavirus [27].
- References +
- http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a717/your-two-month-olds-development
- http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-development-2-month-old
- http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/feeding/feed13m.html#
- http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a9136/how-much-formula-milk-does-my-baby-need
- http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-to-tell-whether-your-babys-getting-enough-breast-milk_617.bc?showAll=true
- http://www.parents.com/advice/babies/baby-development/how-much-weight-should-my-baby-gain-each-month/
- http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-sleep-basics-birth-to-3-months_7654.bc
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002006.htm
- http://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/ask-heidi/baby-soft-spot.aspx
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002006.htm
- http://www.whattoexpect.com/baby-behavior/newborn-reflexes.aspx
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/milestones-2mo.html
- http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/cognitive-development-ages-1-to-12-months-topic-overview
- http://www.babycenter.com/0_your-2-month-olds-development-week-2_1477194.bc
- http://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/your_baby_at_2_months/
- http://www.emedicinehealth.com/teething/article_em.htm
- http://www.babycenter.com/404_whats-the-normal-color-of-a-breastfed-babys-bowel-movement_8830.bc
- http://www.thebump.com/a/difference-between-foremilk-and-hindmilk
- http://www.babycenter.com/404_what-are-normal-bowel-movements-for-formula-fed-babies_1334497.bc
- http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001965.htm
- http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-conditions/symptom-index/constipation/
- http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/baby-development-2-month-old
- http://www.babycenter.com/0_fever-in-babies-7-things-you-might-not-know_10373598.bc
- http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a78/common-cold
- http://www.babycenter.com/shots
- http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/pages/vaccination-schedule-age-checklist.aspx
- http://www.webmd.com/children/vaccines/rotavirus-rv-vaccine