2 month old baby growth spurt
Your baby's growth and development - 2 months old
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Your 2-month-old is growing fast and becoming more alert. They will be making more sounds and getting more skilled at moving their body. They will still be crying a lot - but you've probably already seen that magic first smile (usually at 6 weeks) which somehow makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Your 2-month-old
By 2 months, your baby will have put on a lot of weight and may be looking round and chubby. As their muscles develop, their arms and legs start to move more freely, stretching out to make them seem taller and leaner.
During their first 2 months, your baby is growing very quickly. They will keep growing at this rate, probably gaining about 900g and growing 2. 5 cm to 3.8 cm every month.
Babies often have a growth spurt at about 6 weeks. This might make them more fussy because they want to eat more than usual. It might feel like you’re feeding all the time, especially at certain times of the day. You can sometimes tell your baby is hungry if they’re sticking their tongue out or sucking. If they doze off or turn their head away, they’re probably full.
At 6 to 8 weeks, your baby will have their scheduled vaccinations - 2 injections and the oral rotavirus vaccine.
Understanding baby growth charts
A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.
What can your baby do?
By 2 months your baby will have discovered their fingers and hands. They will hold their hands open and grab an object (although they don’t know how to let go yet!) They might also clasp both hands together.
2-month-old babies will start to learn how to coordinate their movements. Instead of the jerky arm and leg movements that made when they were born, they can move more smoothly and in more of a circular motion. They will kick both legs strongly and will be very wriggly. They may even roll over, so don’t ever leave them alone on a change table.
Their neck will be getting stronger all the time. During tummy time they might be lifting their head and moving it from side to side. Some babies can even lift their chest off the ground by now.
Some (though very few) babies can sleep through the night by the time they reach 2 months. But even if you’re not one of the lucky parents or carers, your baby will at least be sleeping for longer stretches at a time. They’ll probably be having 2 to 4 long sleeps and will be more awake and alert during the day — although babies’ sleep patterns still vary widely at this age.
Your baby’s eyes, which may have been crossed when they were younger, move together most of the time now. They will clearly recognise you, will look at you when you talk to them, and can follow you with their eyes. They will love looking at your face and will be giving you some lovely smiles. They will like looking at objects with more complex patterns and colours.
They will also be making a lot more sounds and gurgling, including sounds like ‘a’ or ‘o’, and they will seem to listen to you and talk back to you.
How can I help my baby develop?
As your baby develops more of a rhythm, you’ll find they are awake more during the day. This gives you more time to interact with them and help them develop. Spend plenty of time reading to them, singing, and talking. That way they’ll get used to sounds and words and will start to develop language and communication skills.
You can play with them by letting them look at and feel a variety of objects with different designs, colours, and shapes. Plastic toys and soft balls work well.
They will love looking at you, so make sure you smile at them a lot. It releases ‘feel-good’ chemicals in your baby’s body and helps them to feel safe and secure. You could also give your baby a massage to relax them. After a bath is a good time.
Continue with 1 to 5 minutes tummy time to strengthen their neck and upper body. It will help them develop the muscles they’ll need later to sit and crawl. But always put your baby to sleep on their back.
Development problem signs
Babies develop at a different rate. At 2 months, talk to your doctor or maternal child health nurse if:
- they aren’t smiling by 8 weeks
- they don’t calm down, even for a little while, when you pick them up to comfort them
- one side of their body seems to be stronger than the other
- they’re still holding their fingers in a tight fist
- sudden noises don’t startle them
- they aren’t feeding properly
- they’re floppy or stiff
Where can I go for help?
If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues with your baby’s development, speak to your doctor or child health nurse.
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.
Sources:
Raising Children Network (1-2 months: newborn development), Women's and Children's Health Network (Milestones: Children 0-4 years), Kids Health (Your baby’s health – 2 months), Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (Developmental milestones and the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standards)Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.
Last reviewed: October 2020
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Related pages
- Bonding with your baby
- How your baby learns - birth to 3 years
- Your baby’s growth and development – first 12 months
- Understanding baby growth charts
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The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.
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Your Baby's Growth: 2 Months (for Parents)
Reviewed by: Cristy A. Wong, MD
en español El crecimiento de su bebé: 2 meses
Babies continue to grow quickly in weight and length this month.
How Much Will My Baby Grow?
The first 2 months of life were a period of rapid growth. Your baby will continue to grow at a similar rate, gaining about 1 to 1½ inches (2.5 to 3.8 centimeters) in length and 2 pounds (907 grams) in weight this month. These are just averages — your baby may grow somewhat faster or slower, and is likely to have growth spurts.
Your baby can go through periods of increased hunger and fussiness. This increase in hunger means your baby is going through a period of fast growth (a growth spurt). If you breastfeed, you might find your baby wants to eat more often (sometimes every hour!) during certain times of the day. This is often called "cluster feeding. " Formula-fed babies may want to eat more often or will drink more formula than usual during feedings.
You'll learn to see the signs that tell you that your baby is hungry or when your baby is full. You will know your baby is hungry when she seems restless, cries a lot, sticks out her tongue or sucks on her hands and lips. You will know your baby is full when she is no longer interested in feeding or just falls asleep at the end of a feeding session. Remember, babies' tummies are very small and they need to be burped after feedings to release gas that can cause discomfort.
Your doctor will measure your baby's weight, length, and head circumference and track his or her growth on a standardized growth chart (there are different charts for boys and girls). Your baby might be large, small, or medium-sized. As long as this growth pattern stays consistent over time, chances are your baby's progress is just fine.
If your baby is born prematurely, keep in mind that growth and development should not be compared with that of a full-term child. Preemies will need to be followed more closely and may need to be weighed more often during the first months to make sure they are growing properly. They have some catching up to do!
Should I Be Concerned?
If your baby is not growing at the expected rate, or the growth rate slows, your doctor will want to make sure your baby is getting enough to eat.
The doctor may ask you about:
- How many feedings a day your baby gets. At 2 months old, a breastfed baby may feed about 8 times in a 24-hour period; formula-fed babies usually eat less frequently, about every 4 hours. Now that babies are drinking more at a time they will feed less often and sleep longer at night.
- How much your baby eats at each feeding. A baby generally nurses for at least 10 minutes, should be heard to swallow, and should seem satisfied when done. Bottle-fed babies eat about 5 to 6 ounces (148–177 milliliters) — some more and some less — at each feeding. Breastfeeding mothers may benefit from seeing a lactation consultant to increase comfort and improve technique.
- How many bowel movements your baby has each day, and their volume and consistency. Most babies will have 1 or more bowel movements daily, but it may be normal to skip 1 or 2 days if consistency is normal. Breastfed babies' stools tend to be soft and slightly runny. The stools of formula-fed babies tend to be a little firmer, but should not be hard or formed.
Most of the time, a baby's growth will simply be tracked over the next few months during routine well-baby visits. But if your doctor is concerned about your baby's growth, he or she will want to see your baby more often.
What's Next?
On average, babies between 3 and 6 months grow in length and weight at a steady but slightly slower rate compared with the first 2 months of life. Sometimes, it may seem like your baby is outgrowing clothes every other day and you can't keep up. Don't worry. Rapid growth will start to slow down in the second half of the first year.
Reviewed by: Cristy A. Wong, MD
Date reviewed: January 2019
Child's sleep - BabySleep Center for Children's Sleep and Development
From birth to 1.5 years old, a child experiences 10 crises of growth and development. Do not be afraid, every crisis is a jump in the development of the nervous system, the growth of the brain, the emergence of new abilities in a child.
Enter the date of birth of the child and get a personal table of developmental leaps
Was the baby born out of time?
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week
A difficult time is expected around this week
Now is a relatively quiet time
Possibly a difficult time
Life hack from BabySleep
When the table of jumps and crises of the child is in sight, it is easier for the family to survive them!
Print PDF
When
Curses of the Child
5 Week / 1 month
1 jump: new sensations
8 week (8–9) / 2 months
2 GENERAL: PACES
9000 12 week / 2 ,5 months3 leap: awareness of change
19 weeks (15–19) / 4 months
4 leap: exploration of space
26 weeks (23–26) / 5. 5 months
5 leap: distance awareness
37 weeks (34–37) / 8–9 months
6 leap: understanding categories
46 weeks (42–46) ) / 10.5 months
7 leap: design and sequence
55 weeks (51–54) / 1 year
8 leap: planning and goals
64 (60–64) / 1 year and 2 months
Leap 9: abstractions and principles
75 weeks (71–75) / 1 year and 5 months
10 jump: systems and management
Frequently asked questions
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Where did the crisis data come from?
The child sleeps very badly during the crisis weeks, what should I do?
If some jumps go unnoticed?
If the crisis weeks in the table and in life do not coincide?
If the child seems to be in crisis all the time?
Why does the number of the crisis week in the calendar not always coincide with the number of the leap week?
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90,000 growth surges on infants - Article “Babysleep” About growth surges in infants07/12/2016
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development
0-3 months
Article
Tatyana Chkhikvishvili
Tatyana Chkhikvishvili
Head of online programs, psychologist, sleep and breastfeeding consultant
Mother of two children
At about the 5th week of life, there is a jump in maturation. Tears appear, the child stays awake longer, sees better, is more interested in the outside world. The sense organs develop rapidly. But the baby's brain is not yet able to process all the new impressions.
0–4 months. Improve sleep in 3 weeks
Growth spurts in babies
Growth spurts in babies are natural stages of development. The development of children is always in leaps and bounds. Suddenly, the baby learns to do something new, which he could not do a couple of days ago.
Then there is a pause in development, and another leap follows. Each jump is a difficult period for the baby. After all, he has to adapt to new sensations, new impressions, get used to them. Many children worry about change.
This is a difficult time for adults too. To calm down, kids need time and the help of caring parents. With each growth spurt in babies, the need to be as close to mom as possible increases dramatically.
How to recognize?
The first developmental leap in newborns occurs at the end of the first month of life. This is both a growth spurt (the child's body is developing rapidly), and a leap in the development of the senses. The baby begins to notice that something is happening around him, changing. But the development of the sense organs does not mean an increase in the ability to process new sensations. As a result, the baby is scared and alarmed by what is happening.
He instinctively seeks protection from his mother. And since the baby still cannot express his feelings in words or stretch out his arms to his mother, he uses the method available to him - he screams.
During this period, the baby sleeps worse, especially alone in the crib. Or lies quietly only on the stomach of one of the parents, although he did not like it before. He often requires the breast in search of solace. With all his appearance, the baby lets you know that he needs you and maximum comfort.
What to do?
First of all, there is no need to be afraid of leaps in development. You may think that the baby is hungry and you don't have enough milk. Or that his tummy hurts. You'll probably want to take it to the doctor just in case, as many parents do. But in fact, right now, the baby most of all needs your closeness. She calms him down and gives him a sense of security.
How to help your child calm down during a crisis:
- Carry your baby in your arms : your voice, smell, rhythmic movements, warmth - everything matters.
- Continue breastfeeding even if you don't feel like you have enough milk.
- Calm baby : hold him close to you, hand holding his head, lying in the crook of the elbow. So he will hear your heartbeat. Walk with him in this position, sing a song, shake, stroke, clap.
How can I help my baby fall asleep?
You need little tricks to lull your baby to sleep. The easiest way for a baby to fall asleep is during feedings, in a sling or stroller, and on a car trip, which sometimes works wonders. The baby calms down and falls asleep when he gets what he wants - food, warmth, rhythmic swaying and touching your body.
Poll
What sleeping position was recommended for your baby in the maternity hospital?
(you can choose one or more options)
- on the side
- on the back
- on the stomach
- Semi -sided
- They did not say anything
Vooked: 32879
Baby. acquires something new - the development of new skills and reactions. Now he has tears when he gets upset. At the same time, he now breathes more evenly, less frightened and startled. He has almost no pain in his tummy.
The child stays awake longer and is more interested in the outside world. It focuses the eyes to a greater distance (but no further than 30 cm) and requires new experiences.
What to do
Growth spurts in babies are stressful for both parents and babies.
- Give your child maximum attention, affection . Hug him, pet him, talk, sing lullabies. Close physical and emotional contact is the solution to many problems;
- Watch baby : find out what he likes and let him enjoy it - look at some object for a long time, lie down and feel your gentle strokes. It can be a pleasant sound, a smell, a place in the house where he is comfortable. He will answer you with a smile if you find something that fascinates him.
- Small children are very sensitive to sounds : buzzing, whistling, hissing. And the mother's voice is the most interesting and pleasant. Talk to the baby. Sit with him in a comfortable chair, your face in front of his, tell him about your plans for the day, about how you waited for his birth and how he first got home - about anything. And be sure to respond to his cooing and smiling. But do not overwork the child. Stop as soon as the baby loses interest. Now he gets tired quickly.
Completion of the growth spurt
The child is 1.