What should a 2 month old baby do? Child development in the second month of life

Just two months ago, you were agonizingly waiting for your baby to be born. Now the little man has become a constant cause for happiness and anxiety at the same time. Parents are unlikely to be able to understand whether a newborn baby is developing normally if there are no obvious deviations. Already after 2 months, moms and dads can objectively assess the pace of progress and proudly tell their friends about the baby's success.

Physical parameters

The height and weight of a two-month-old baby can vary greatly. This must be clearly known and remembered constantly in order to avoid unnecessary worries. Much depends on the size and weight at birth, as well as heredity.

Parameters of height, weight and volume of the head of a child of 2 months:

Some babies already have weight at birth, which others gain at 3 or even 5 months. You should not pay too much attention to absolute indicators, it is better to analyze the dynamics of growth and weight gain. According to WHO recommendations, weight gain in the second month averages about 800 grams, height increases by 3 cm, head circumference - by 1.5 cm. From birth to two months, the child grows by 6 cm, and recovers by almost 1.5 kg.

There are available tables and graphs that indicate the upper and lower limits of the weight norm. They are designed separately for girls and boys. If the child is in this field, then no additional supplementary feeding is needed, even if the baby has not gained a single gram in a month. Daily weighing and the use of drugs "for appetite" are simply strictly prohibited. As Dr. Komarovsky says in numerous videos about the first months of life, it is better to buy a sedative for the mother (grandmother) with this money so that she falls behind the child.

motor development

Dear reader!

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

The physical development of the baby in the first months of life proceeds gradually. Alternately, the child must learn to control the head, arms, body, legs. The appearance of characteristic movements for a particular age is rather arbitrary, since motor development is largely due to heredity. Consider what movements pediatricians refer to as characteristic of 2 months of age.

head movements

By the age of 2 months, the child is able to hold his head while in his mother's arms. In the prone position, the baby can raise the head and hold it in this position for up to 1 minute. The emphasis in this case occurs on the forearms, the chest rises above the surface, the legs are extended. In a vertical position (column), a child without support can hold his head for about 30 seconds.

The baby can lift the head for just a few seconds, and this is a good result of the development of the baby.

Hand movements

After two months, the baby begins to actively take an interest in his hands. There is an intensive increase in the number of conscious movements:

1. Feeling. Tactile sensation dominates all others. The child strokes the bed with his palms, the surrounding objects, feels himself, pulls the clothes.
2. Grasping. The grasping reflex fades away, it is replaced by a conscious movement. Still awkward, but the child tries to grab the toys hanging above him, clings to the offered rattles and holds them for up to 10 seconds, tries to bring the caught objects to his mouth.
3. Coordination. From the age of 2 months, the baby begins to understand that he can control his hands and develop this skill in every possible way. He should look at his hands with interest, bring them to his mouth, grab one hand with the other, amusing himself and those around him. If by the end of the 3rd month the child is still not interested in his own hands, tell your pediatrician about it.

Psycho-emotional development

The psycho-emotional development of a child is highly dependent on the environment: on the relationship between family members, the amount of attention given to the baby. If they talk to a child, smile at him, the cub does the same in response: he hums, focuses on an adult, and reacts with facial expressions to changes in intonation.

When a baby looks at his mother, smiles at her and tries to speak only vowels so far, this cannot but please his parents

visual reactions

A two-month-old baby is able to focus on people and objects. To capture the attention of a little man, objects should be no more than 60 cm from the eyes. Optimally - 30 cm. Then, in addition to focusing on things, the child also shows interested tracking. If the toy moves slowly in an arc, the child will turn the head after it.

When adults address him, the baby turns and looks into the face of the speaker for 10 seconds. For the longest time, the little one can examine his hands: looking at the pens can last up to 5 minutes.

Formation of binocular vision , ie . view, implemented two eyes, leads to a single stereotypical image and marks a new stage in the development of visual indicative reactions. The child's examination of his fist speaks of the emergence of interest in the objects of the outside world, which is an important step in the development of the intelligence of the little one. Smiling and looking at the hand is the initial stage of learning.

Hearing Development

At 2 months, the child has acute hearing. During this period, he begins to react negatively to sharp and too loud sounds: freezes for a few seconds, opens his eyes wide, wrinkles his face, and after 10-15 seconds begins to cry.

The baby reacts to typical environmental sounds by turning its eyes, and later - its head. If the child becomes interested in the sound while eating, it will activate or slow down the sucking movements, or may stop eating and turn towards the noise.

Don't be surprised if your baby starts crying after a loud noise, because at two months old the baby has good hearing and can be easily frightened by extraneous sounds.

Speech

The speech of a small child is inextricably linked with hearing. The peanut very often listens to the sounds made and hums amusingly. It can hum softly or squeak piercingly. Cries acquire distinct intonations, by which parents can determine whether the child is irritated or calm. Speech consists of vowels in different variations: a-a, a-y, w-e, etc.

Emotional manifestations

By 2 months, the baby acquires an extensive arsenal of verbal and non-verbal emotional manifestations. Not only demanding, but also pleading intonations appear in the voice (a “begging” way of communication appears), cries are replaced by exclamations with pauses in which the baby expects a reaction to his exclamations.

The child shows high spirits with facial expressions and a smile. Some smile barely perceptibly - with only the tips of their lips; others are more pronounced, comically wrinkling their noses and gleaming eyes; individual "instances" in a good mood giggle merrily. In a state of calm, the baby is serious and alert. Feelings of discomfort the little one expresses with a whimper and a wrinkled face.

The emotions of a baby at two months are becoming more and more diverse. Some children are quiet and calm, that they hardly even smile, while others may already start laughing.

Intelligence

At 2 months, the baby is clearly aware of the simplest cause-and-effect relationships. With the appearance in the field of view of the mother, he stops crying and freezes in anticipation of the start of feeding. A formula-fed baby begins to open its mouth and make sucking movements when it sees a bottle.

By two months, the baby is growing and getting stronger enough to make the first conscious movements. With each subsequent month, physical activity increases at a rapid pace. Before you have time to look back, your lala will begin to crawl, and there it will take a vertical position, becoming completely similar to an adult human. Not only physical skills develop, but also emotions and intelligence.

The emotional changes of this tender age have been termed the revitalization complex. With its appearance, the child has a clear emotional reaction to people. When relatives approach, there is a consistent alternation of fading, motor animation, smiles and cooing, accompanied by an inquisitive look into the eyes. At 2 months, a small person firmly embarks on the path of development of communication and the task of parents is to satisfy and support this desire.

The first, most difficult, month after the birth of your baby is left behind. The adaptation period to home conditions went smoothly, at the 2nd month of life the child is no longer considered a newborn. He enters a new, even more interesting and eventful life. The development of a child at 2 months makes a big leap, activity increases, during this period new important skills and good habits are acquired.

The second month has passed since the appearance of a little man in the house, and without knowing it, he dictates his own rules and sets the daily routine for all household members. Usually, within 1-2 months, the baby establishes a clear schedule for feeding, sleeping and waking periods, which must be gradually adjusted as the child grows up.

Now the main guarantee of activity and proper development is the food received from the mother, and healthy sleep, allowing him to gain strength, helping to learn the wonderful world around him every day.

The amount of breast milk that meets the needs of the baby is not less than 800 grams per day. If breastfeeding is not possible, the child is fed with the mixture in the same amount - about 800 g. Modern baby food is enriched with all the necessary trace elements and vitamins and is quite balanced, so you should not overfeed the baby.

On average, over the specified period, the weight of the baby reaches approximately 0.8–1 kg, and growth increases by about 3 cm. However, these are average figures, and you should not be upset when the baby has not grown enough or, conversely, has gained too much. Every baby is different and has different needs.

It is useful for a baby at 2 months of age to sleep a lot and gain strength for active growth. Usually daytime sleep lasts about 2.5 hours, then the period of wakefulness and eating (together 40 minutes). The child sleeps most of the day. But such intervals are also extremely individual, different children have a different daily routine. Many children get enough sleep during the day. The main thing is that a night's sleep lasts 5-6 hours and is deep and calm.

Assessing the child's skills

Regarding those abilities and skills acquired by a child in the first 2 months of life, one can only rejoice here. The development of the baby is now going by leaps and bounds, and literally every day he presents little surprises to his parents. Ideally, the baby in the second month should learn:

• hold the head straight for about 10-20 seconds;
• lying on the tummy, raise the head, shoulders and chest, and remain in a similar position for a short time;
• lie quietly, relaxing the legs and arms, for a sufficiently long period;
• hold light toys placed in the hands of parents;
• explore your body, grab yourself by various parts;
• listen to voices and other sounds heard nearby;
• keep your eyes on slow moving objects and focus on stationary ones.

Surprises continue

In addition to all of the above, in the second month of life, the child begins to smile. Yes- yes, it is to smile, but consciously, very sweetly and toothlessly. The baby does not give out those involuntary grimaces, first noticed at 1 month and occurring during sleep or breast sucking. This is a charming, most precious smile in the world, and the baby bestows it, first of all, on mom and dad.

By 2 months, the child begins to walk, chanting various vowel sounds. Gradually, the sounds will begin to take shape in simple syllables and words - a great start to the further speech development of the baby and replenish his rich vocabulary. And by repeating babble after him and at the same time focusing on clear articulation, you will become an excellent example for your child to help him develop his speech further. Do it in the form of a game, telling him various rhymes and nursery rhymes.

The crying of a baby at 2 months takes on many shades and meanings. Now the baby knows exactly how to communicate that he is hungry, tired, wants to be held and just chat. Attentive parents, by the nature of the sounds made, will immediately understand the reasons for the baby's anxiety. Often, just screams are taken for crying, with the help of which the child simply calls to himself, bored.

First lessons with baby

In the correct and rapid physical, mental and emotional development of the child, it is worth a little help. Various exercises aimed at consolidating the acquired skills and abilities will bring undeniable benefits to the baby in the future, and they will help you get even closer to the baby.

• Touch exercises. To develop fingers, it is useful for a child to alternately put small objects made of different materials into the hands: plastic, wood, metal, fabric, fur, glass, paper, leather and others. In general, any exercises with fingers have a beneficial effect on the proper development of the speech apparatus and subsequently help to avoid meetings with a speech therapist.
• Exercises to improve vision and hearing. You need to take a bright rattle and shake it for a few seconds on the side of the baby, about 30 centimeters. The baby will definitely freeze first, trying to determine where the sound comes from, and then begin to actively turn its head around in search of its source. It is worth hanging the same rattle in the crib and moving it from edge to edge, allowing the baby to follow the movement of the toy with his eyes. Perfectly in this regard, mobiles on the crib act on children.

Such games should be played 2-3 times a day and monitor the condition of the child, do not overwork. With the onset of whims and other manifestations of dissatisfaction, discontent, the exercises should be stopped for a while and wait until the baby is again in a good mood. The correct implementation of the described exercises and some of the new ones is shown in detail in the attached video.

Groats and other improvised means

An excellent way to physically strengthen the baby's body is massage and self-massage.. Usually, massage is more or less clear, and parents managed to master it in the first month of a child’s life, but many have not heard about self-massage. On the sheet spread on the changing table, you need to pour out a little cereal and put the baby on it - with the tummy or back. The baby begins to fidget, thereby getting new tactile sensations and developing imagination. Here you need to carefully monitor the reaction of the child, try not to hurt him, unpleasantly, he should not be pulled cereal into his mouth.

Ordinary massage can also be somewhat diversified: for example, not just stroking the baby with your hands, but rolling various rolling objects on the back, tummy, legs and arms - various balls, pencils, nuts, cloth rollers.

It is also useful to stroke the body of the crumbs with shreds of various materials and fur pompoms. During such a massage, emphasis is placed on the variety of materials and, accordingly, the different sensations perceived by the child.

Care is very important

Basic care for a two-month-old baby is no different from caring for a newborn. The child still needs to be bathed 4-5 times a week, washed, cleaned ears, nose and eyes. If necessary, get rid of seborrheic crusts on the head.

It is important to take care of the umbilical wound. It is necessary to clean it, if there are still secretions and crusts, treat it with 3% hydrogen peroxide. But in general, in 1-2 months, children do not have such a problem.

In general, it is necessary to carefully monitor the well-being of the baby and, with the appearance of some signs of the disease, contact the pediatrician in time. By the end of the period under review, the child must be examined by a neurologist, surgeon, ophthalmologist, orthopedist. Often do an ultrasound of the hip joints and abdominal organs.

Intestinal colic at 2 months can still bother the baby. Simple manipulations will help to alleviate his condition - laying on the tummy, stroking clockwise, and applying a heating pad with warm water, freshly ironed (or warmed on a battery) diaper.

Now the baby needs love, care and attention. Enjoy the time when you can endlessly communicate and engage with the baby, give him and yourself priceless minutes of each other's company, and then any problems that arise will be solved much easier and faster.

The movements of the baby are no longer so erratic, not so jerky. He spins, kicks his legs, as if he is pedaling. It holds its head better, although you still need to support it. He is more and more active: if you take him in your arms and pull him towards you, the head follows the body, and does not lean back as before.

Rhythm baby

Dream

Sometimes the baby sleeps even all night long, and periods of wakefulness become longer and longer - up to several hours a day.

Nutrition

Regardless of whether you feed an infant - breast milk or formula, he drinks 700 to 800 ml of mother's milk or formula per day (that is, five to six bottles per day). If you are breastfeeding, continue to feed on demand.

Child's sense organs

Hearing

At two months, the baby can already determine where the sound is coming from.

Vision

Becomes sharper, less blurry, field of view expands.

When the child is awake

The baby becomes more and more curious and active. He recognizes the faces of the people around him; at two months, he reacts to familiar faces with cooing and an answering smile - this is the first real smile. The first cries are added to the crying of the newborn. The kid starts to play: he coos, he likes it when you repeat the sounds that he makes. When he is well, he murmurs; when he is encouraged or when the baby is excited, he fidgets briskly, like a spring, spreading his arms and legs to the sides.

He recognizes some things familiar to him and gradually remembers daily, repetitive actions (feeding, walking, bathing). He can hold a light object in his hands and turns his head, following it with his eyes.

Evening crying: a tiring but natural episode for this period. By the end of the day, for no apparent reason, the baby begins to sob inconsolably. This evening crying is very common in babies from one to three months: it allows them to relieve the stress accumulated during the day. Do not worry! Rock the baby or, if it calms him, give him a breast, stay with him in a semi-dark room, away from bright light. If all else fails, stay with him, do not lose your good mood; carry your baby in your arms or in a sling. Such episodes, tiring both for the child and for the whole family, will end with the beginning of the second trimester of his life.

Child health

Second month: visiting the local pediatrician

As during the first visit, the doctor checks the physiological, mental and physical condition of the child, as well as the state of his immune system and measures height, weight, skull circumference.

• Boys - about 57 cm and 4.9 kg, the circumference of the skull is about 39 cm.
• Girls - about 56 cm and 4.6 kg, the circumference of the skull is about 38.5 cm.

Archaic reflexes gradually disappear, they are replaced by a less "reflex" muscle tone. The doctor again evaluates the work of all major organs and systems - conducts an examination of the cardiac, respiratory, vascular systems. The characteristics of the normal functioning of these systems are almost analogous to those that we cited in connection with the doctor's first settlement.

Official start of vaccination

Your doctor will certainly suggest that you start vaccinating your baby according to the national vaccination schedule. The calendar includes immunization against 11 diseases: measles, tuberculosis, tetanus, viral hepatitis B, whooping cough, diphtheria, polio, mumps, rubella, chicken pox (since 2009).

What you need to know before getting vaccinated

Before each vaccination, you must give written consent, which must be pasted into the child's medical record. In addition, the baby's medical record must indicate the date of vaccination, the number and name of the vaccine.

Before vaccination, it is necessary to measure the body temperature of the baby. The doctor is obliged to examine the child, listen to the heart and lungs, examine the throat, ask the parents if there are any complaints. The examination data is also entered into the medical record.

Before giving an injection, the nurse must show you the ampoule and read the name and number of the vaccine aloud.

Depending on what type of care you have chosen for your baby - especially if he stays at home and you are breastfeeding - you may start vaccination a little later. One last piece of advice: avoid hepatitis B vaccines, they are very recent and controversial. Whatever your opinion, take the time to read the information about this vaccine in detail.

In Russia, many vaccines are complex: they are vaccinated against several diseases at once with one injection. It is believed that in this way complications can be avoided. Often, weakened children are given, instead of the DTP vaccine, a weakened DTP or ATP-M without the pertussis component, which accounts for most of the reactions such as high fever and general malaise.

natural recipes

Simple homeopathic remedies that neutralize the side effects of vaccinations:

• On the eve of vaccination and in the morning before vaccination, give the baby 1 dose of Tuya 9 CH.
• During the day after vaccination: 1 dose of Silicea 15 CH and Sulfur 15 CH.
• Immediately after the vaccination (tell the doctor who vaccinates the child) apply a clay compress to the upper arm and do not remove it until the evening bath.
• Give the baby a solution of the injected drug (available from a pharmacy) at a concentration of 30 CH. Dosage: 1 dose the next day after vaccination, and then every Sunday for a month in case of a reaction to the vaccination (fever, redness or sore at the injection site, etc.).

Colic and regurgitation

They are mainly due to the fact that the baby's digestive system has not yet fully formed.

Although in most cases these symptoms are harmless and natural, they - and above all colic - frighten parents, who often do not know what to do. Babies cry all night long or seem to be tormented by pushing, while nothing can console them ... Maternal care, osteopathy and natural remedies are the means that can help you fight these difficulties, which will disappear on their own over time.

natural therapy

Every evening, prepare a solution: 1 tablespoon of green clay in a glass of water; mix the solution well and leave it to settle. The next day, give the baby the infused solution before each feeding, 1 pipette (or 2 coffee spoons), leaving a sediment in the glass.

Order a water-based solution in a homeopathic pharmacy: Vegetable Charcoal 7 CH, Vomit 9 CH, Hamomil-la 9 CH, Colocynths 7 CH. Dosage: 1 pipette (or 2 coffee spoons from a douche) 3-4 times a day between feedings.

For colic, gas, and extreme agitation: Calmosine (use in small doses, it is very sweet) in the evening or at night.

Any sedative or antispasmodic herbal infusion can be given 1 pipette before each feeding, especially at night, starting from the third month. Nursing mothers can drink infusions that combine lactogenic herbal remedies and agents that promote proper digestion.

He smiled

He smiled! By the second month, the baby begins smile. The English psychologist Bauer argued that even such a crumb already has several types of smiles that express different emotions. First: “Hurrah, I did it!” The second: "I'm glad to see you," - this is how the baby usually smiles at his mother or the person who replaces her. If a mother went to work immediately after giving birth, do not be surprised if this smile does not go to her, but to a nanny or grandmother. And the third type of smile is relief after fear or tension.

This list does not mean that your baby cannot smile for some other reason. His emotional life is already rich enough. Watch him carefully, and perhaps you will see some other shades of feelings in his smile.

Another new manifestation of emotions - revitalization complex: having seen or heard a loved one, the child turns his head in his direction, starts waving his arms, kicking his legs, - in short, expresses his joy by increasing motor activity.

Psychologists call the second month extremely important in shaping the emotional sphere of a person. If during this period the child did not receive maternal warmth, attention and affection, then later, in kindergarten, at school, he may have difficulty adapting. What to do? After all, there are different situations in life. First, prioritize. Just remember that your baby really needs you, and make your decision based on that.

case from practice: The child was about two months old when his mother was offered the role of host in a new television project. An opportunity like this comes along once in a lifetime. And my mother agreed, entrusting the upbringing of her daughter to nannies and grandmother. The girl was brought to me for an appointment when she was seven years old. She categorically refused to go to school - she screamed, cried, ran away from the classroom. It came to real hysterical fits. It seemed to her that the unfamiliar environment was extremely dangerous, although she could not explain what exactly she was afraid of. It was a classic example of a neurosis on the basis of a basic trust in the outside world that was not formed in infancy. And the mother had to fill in the gap that the child had in early childhood: she left work and went to school with her daughter for a year and a half, sitting all the lessons in the corridor next to the class. Otherwise, the girl refused to go to classes. So, after many years, the choice made by my mother in favor of a career came back to haunt me.

And yet, none of us is immune from force majeure. Therefore, I strongly recommend to all mothers: get your child comforter toy. This wonderful thing should appear even during the period when the baby sleeps with you. Gradually, it will be saturated with the smell of mother's milk, mother's warmth - all those smells that for the baby are associated with your closeness and peace. In a situation of forced separation, this comforter will give the child a sense of stability.

The comforter is useful for absolutely all children, and not only for those who will be separated from their mother. With this toy you can go on a visit, go on a trip.

It will help you relax and fall asleep in a new place, in new, unusual conditions.

What should be the comforter? Firstly, multi-colored (in the second month, the child already distinguishes colors). Secondly, soft, like a pillow, so that you can hug her. Thirdly, it should not have hard details - buttons, sequins, etc. If the child slept with you at first, this toy will help you move him to a separate bed. First, put the comforter between you and your baby. After some time, move the baby along with the toy to the crib, moved to your bed. In my practice, I was convinced many times that such a “resettlement” is much easier with someone who consoles.

This toy will serve you faithfully for many years. Most children don't just hug their comforters - they suck, chew, and rub them into holes. But you can't throw away the comforter! Come to terms with her uncommodified appearance. It is needed not for beauty and not for the game, but for reassurance. You can get another one to replace it. But you can change and wash comforters only during periods of stability, when everything is fine and calm in the child's life.

Orientation in space

In the second month, the so-called orienting reflexes develop - the baby begins to follow moving objects. It's time to hang up the first carousel and introduce new exercise games.

Hearing Orientation. We take objects that make soft, quiet sounds, such as a bell, and begin to ring, walking around the room. The baby will turn his head in the direction where the sound comes from.

Game "Where's Mom?". The disappearance of the mother from the field of view is perceived by the baby as the disappearance from his world. This game shows him that his mother may not be visible, but if her voice sounds, then she is nearby. How to play? You step out of your baby's line of sight, walk to the other side of the crib, and call your baby's name. He should reach out to your voice and see you. It would seem a very primitive exercise. But it is thanks to him that you will very soon be able to calm the child simply with your voice, without approaching him. And a little later it will be possible to read fairy tales to the recorder, and he will fall asleep under them if you are not around.

A two-month-old baby looks with interest at the face of an adult, especially his mother. And not the face as a whole, but its individual parts - eyes, nose, lips. This is the process of capturing the image of a loved one. It is interesting that the baby with the same pleasure can consider both a living face and its image, a photograph.

Advice: Hang a large picture of mom or dad next to the baby's crib. Let it imprint.

Fitball. On a large ball, you can engage with kids from an early age. The simplest thing is to put the child on the ball with his stomach, hold it and roll it. Well develops the vestibular apparatus, a sense of balance.

Exercise "Big Journey". We take the child in our arms, we begin to walk around the house with him, examine various objects and name them. Probably, all mothers do this, not even suspecting that this is some kind of special exercise. Know that you are not just carrying the baby in your arms, but are doing a very useful thing. "The Big Journey" teaches the child to perceive the world, which is wider than his bed or room.

Yes, in the first month, the cognitive activity of the baby is small. He just needs to be close to his mother. But the second month is the age when it is necessary to pick up a child. "I want to know. I am curious. I’m interested,” these are the motives that you are starting to develop right now. If a baby at this age is overprotected, constantly kept in a crib, covered with gauze, going out for a walk, he will develop a motive not to know the world, but to avoid pain, danger, failure. Curiosity never develops in him.

moms complain

“I don’t have time to do anything around the house. I am accumulating a sense of guilt from the fact that the floors are unwashed, dinner is not prepared ... ”Really, how to do everything in time? After all, the activity of the child has grown, he already sleeps less and needs to communicate. And it's getting harder to wear.

The main advice that can be given here is: change your attitude towards order. In a house where there are small children, there can be no order. Come to terms with the painted walls, scattered toys, cut tablecloths, porridge-splattered kitchen in advance. Don't let too much cleanliness ruin your motherhood. Better an untidy house and a calm, balanced child than perfect order - and you are neurotic, rubbing the tiles in the bathroom.

Do you feel like a bad housewife? Are you embarrassed in front of your husband? I can console you: men perceive order absolutely differently than women. There are, of course, male pedants who pay attention to all the little things. But more often than not, husbands simply do not notice what seems to you to be blatant chaos. Don't have time to cook dinner or lunch? Invite your mother-in-law. She knows best what her "boy" likes. At the same time, strengthen relations with your husband's parents. It will be very pleasant for him.

“I feel like a nursing cow, an attachment to my child. I sleep, I eat not when I feel like it, but when he allows me.” In psychology, this is called the feeling of depersonalization. After pregnancy and the first month of life with a baby, a woman begins to feel that she has lost herself. Good people advise: “Set aside a few hours for yourself. Go to the hairdresser, get a manicure. Don't follow these tips. All you can afford right now is a few minutes apart from your child. Never leave it on for several hours. Yes, and there is no point in this, because leaving it, you will not find yourself. I propose another solution to the problem.

Look at motherhood not in terms of loss of identity. You haven't lost it, it's just taking on a new dimension. Now you can include new activities in your life that you didn’t know about before. For example, you can go with the baby to fitness or swimming together. On the one hand, you will satisfy your need for physical activities, on the other hand, expand your circle of acquaintances, and these will be women with similar interests, because all of them will also be mothers with babies. And your personal life will become more diverse.

A great helper for mom is a sling. This invention of mankind, long forgotten and recently returned to Europe, will give you both free hands and freedom of movement without leaving your child. The sling can be worn in front, behind, and on the side, the baby sleeps and stays awake in it. The sling will give you the opportunity to increase your activity and follow your needs, and not sit in four walls. And what is also very important: the sling allows you to actively include children in our lives, thereby developing their socialization skills.

What worries dad?

"Why doesn't he look like me?" Looking at their two-month-old child, men often ask this question. By this time, the baby's facial features are smoothed out, and dad begins to peer at them intently, trying to find his reflection. And he doesn't find it. The child, it turns out, has its own appearance, its own nose, eyes, mouth ...

Ask the mother-in-law for children's photographs of her husband - they will most likely show how much the father has in common with the baby. You yourself from time to time can notice aloud the similarity of temperaments: “The same as you! I don’t like it a little, it immediately twists my legs! ” Treat your husband's anxiety philosophically, do not argue or be indignant. It will soon pass.

In the second month of the child's life, the father may again become aggravated by the feeling of "I'm not needed here." The man becomes irritable, picky and constantly expresses his dissatisfaction with the words "I told you ..." In fact, it is not so important what he said. The key word here is "I". With his nit-picking, he is simply trying to draw attention to himself, he wants to be heard, to be reckoned with.

There can be several reasons for the exacerbation of the feeling of lack of demand:

1. the decline in euphoria that accompanied the first month,
2. lack of involvement in household chores,
3. unwillingness of a woman to return to intimate relationships.

How can you make your dad feel important again?

Do not lock yourself in your troubles, connect your husband to them. If you couldn't do it within the first month, now it's much more difficult. Life has entered into a routine, and everyday life does not arouse much enthusiasm in a man. However, don't give up. The child grows, it becomes more interesting with him, and the range of activities that dad can be involved in is expanding.

In caring for a child, continue to entrust your husband with what gives pleasure, and take on difficult tasks for now. For example, if a child is screaming, do not ask: "Go, calm him down." No, you go to the screaming baby yourself. But if he is buzzing and is in a good mood, then you can involve your husband in some kind of activity. And don't let this "unfair" distribution of responsibilities revolt you. The time will come, and paternal feelings will be fully revealed in your husband, then you will be able to turn to him in a variety of situations. But while he is just getting used to the role of a parent, and for him this process is much longer and more complicated than for you. Help him see the joyful side of fatherhood, imbued with love for the newborn and a sense of responsibility.

A few more tips:

• Do not forget to thank and cheer all the time: “How you help me!”
• Remember the exercise on orienting reflexes and start playing the game “Where is our daddy?” with your child. It's very simple. Come into the room with a child in your arms: "Where is dad?" Walk around the room, find dad. “Dad is here. Here's dad!" And give the baby to dad in his arms.
• If you need to go somewhere, leave the baby with dad. Not with a nanny, not with a grandmother, but with a dad.

It's time to remember that you are not only a mother, but also a wife.. The husband should feel that you love him no less, and even more, because he gave you this little miracle. Ask him about work, about business, about friends, about how he lives now. No need to demand that he lived as a child. In addition to his home, family, he has another world, and this world has not gone away. Your circle of friends could change a lot, this does not happen with a man.

How to return to intimate relationships? This often becomes a problem. The unwillingness of a woman, as a rule, is caused by three reasons: fatigue, pain, fear of seeming unattractive. With the first two, everything is more or less clear. If you are tired, you need to rest. If pain persists, you need to wait a little. But the third reason is worth paying more serious attention to.

Indeed, the body of a woman after childbirth changes, sometimes stretch marks appear on it, the forms become less elegant. It is difficult for her herself to get used to these changes, and it is even more scary that they will alienate her husband from her. If such fears have come between you and your spouse, then it’s time to rebuild.

Do you think your husband does not see that you have gained weight? Of course, he sees and does not attach any importance to this.

Perhaps in a year he will express some claims to you, but not now, when you have just recovered from childbirth. And many generally consider the rounded forms of a nursing woman to be very attractive. So your task is to accept yourself and trust your husband. What is important to him now is not a wasp waist, it is important for him to feel needed. And if you remove him just because you are embarrassed by your imperfect appearance, it will make your family life very difficult.

I'll say more. You and your husband are now moving to a new level of relationship, when you love not for any special virtues, but simply love without any conditions, forgiving all imperfections, including external ones. No matter how good-looking your husband is, he also will not remain that way forever. Sooner or later, he can get fat, go bald ... So what? Do you love him for it? After all, your exactingness towards yourself means that you set the same high bar for him. A man subconsciously feels it. She won't need me old and bald, he thinks. It is impossible to build a happy family on such a shaky foundation. You need to learn to accept each other for who you are. This will be that unconditional love that inspires and gives strength, and does not drive into a dead end.

Daddy's jokes

Help your husband learn jokes and exercises for the baby.

If the husband is ready to listen to you, teach him yourself, if not, call your mother-in-law for help and ask her to give a master class to both of you. A man is used to learning from his mother, for him it is more natural than being a student of his own wife. A nurse or pediatrician can also act as a teacher, that is, a person who, in the eyes of a man, has sufficient expert status to give advice.

In this article:

If your child is 2 months old, this is already a good time to start developing his skills and abilities. The first postpartum stress in the mother usually already passes, she feels much better, becomes more confident in her newfound role. And the child gradually adapts to a new world for him.

Children who are already 2 months old, in terms of emotional and physical development, make a significant leap in comparison with the moment when they were born.

What can a two-month-old baby do? How to properly care for him? How to develop? Find the answers in our article.

Normal height and weight of a child at 2 months

Average height in a 2-month-old infant can vary widely, depending on the sex of the newborn, birth parameters, and hereditary factors. All people are different, the same statement applies to babies. Tall parents give birth to large children, and petite mothers most often give birth to babies with small stature and weight.

The first 2 months of life are considered a period of intensive growth. In a short time after birth, the baby can increase its weight from 600 to 1500 grams, which is usually due to the initial body weight at birth. Obvious progress can be traced in the growth of the child, during this period it can grow by 2-3 cm.

• weight of a 2-month-old baby - from 4500 to 6000 gr;
• the growth of a child at 2 months - from 56 to 60 cm.

In addition to the above parameters, at a pediatrician's appointment at 2 months, the size of the head is determined. In boys, the circumference of the skull is 37-41 cm, in girls - from 36 to 39 cm.

Sleeping mode

A baby at 2 months begins to gradually adapt to the world around him, so the ratio of sleep and wakefulness in comparison with the neonatal period gradually decreases. If, after discharge from the hospital, the baby could sleep for 18-19 hours a day, then the sleep pattern of a baby who is 2 months old begins to change, patterns also appear in the alternation of periods of wakefulness and rest.

Features of the sleep regimen at this age:

• a two-month-old infant should have 3-4 naps, lasting 5-6 hours in total;
• night sleep lasts 11-13 hours, while it is common for the crumbs to wake up for feeding every 3-4 hours;
• the total duration of sleep in 2 months is 16-18 hours a day.

Young parents can begin to think about the formation of a healthy regimen of alternating sleep and activity, because a child at 2 months old can develop certain habits and rituals.

Nutrition

The most valuable food during the first six months of life for a baby is, which provides the supply of nutrients necessary for its development and growth, as well as special bodies that provide immune protection. It is not always possible for a mother to establish lactation, and there is a need for supplementary feeding with a mixture or a complete transition to.

When a newborn turns 2 months old, the intervals between feedings can be increased - the volume of the baby's stomach grows, which means that he can eat more at a time and stay full longer.

If the baby eats the mixture, then the recommended time intervals between meals are 3 hours. After eating, hold the baby in an upright position for several minutes. This will ensure the exit of the air swallowed with food, which reduces the likelihood.

A breastfed baby can also be breastfed every 3 hours, but most pediatricians still recommend on-demand feeding, which ensures that the baby's still immature gastrointestinal tract is working properly. In addition, mother's milk for a newborn is not only food, but also a means of calming down, as well as a good "sleeping pill".

In a child at 2 months, development significantly exceeds the level that was at birth, so nutrition should provide the baby with energy.

Baby development at 2 months

Many modern mothers are wondering how to develop a child at 2 months . The answer can be found on your own, if you know exactly what skills and abilities the baby has in this period of life. So what should a 2 month old baby do?

In the first days after childbirth, the baby sleeps or spends most of the time at the breast, but by the age of two months, the baby has pronounced periods of wakefulness that can be used for educational games with the baby.

It is necessary to conduct classes of various directions, which ensure the comprehensive development of the baby:

• physical exercises and gymnastics;
• classes that ensure the development of motor skills and sensory;
• games that develop intelligence;
• infant socialization.

Baby care

Depending on the time of year when the baby was born, by the beginning of the 2nd month of a newborn's life, the pediatrician usually recommends walking in the fresh air every day. A little rain or wind is not an obstacle to walking, because by this age the immune system becomes stronger.

However, do not exceed the allowable time spent outside, especially in winter, as hypothermia can lead to a cold in the baby.

• in the warm period - 1-2 times a day for three hours, it is also recommended to sleep in the fresh air;
• during the cold period - at least one walk, the duration of which does not exceed 2 hours.

Baby care includes the following activities:

• Daily bathing.
• Frequent change, at least once every three hours, and also after each bowel movement.
• After the baby has pooped, it is necessary to wash the ass under warm running water. If this is not possible, you can use wet wipes.
• Daily hygiene care for the nasal cavity, ears and eyes.

Medical observations

In the first six months after birth, it is necessary to visit the children's clinic monthly. At the appointment, the pediatrician measures weight, height, head and chest circumference, performs a complete examination, auscultates the heart and lungs.

A two-month-old baby must be seen by doctors of the following specialties:

• ophthalmologist;
• neurologist;
• orthopedist.

Thanks to timely consultations of highly specialized specialists, it is possible to identify the development of pathology at an early stage and take measures for its treatment.

There is a common misconception among parents that if the baby is calm and looks healthy, then you can not come to scheduled visits to the children's doctor. This opinion is erroneous, because not every mother has a medical education and can notice the smallest changes in the development of the baby.

Therefore, be sure to go to the pediatrician when it is prescribed for you, because the doctor not only evaluates the health of a small child, he gives recommendations on the care, feeding and sleep of the baby. If nature has given you a full-fledged baby, then your first priority is to preserve his health.

How does a two month old baby communicate?

The most pleasant moment for new parents is the first smile of a newborn. A child at the age of 1 month is able to smile in a dream, but this behavior is not conscious. At the 2nd month of life, the baby begins to smile with understanding to one of the adults nearby.

The psychology of the crumbs is such that if he is comfortable and calm, he can bestow smiles on everyone around him, while pronouncing various sounds. But when the baby is worried or feels danger, then his feelings are reflected on his face, and the child will feel comfort in the arms of his mother or another person familiar to him.

motor skills

What can a child at 2 months:

• raise your head and hold it in that position for some time;
• give preference to one of the toys, highlighting your favorite;
• reach for objects with hands - this is how manipulative skills develop;
• hold toys in the palms for a short time;
• in the prone position, a girl or boy at 2 months may briefly raise the upper chest from the surface;
• chaotic shuddering of the limbs gradually disappears.

Sight, hearing and touch

A 2-month-old baby is able to hold its gaze on objects for a while, react by turning its head to a sound.

Vision

The baby is able to follow the toy moving in front of him, provided that it is at a small distance from his face. What does a 2 month old baby see? He can distinguish between objects that are located next to him, while being able to clearly see the features of his mother's face. But objects that are at a distance exceeding 1 meter, the baby still sees blurry.

How should a child see at 2 months? Scientists have found that newborns are able to distinguish only contrasting colors, mainly black and white, since their vision is monochromatic. By the third month, the baby begins to notice bright objects, painted in yellow or red.

Hearing

The baby learns to determine where the sound comes from. If you ring a bell at a distance of 20-30 cm from one ear, then initially the baby will freeze, as if listening to where the noise appeared, and then turn his head in the right direction.

Touch

When 2 months have passed after childbirth, the child begins to actively show interest in the world around him and does this with his hands. Invite your child to feel objects of various shapes and materials.

Games

The choice of entertainment and activities for the crumbs depends on what children can do at 2 months:

• Show your child clear pictures with geometric shapes, mostly in black and white.
• Bring a rattle to the baby's face and make sure that he focuses on it, then move the object to the side. In response, the baby should follow her with his eyes.
• For the development of tactile sensitivity, it is useful to let the child touch various objects. Offer alternately soft and hard toys, pieces of fabric of various textures, things that have smooth and rough surfaces.
• It will be useful to purchase or make your own children's bracelets with bells, fixed on the wrists. During the movement of the hands, the bells will ring, which helps to develop the child's hearing.
• For the development of the senses, it is recommended for a baby at 2 months to fix a musical mobile with toys at the head of the crib.

Every day the child grows older, acquires new skills and abilities. Even a simple conversation with a baby helps him develop harmoniously. Be sure to talk to the baby, do not think that if he cannot answer you, then he is not able to understand what you are talking about.

The baby is growing very fast. In the first year of life, his mental and physical parameters are being intensively improved, and in order for the correct formation of skills to occur, a young mother should know everything about the developmental features of a child at 1, 2, 3 months, etc.

Useful video about activities with a child at 2 months

The baby has already reached the age of 2 months, and yet so recently he was still quite helpless. Now you notice that his arms and legs are getting stronger, he is learning to raise his head and feels more confident in this position, transferring the weight to his forearms.

The main feature of this age is that the toddler meets his beloved relatives (mom, dad, grandmother) actively and joyfully during the wakefulness period: he smiles, waves his arms and legs - this is called the revival complex. The kid starts to walk, this attracts adults to play together. How can a mother entertain and occupy her growing toddler at home? What can interest a child in 2 months? What games and activities does he need at this age?

Communication with a two-month-old baby is a pleasure: he smiles at loved ones, gurgles happily, learns to demonstrate his emotions (more in the article:)

Games for development. What are they?

When choosing exercises for your baby at 2 months old, take into account the abilities and skills that he has already acquired, and direct part of the tasks to the development of new skills and abilities. The baby knows how to make eye contact with the parent - this is the main skill of the child at 2 months. This ability can be developed helping the child focus on a particular subject in a playful way.

During the waking period, the child is actively exploring the world around him, it gives him great pleasure to look at bright objects or drawings that he sees in front of him. An excellent option would be moving objects attractive to the baby in space: you can train the eyes by stimulating the baby's desire to follow objects that are either approaching or moving away. The child will express his approval with smiles and babble.

Fine motor skills can also be exercised at 2 months, because the baby's palms are already partially open. It is also worth playing with the baby with the help of finger massage.

During exercises with fingers, you can simultaneously improve hearing. To do this, accompany the game exercises with poems and nursery rhymes, the rhythmic coloring of which will definitely appeal to the baby.

Sounds attract the child more and more, including sound toys. The interest of the crumbs is expressed by turning the head towards the sound and trying to find its source.

Toys for baby 2 months

Dear reader!

This article talks about typical ways to solve your questions, but each case is unique! If you want to know how to solve your particular problem - ask your question. It's fast and free!

The 2 to 4 month period is great for rattle fun. The kid happily studies new toys, and if you can squeeze, bite, listen to sonorous sounds at the same time, then such little things will become your baby's favorite. You will notice a great desire of the baby to reach out to a tempting target and take the toy in his palm. During this period, do not forget to introduce the child to different surfaces and materials: fabric, plastic, rubber or wood.

Bracelets made of soft materials, which can be worn not only on the arms, but also on the legs, will certainly please your baby. Bracelets or mittens with indented bells will help the child realize that his movements of the arms and legs make other objects sound. Observe the child's reaction to new sound objects: if you notice that the baby is frightened of the rattle, postpone acquaintance with it for a while. After a couple of weeks, you can try again to interest the child in a fun toy.

Movement coordination

• Refuse tight swaddling, do not constrain the movements of the child, let him move. To be comfortable, you can dress your baby in rompers or leave completely naked. The kid learns to coordinate his movements precisely with the free possession of arms and legs - do not slow down this development.
• The vertical position of the child will rather teach him to control the muscles of the neck, so take the baby in your arms more often, raise and lower the little one, supporting him under the armpits, let his legs push off the support. Accompany such games with encouraging words, this will help stimulate his general motor activity.

Strengthening the arms and hands

Put your thumb in the closed palm of the child. Spread your palm with a smooth movement, massaging the handle from the center of the palm to the fingertips, be sure to massage each finger individually. Help to isolate the baby's thumb, making it a rotational movement. Lightly stroking the back of the hand will help relax the fingers and open the fist, then put the rattle in the open palm.

Try to choose rattles with easy-to-grip handles, it can be in the shape of a ring or a dumbbell: the toy will arouse the interest of the baby, and he will try to take it, touch it, push or hit it. Initially, unconscious movements will become more purposeful with experience. Children whose parents did such exercises with them, faster than their peers, master the skill of holding an object and manipulating it.

Soft toys with the ability to make sounds can be fixed on the crib with an elastic band. At first, the baby will be interested in just touching them, and later he will learn to bring his hands together to hug the soft pet to him. Such game techniques contribute to the development of fine and gross motor skills.

Games for the development of attention

visual attention

The world around a child at the age of 2 months consists mainly of sounds and pictures. Thus, the main organs that are worth "training" are vision and hearing.

• Help your baby focus their eyes on an object by moving a bright object (rattle or cube on a stick) smoothly into the child's field of vision. The distance to the eyes of the baby should be about 25-30 cm. First, drive along an arcuate path, then change direction to smooth movements up and down, while the pace may change.
• On the walls of the crib, you can continue to hang drawings depicting various emotions of the human face. A tumbler doll received special love from babies at 2 months - if possible, place it near the baby.
• A spiral made of multi-colored plastic, suspended above the child's head, will arouse great interest in the crumbs. The smooth movements of the spiral from children's touches will delight and amuse.

Concentration of attention on a bright, noticeable object is not just a game, but a real training of the baby's visual perception and his attention.

auditory attention

To develop auditory perception, you can use the following types of exercises:

• Shake the sounding rattles from different directions, first at one ear, then at the other.
• Another exercise is to play different sounds from two rattles. Rattle one from the right ear, then the other from the left. Arrange second pauses between sounds.
• We fix soft bracelets with ringing bells sewn into their surface.
• You can make a soft toy with bells yourself by sewing ringing bells into an ordinary soft bear. Hang this toy above the crib so that the baby can reach it with his hand.

Formation of speech skill

Dr. Komarovsky advises to accompany daily actions with speech dubbing:“Time to give my little one a bath. What warm water, bul-bul! Let's swim, koop-koop! Bought, wiped with a soft towel. Where are our creepers? Ah, here they are. Now you're clean, my baby." You need to speak in a soft voice, often call the baby affectionate words: my kitten, sweetheart, flower, etc. Gentle intonation, pleasant timbre - all this is very important for the child to develop fully.

We teach cooing: try to attract the attention of a 2-month-old baby more often by bending over him and making various sounds: click, click, call him. Demonstrate throat sounds that can be reproduced: agu, wah, woo, agh-agh, ah-ah-ah. Change the intonation coloring of the voice, continuing to walk with a certain sound - after a while you will notice that the baby begins to answer you. Try to reproduce the sounds that the crumbs make - this is the first dialogue with the child. You will see for yourself that entertaining children of this age is a very interesting process.

Clinical and perinatal psychologist, graduated from the Moscow Institute of Perinatal and Reproductive Psychology and Volgograd State Medical University with a degree in Clinical Psychology