Your baby's growth and development - 2 months old
6-minute read
Key facts
- During their first 2 months, babies grow very quickly.
- By 2 months, your baby might be lifting their head and moving it from side to side.
- At this age, your baby will enjoy looking at your face and will be giving you some lovely smiles.
- Your baby will be able to follow you with their eyes as well as be able to track a moving object past the midline.
- At 6 to 8 weeks, your baby will have their scheduled vaccinations — 2 injections and the oral rotavirus vaccine.
My 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 2.5cm to 3.8cm every month.
Babies often have a growth spurt at about 6 weeks. This might make them fussier 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. Your child may be offered an additional injection if they are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, or they have certain medical conditions.
Understanding baby growth charts
A growth chart helps you and your doctor keep track of how your baby is growing.
What can my baby do?
Physical Development
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 they 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 (though this usually occurs later), 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.
Social Development
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 might 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 will also clearly recognise you and will look at you when you talk to them. They will enjoy looking at your face and will be giving you some lovely smiles.
Cognitive Development
Your baby will be able to follow you with their eyes as well as be able to track a moving object past the midline. They will like looking at objects with more complex patterns and colours.
Language Development
Your baby 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 daily 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 of regular tummy time to strengthen their neck and upper body. It will help them develop the muscles they’ll need later to sit and crawl. Always put your baby to sleep on their back.
Development problem signs
Babies develop at different rates. 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 or are floppy or stiff
- sudden noises don’t startle them
- they aren’t feeding properly
Resources and support
If you are worried or would like to discuss any issues regarding 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.