Your Baby's Development: Month Two

Physical Development

By the age of 2 months your baby will probably be able to raise their head when lying on their stomach. The more time they spend on their tummy, the sooner they learn to do this - usually. However, the current advice in order to minimise the chances of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Cot Death) is to sleep your baby on his back, which means that during the day it is advisable to get your baby used to spending some of his time on his tummy - but don't force it if your baby doesn't seem to like it. It will come in time.

This month your baby's vision is rapidly improving as their eyes learn to work better together - if you have noticed their eyes not being fully coordinated or sometimes crossed, you should start to notice an improvement around now. Uncoordinated movement between the eyes is normal, but if you think that one eye appears to turn either in or out constantly then seek medical advice, there is probably nothing to worry about but it will put your mind at rest to have their eyes assessed.

Social and Emotional Development

Most babies start smiling at around the age of 6 weeks. It can be hard though, to distinguish a proper smile from a facial expression often associated with wind! Some people say that a real smile is recognisable by the movement of the whole face as opposed to just the mouth, but you'll soon recognise a true smile from your own baby without any question.

Speech and Communication

Your baby will probably start 'cooing' around now. This is more likely to be vowel sounds, and for their own entertainment as much as for communicating with you, but by the end of this month you may notice that they are using their vocal abilities to attract your attention or in response to your communication more and more. Return their noises, babies love to be copied and it will help to reinforce their understanding that you are hearing and responding to their babbling.

Eating

By now, if you are feeding on demand, you may have found that your baby's feeding behaviour has settled in to some sort of pattern. Unfortunately for you, many babies experience a growth spurt between 6-8 weeks which tends to throw all semblance of a routine out the window (for the time being). Growth spurts are usually quite obvious, babies tend to suddenly feed more frequently and sleep for longer. For breastfeeding mothers in particular, growth spurts can be quite hard as your baby's demand for your milk can seem relentless. At the same time your body steps up a gear on the milk production front, which itself may leave you feeling more tired. Understanding that this is normal in babies of this age (and usually short-lived) will help you to cope. Allow your baby to feed as often as they demand and you should find that they settle down to a more reasonable feeding pattern within 2-7 days.

Entertainment

Providing stimulation for your baby whilst they are awake and comfortable (not when they are hungry or need changing) is helpful for their development. Simple toys such as mobiles or mirrors, or even 'non-toys' such as the washing machine are all very stimulating for a young baby. There are two important things to remember though:

• Firstly don't overload them with different activities. If they are content people-watching when you have friends over (most babies love this) then why turn on their musical toys or start singing to them? Allow them to dictate when they have had enough of something and need another source of entertainment.
• Secondly, remember that babies can have too much stimulation; it can make them very tired, restless or frustrated, so read your baby's cues and learn when to take the toys away, give them a cuddle and let their senses have a rest.

Be Careful Of...

...Cuddly toys - it is not recommended to leave soft toys in with a baby when they are sleeping as they can present a suffocation risk, as well as a risk of choking on small parts (buttons etc.) Soft toys have their place for comfort and for feeling different textures but find a place to keep them outside of your baby's cot or Moses basket.

Be aware of your baby's increasing mobility - your baby can soon be at the edge of your bed having been placed in the middle only moments before hand - even if they haven't learned to roll yet. Never turn your back on a baby that is on a bed or other raised surface that they could fall from. If you need to leave them then leave them on the floor or in their cot or playpen.