Things Your 2 Month Old Can Do

As a new parent, it can be overwhelming when you start to think of the things your two-month-old can do. But what exactly can babies do at this stage in life? From lifting their head and giving delightful coos to kicking and even beginning to understand simple commands, your two month old has come a long way since they were born!

In this blog post, we will give you an overview of some of the amazing abilities your two-month-old has already achieved and let you know what milestones are just around the corner.

If you want to learn more about what a newborn to one month old can do, check out this post.

Things Your Two Month Old Can Do

By 2 months your baby should be transitioning from a super sleepy newborn to having much longer periods of active awake time. We want to maximize their learning when they are in their quiet awake time, which are those times your baby is active, alert, and looking at you. You will notice that these windows should be getting longer.

During these wake windows, you will be able to introduce more things for them to learn. Whether you pick one or possibly two activities to do during each wake window will vary from baby to baby and day to day.

Babies that are super alert and engaged for a long stretch may get through two or even three activities while those shorter wake times may only allow for one. It’s all reliant on how they are prepared to learn.

 Babies are not born knowing their body belongs to them, however, around 2 months is when your baby is starting to discover their body. They are using their eyes and other senses to discover their arms, hands, legs, and other body parts.

Activities for the 2 Month Old Age

Speech and Language Skills

Around two months is when babies start to make faces and “talk” by cooing and caaing. One fun activity to do with your baby is to open your mouth, stick out your tongue, or give a big smile. Hold these facial expressions for several seconds and your baby should produce the same movement back. It is so rewarding when you get those first baby smiles.

Babies will Visually Attend to Their Hands

At this stage of life, your baby may have also discovered his or her hands. In order to prepare them for early reaching you can place lightweight toys in their hands. They should respond with what is known as sustained grasp meaning if you put a lightweight link toy into their hand they should be able to hold it.

You can then guide their hand to their mouth for them to chew on the toy. It is this tactile discovery of their hands that makes them realize their hands are actually connected to their body.

You can also experiment with different textured toys like lovies, crinkle books, etc. This is how your baby will connect their brain to their body.

Floor Play

Another great activity for 2-month-olds is to use their floor mat and sideline play. Babies still need black-and-white images and mirrors at this point because of the sharp contrast.

Working on tummy time and having your baby under the playmat arches is also important. Towards the end of two months, many babies will even start swiping at toys in a big-reaching motion. The key is to have the toys on the playmat arches as close to your baby as possible to ensure any movement will produce a result. Early cause and effect helps your baby realize that they control their movements.

The same thing goes for kicking. Their brain is learning that their body is controlling the movement which will signal them to do it again. It takes thousands and thousands of repetitions for your baby to master something so giving them these accidental successes is key.

Tummy Time

At 2 months the majority of a baby's tummy time will still be done via chest-to-chest. However, don’t be afraid to practice on the floor because very soon they will make the full transition to working on the ground. Just remember that your baby’s head control is still developing so make sure to support their head.

Want to be sure your baby is on the right track? Download my FREE milestone checklist HERE! All my favorite milestones, month by month in an easy-to-follow format. Plus, some of my favorite activities for each phase of development. This simple to follow guide will help keep your little one on track. 

Taking the mystery out of milestones is as easy as 1, 2, 3! Join me for this fast and furious mini workshop explaining the basics of newborn tummy time.

If you are interested in learning even more about the best tummy time techniques and practices, check out my Tummy Times Solution Course. Your baby will learn to love tummy time without the tears with my proven step-by-step process.