Did You Know at 2 Months I Can...

Language Development

• Listen and respond to the sounds and voices around me and enjoy listening to stories
• Respond to my name
• Pay attention to sounds
• Respond to mommy and daddy with
  excitement
• Coo, gurgle, laugh, and babble to myself
  and others

Talk, sing, and read to me during daily activities, such as bathtime or bedtime. Respond to my babbles as if you know what I am saying to model turn-taking. This helps me learn what conversations are. Read or tell me nursery rhymes—you can even make up your own lullabies, rhymes, and stories for me!

Cognitive Development

• Follow an object with my eyes for a short distance
• Look at your face
• Watch you as you move
• Look at a toy for several seconds

Lie on the floor and put me on your chest. Let me reach for your nose or grab your hair. Talk to me and name each thing I touch. Set a happy ritual in my schedule. For example, at bedtime, sing the same song every night, rock me, or rub my tummy. Say my name again and again so that I can learn it.

Physical Development

• Hold my head up while I am lying on my stomach
• Move both arms and both legs
• Hold my head steady while in a sitting position
• Bring my hands together in front
• Grasp a rattle that you place in my fingers

Gently move my arms and legs or tickle me lightly under my chin or on my tummy.

I should be breastfed or using formula. Keep me up-to-date on my shots and check-ups.

Social/Emotional Development

• Start to smile at others
• Begin to self-soothe
• Make eye contact
• Seem happy to see you when you approach me
• Calm down when my needs are met

Pick me up if I am crying as soon as you can and try to find out what’s wrong. Am I hungry, wet, bored, or too hot? Crying is my only form of communication right now.

By comforting me, you are telling me that my talking and babbling has a meaning and that someone wants to understand.

To soothe me when I am upset, put my head on your shoulder and hum softly or listen to recorded music as you move around the room. Sing and cuddle with me. Hold me snuggled in your arms or lying face up on your lap with my head on your knees. Make sure my head is well supported. Feeling your touch, hearing your voice, and enjoying the comfort of physical closeness all help me develop trust. To help me learn about my environment, give me many different safe things to play with and inspect. Objects from around the house are good to use.

Even though I cannot talk yet, I love to be sung to. Sing “Hush, Little Baby” to me.

Hush, little baby, don’t say a word.

Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird

And if that mockingbird won’t sing,

Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring

And if that diamond ring turns brass,

Papa’s gonna buy you a looking glass

And if that looking glass gets broke,

Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat

And if that billy goat won’t pull,

Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull

And if that cart and bull turn over,

Papa’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover

And if that dog named Rover won’t bark

Papa’s gonna buy you a horse and cart

And if that horse and cart fall down,

You’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.

You can also help me act out the “Pat-a-Cake” fingerplay:

Pat a cake, pat a cake, baker’s man (clap baby’s hands together)

Bake me a cake as fast as you can

Roll it, pat it, and mark it with a B (roll hands)

Throw it in the oven for baby and me (throw hands up, then point to baby and yourself)

Here are some books that I may enjoy:

Me & You by Frida Bing

Baby Talk by Dawn Sirett

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle

First 100 Soft to Touch Numbers, Shapes, and Colors by Roger Priddy

Dinosaur Dance! by Sandra Boynton

Each day, I should have supervised tummy time. Tummy time is important to help improve my motor skills and strengthen my muscles that are necessary to help me learn to crawl and walk. It also helps prevent flat spots from developing on the back of my head. Start out tummy time for about 5 minutes two or three times a day. During tummy time, you can place me on a soft blanket on the floor with one of my favorite toys.

Sleep helps me grow and develop. I should get 14–17 hours of sleep a day. To reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), place me on my back in an empty crib. An empty crib is important to prevent me from suffocating, so do not put bumper pads or stuffed animals in my crib.

Safety note: Any toys or materials that can fit inside a paper towel roll can be choking hazards for infants and toddlers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, any object handled by young children should be at least 1.25 inches in diameter and 2.25 inches long.

Remember that each child develops at his or her own rate, and this handout is meant only as a guide of what to expect of your child’s development at this age.

For more information about parenting and developmental milestones, contact your county Extension office or visit extension.msstate.edu.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. 2010. Policy statement—prevention of choking among children.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Birth to one year: What should my child be able to do?

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your baby at 2 months.

National Sleep Foundation. 2020. How much sleep do we really need?

Safe to Sleep. 2018. Babies need tummy time!

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Publication 3900 (POD-08-24)

By Louise E. Davis, PhD, former Extension Professor; Elizabeth Thorne, PhD, Project Manager; and Mary Hannah Mills, MS, Project Manager, Human Sciences.