.svg)
Back
The development of a child month by month is a fascinating process, following which parents can understand a lot about the baby’s health. Moreover, in the first months of life, colossal changes occur in the child’s body. Thus, by the end of the first year, the child’s brain volume alone increases by 2.5 times. This inevitably affects the development of the baby - both physically and socially.
In this article we will understand how a baby develops in the second month of life, what a child can already do at this age and how he communicates with his parents.
Physical development: how does a child’s body change in the second month of life?
The development of each baby is individual, a child can develop at his own unique speed. However, there are “standard”, average indicators. Let's dwell on them.
In the first three months of life, a child grows at a very high rate. Thus, on average, children gain three centimeters in height every month, including in the second month of life. And in weight, two-month-old babies can show an increase of 800 grams per month or about 180-200 grams per week.
The World Health Organization gives the following standards for the weight and height of two-month-old babies:
●GirlsWeight: 5.01 kg, deviations of 0.56 kg are allowed. Height: 56.95 cm, deviations of 2.18 cm are allowed.
● Boys. Weight: 5.29 kg, tolerance of 0.76 kg. Height: 57.71 cm, deviations of 2.48 cm are allowed.
These values are considered approximate, but large deviations from them should force parents to contact specialists.
Baby movements: what should a two-month-old baby be able to do?
At this age, the baby begins to notice and explore his arms and legs. He moves them more actively and freely, and the movements become more and more smooth.
The child’s neck is actively strengthened. He begins to independently raise his head, lying on his stomach, and move it. The hands begin to reach towards the mouth and the first attempts may appear to grab and hold the toy if it is brought to the palm.
Here are the approximate physical skills that a two-month-old baby can master:
● Lying on your stomach, raises and holds your head for 10-20 seconds.
● Keeps head upright.
● Closer to the third month, it can independently roll over from its back to its side.
● Tries to hold light objects placed in the palm.
● Actively moves arms and legs, movements become smoother.
Until the child makes conscious and purposeful movements. He will learn to better control his body very soon, already at 4-6 months of life.
Psychological development and communication: how does a two-month-old baby communicate with parents and the world?
The most joyful news for the parents of a two-month-old baby is the first smile. At this age, a smile is already considered conscious and can appear in response to the voice of the parents or their face. This is an important milestone in the baby’s psycho-emotional development, and there will only be more smiles in his life and the life of mom and dad.
And at this age, vision continues to actively develop. The baby still clearly sees objects that are located close to him - at a distance of about 30-50 cm. However, the skill of following a moving object and even distinguishing faces is already developing.
The child begins to explore the capabilities of the speech apparatus. His “vocabulary” now includes not only crying, but also cooing. “Agushki” is a good signal, this is how children express positive emotions.
This is how a baby can communicate with the world at two months:
● Smiles when he hears the voice or sees the face of his parents.
● Follows slowly moving objects with his eyes.
● Pronounces first sounds: aha-aha.
Cooling is a harbinger of speech development. After a few months, the baby will coo in a singsong voice, in different intonations. And by the age of six months, agushki can begin to turn into syllables.
What does a child understand at two months?
In the second month of life, the child already distinguishes relatives from strangers - by voices and smell. The baby recognizes native speech and can distinguish it from foreign languages.
The baby learns to recognize the intonations in his mother’s voice and can already understand what his name sounds like. At this age, an interest in toys also appears, and one is able to concentrate one’s gaze on them and follow their smooth movement.
How to help a two-month-old baby develop?
Here are some tips for parents that can help their baby’s development:
● Avoid loud sounds and high-pitched conversations. A child at this age already recognizes intonations in voices, and sounds that are too loud can frighten him.
● Use toys for development. At this age, color perception improves, especially red and green. To develop vision, it is better to use plain toys in bright colors. It is better if their surface is smooth - so the baby will be able to pick up toys.
● Establish tactile contact. Touch is soothing, even helps the development of the nervous system and, of course, creates a close emotional connection with the child. Hug, stroke the baby, give gentle and careful massages.
A child up to three months literally experiences a leap in growth and development. It is now that the baby’s basic skills and ways of interacting with the world are being laid. The task of parents at this moment is to become an attentive and caring guide to the new and unknown.