Is your baby two months old, already!? Time flies by parents, but let’s look at some great learning activities for your precious baby to improve some of their skills with. At this stage, your baby will not yet, willingly open their palm to grasp an object, but you can begin by placing a soft object into your baby’s little hand so that they can begin to get used to holding something.

You should also continue having tummy time with your baby. It is always safe to place a blanket on the floor and having your baby use their back and neck muscles, while on a hard surface. You can also continue by placing your baby across your lap, face down. Another one of my favorites is simply holding your baby on your chest. Some babies by this time have grown stronger and can hold their head up, while being burped in an upright position against your chest or when their chest is supported (along with their jaw bone) in a sitting up position. But don’t fret if your baby isn’t there yet.

Tracking objects, making sure that your baby is following with their eyes is important. Now it’s time to test your baby’s memory by instilling object permanence. Watch your baby’s reaction when an object disappears. What is their reaction when it reappears? This is short term memory, but still very important at this age.

Using dark contrasted objects should work when practicing tracking with your baby, but at this age, most infants react best to black/white contrasting objects or objects that are red, in color. The best choice is to have something with a pattern. One site where you can download some free printable is www.brillbaby.com go to Free Downloads and print out your own infant stimulation cards. If you have a laminator, use it so they can last long.

Muscle Coordination Skills

Things Your Baby Should Be Doing

Reaching for an object (Hand-eye coordination)
Kicking both legs vigorously or alternating kicks (Motor development)
Able to hold head up while momentarily on tummy or being held, while being carried (Motor development)
If placed on their side, being able to turn onto their back (Motor development)
Talks back to people by cooing or making gurguly noises (Language Development)
May grab their foot/feet, while lying on their back (Motor development & Hand-Eye coordination)
Smiling at you or others (Social-Emotional)
Turning their head towards noises they hear (Language development)
May extend an arm out or both, while on the back (Motor development & Hand-Eye coordination)
Keeps eye contact with you and others (Social-Emotional development)
Appears “bored” and cries if not moved or activity doesn’t change (Cognitive development)
Tracking objects (Cognitive development)
May be able to turn head to left and right on their own, while lying on their back (Motor development)

Language Development

Baby’s Communication Abilities

By now, you might notice that your baby is crying a certain way when hungry, when wet, when hungry, etc. You should also notice all the different facial expressions that your baby is making. Perhaps when your baby is trying to tell you something, they are vocalizing their own sounds. When showing that they’re no longer interested, they will turn their head away. When they’re excited or happy, you might get a cute little smile or rapid breathing. Remember that the more you talk to your baby, the more language development they will have. So talk about everything! If you have older children, have them join in on the conversation too! When your baby communicates with you, they are practicing Social/Emotional skills as well. So talk away!

Ask questions

Read to your baby

Discuss your plans for the day

Use a puppet & change the sound of your voice

Answer your baby back

Sleep

Things to Keep in Mind

Both you and baby are not going to have a regular sleep pattern yet. Hang in there parents! Expect your little one to get sleep in cycles of 1-2 hour periods. By the time your baby reaches 6 months, they may or may not be sleeping through the night either, due to sleep regression and teething (not fun for baby or you). Just make sure to place baby in a safe sleep area and choose your preference…

A room with black out curtains, with baby safe in a bassinet or crib, along with some white noise

Or My Personal Favorite

Baby in a bassinet where they are not completely exposed to a “quiet environment”. This includes leaving the t.v. on, radio, Alexa or baby music playing in the background while you are vacuuming in the background, blow-drying your hair after a fresh shower. The idea here is that you want a baby that can sleep through ANYTHING!!! So if you decided to go to a baseball game or a family event with loud, noisy kids screaming and running around, you will have a baby that sleeps through all the noise and chaos. The alternative is having to leave an event EVERY TIME their “sleepy-time” comes around because you have a fussy, crying baby that cannot sleep unless they have silence. This is what I call a nightmare situation, but hey, do what works for you.

It’s time to get the Play Mat/Activity Gym out (if you haven’t done so already.)

If your baby is not doing these things in one or more specific areas, contact your Provider and let them know. You should be completing an ASQ-3 assessment at each visit, but it is wise to know what to pay attention to, beforehand.

Goals For Next Month

Your baby should be able to maintain all the milestones mentioned here as well as incorporating the following activities:

Being able to open and shut their fists
Able to stand momentarily and support their own weight when feet are placed on the floor, while you are holding your baby up
Grasp and shake a toy
Bring hands to midline or mouth
Smiling at the sound of your voice
Making serious facial expressions

Continue to work on any activity that is mentioned here that your baby might not yet have mastered and have fun with it!