Helping your 2-month-old thrive: Tips and activities
Routines create a foundation for learning how to love and developing good self-esteem as baby grows.
Twenty20
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Your life may still feel like a blur of feedings, diaper changes and short spurts of sleep with a 2-month-old. That new baby fog means you usually have no clue what day it is or why the car keys are in the fridge. But this month is the perfect time to actually start a routine. Having a basic schedule helps the day flow, which is good for you and baby.
According to Dr. Tovah Klein, head of the Barnard College Center for Toddler Development and author of How Toddlers Thrive, routines help even 2-month-olds anticipate what’s going to happen next. She explains:
Bath? Check. Song? Check? Feeding? Check. Zzzz.
This kind of predictability helps her feel safe, calm and trusting of parents and caregivers. This creates a foundation for learning how to love the important people in her life and developing good self-esteem as she grows.
To help support your baby’s development and track routines like sleep and feeding, you can try an app like ParentPal™. ParentPal is the only all-in-one parenting app with everything you need to support, track, and celebrate your child’s healthy development. Developed by Teaching Strategies, the leaders in early childhood development, and the creators of Baby Einstein, ParentPal provides trusted, research-based guidance and parenting tools at your fingertips. You can use the Daily Plan of age-appropriate activities, Milestones, Sleep, Health & Wellness Trackers, and a vast library of age-based resources for your middle-of-the-night parenting questions.*
Week-by-week activities
And speaking of learning, this month your kiddo is becoming more interested in pictures and objects. You’ll see the beginning of hand-eye coordination, too. (You’re still her primary focus, so keep up the talking, singing and silly faces.) From story time to play time, these week-by-week tips from child development psychologist Dr. Holly Ruhl will help you navigate the month:
Week 1
Instilling an early love of reading can strengthen language skills and parent-child relationships. Squeeze in that oh-so-important 20 minutes of reading by visiting your local library or bookstore for story time. This activity will deepen your tot’s love of books and promote mama-baby bonding.
Week 2
Infants have an innate love of gazing at faces. Spend a few minutes each day attending to baby’s favorite faces: the ones staring back in the mirror! Make silly faces and label baby’s facial features. Gazing in the mirror may promote baby’s sense of self-recognition. This understanding will appear slightly later and is the basis for baby’s later self-confidence.
Week 3
Your little bundle is developing rudimentary hand-eye coordination. Promote coordination by fostering interaction with baby’s fascinating surroundings. Help your tot gently stroke household pets. Dangle a textured, crinkly toy for those little hands to swat. Lay baby on an activity gym and soak in the baby bliss as your little one intently reaches for toys overhead.
Week 4
Are family and friends antsy to cuddle with the new addition? Take baby to visit loved ones for exposure to new faces, voices and styles of play. Plus, social support from friends and relatives around 3 months can help you be a more responsive mama and give baby supplemental support, leading to more secure attachment by 12 months.
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