This baby is so happy – yes, he is a baby so he still has his “moments”, but for the majority of the time that he’s awake and alert he is smiling, engaged, and full of joy. These past 2 months with him have been wonderful, and I finally feel now we’re *starting* to get the hang of having and managing two kiddos.
Disclaimer: this is not medical advice. This blog is for informational purposes only. Please seek medical advice from your trusted healthcare professional.
James’ Milestones & Abilities
Let’s review the anticipated milestones for 2 months of age. I love the website Pathways – if you’re ever looking for an evidence-based resource for baby and childhood milestones, it came recommended to me by a pediatric physiotherapist.
James has successfully achieved all his milestones thus far. But remember that each baby is different – your baby’s care provider will ask you about what they are able to do at their 2 month appointment. This is a good time to check in if you have concerns, but some discrepancy is not abnormal, so don’t panic. Voice any concerns to your provider so you can have a discussion!
Also remember to use your baby’s corrected age if they were premature. You can find out what that means here as well as how to find out what your baby’s corrected age is.
James is an odd duck in that he loves tummy time – much more than his sister. I try to get him down on his tummy at least once per day (when he hasn’t recently eaten to avoid spit-up). This is also a good opportunity for me to ‘play’ with him – lay down and chat with him to keep him engaged, for example. Tummy time is not always easy with babies, some really hate it but it is important for them to be put in a tummy down position to strengthen their necks and shoulders, improve motor skills and avoid positional plagiocephaly (flat spot).
There are some tummy time alternatives – for example they can do “tummy time” on your lap or chest. Here are a few other suggestions. I was definitely not super disciplined when it came to tummy time with Maggie, so don’t sweat if you don’t get the traditional time in every day- just do what works and make sure you’re changing baby’s position often (don’t let them sit too long in a car seat, bouncer, etc. – everything in moderation!).
James’ favorite “thing” to do right now is put his hands in his mouth, which recently started. He does it not as a hunger cue, but just as a form of entertainment? He also has started to lift both his arms and legs up – and rock side to side. He is definitely getting ready to roll and has rolled once from belly to back already. I’m like sir, please stop. I am not ready to have a mobile baby quite yet.
There are some “Abilities” babies should have in addition to hitting physical & behavioural milestones. You can see the 0-3 month abilities here in the sections “Play and Social Skills”; “Coordination”; “Daily Activities”; and “Self Expression”. James loves to interact – as I mentioned, he is such a happy baby! He loves to watch and see what we’re doing (as long as we’re close enough – here is a guide to baby’s vision development month by month), responds to us talking to him with coos and gurgles, and responds to sounds.
“Enjoys bath time” is one of the abilities – I was kind of surprised to see that because there are definitely some babies who don’t still. I think this is the “turning point” for many though. James liked bath time since after his first bath! His last bath was with his sister though and he wasn’t quite sure about that one!!!
Wonder Weeks: Leap 2
I think I mentioned in my 1 month post that we entered Leap 1 a bit early. If you’re not familiar with Wonder Weeks, you can read more about it on their site here.
This second leap I’d say we entered right on time. James had two nights in a row where he woke frequently (more than 1-2x/night) and I decided to open the app, and of corse we were about to enter Leap 2. This is considered the leap of “Patterns” – when baby starts to see the world in different patterns instead of one concrete whole.
Signals I noticed other than the poor sleep (which only lasted two days), were he wanted to be in my arms/skin to skin more; he was grumpier in the mornings and closer to naps and bedtime; and he wanted to feed more frequently – today and yesterday he fed about every 1.5 hours on and off, with longer stretches during nap times. I find that the signals are spread out for us – which is why I don’t 100% believe in leaps, but I’d definitely associated these signs with a grow spurt/change of some type. He tends to start these periods with frequent waking, followed by increased sleep + more frequent feeding in the day. And his need for sleep/food during the day is usually preceded by frustration and grumpiness.
When it comes to the WW skills for Leap 2, James has been more interested in colours (which aligns with his increasing visual abilities at this time). He’s also gained more neck strength and can hold his head upright for longer. He turns towards things of interest and grabs at objects – again, these all align with the milestones I discussed above. He is also making short bursts of sounds – and he’s quite chatty! I love it.
Sleep, Eat, Poop, & Play
That is essentially the life of a 2 month old. We’re getting longer, more alert wake periods now – but my guy also loves his naps. James sleeps really well so far – he wakes up 1-2x night, usually getting a long stretch of 5-7 hours at the beginning of the night (barring our “leap 2” interruption nights).
I remember early on having to co-sleep (safely) with Maggie, but we haven’t had to do that with him. He was in a moses basket, but he was starting to weigh it down on the rocker (haha!) so we switched him to a co-sleeper this week. I think he likes having a bit more space. He goes down pretty independently – I don’t usually feed him to sleep except for nighttime wake ups. I feed him about 30 minutes before he goes down, change him and put him in his Love to Dream Swaddle Up. White noise on. He doses off easily around 8pm lately. It’s very impressive and I’m scared it will change – but thankful for decent sleep with a 2 month old.
For naps – I don’t have him on any type of set schedule, but he gives really clear cues when he’s tired. His wake windows vary between 60 mins to about 120 mins at most (usually the longest is before bedtime). His shortest window is usually from wake up to first nap. He wakes up around 6:30-7:30 and takes a nap around 8 in the car. Sometimes it’s long and sometimes it’s short, it really depends. He will usually go down for a longer nap around 9:30-10 (about 1-2 hours) and then again around 1pm (usually 2 hours). He then cat naps in the afternoon (30-45 min spurts). So he usually takes around 4-5 naps per day now, which is pretty average. I try to get him down in his bed for at least one nap a day because I find he sleeps longer, but sometimes we’re out so he easily naps in the car or stroller too. He will also do contact naps – but not as much lately, he really likes his own space. Sometimes he’ll nap in the carrier too – but again, he prefers his bed unless he is super fussy.
We’ve been successfully breastfeeding for 2 months now! No issues. I’ve been collecting some milk with my Haaka, especially with the longer stretches of sleep, but we don’t really give him bottles. I do want to introduce it in case we need it – so that’s on my to do list. The bottles I have and use at the new Bibs glass bottles and we also have Avent Philips ones (we used the same brand with Maggie). James generally eats every 2.5-3.5 hours now, but overnight he goes his whole stretch of course.
Baby TMI – but he poops every 3 days or so usually, then sometimes everyday for a few days. He’s breastfed so that’s pretty normal. If he hasn’t gone in 3 days he usually has a.. very large poop!! He pees a lot because he eats quite frequently though! For diapers – love Hello Bello but we’ve paused our subscription for now. We’ve put both kids into Kirkland brand just because they’re the most affordable while I’m on maternity leave.
For play – as I mentioned, James has 60 min-120 min wake windows now and he is usually quite happy to lay on his back for a decent portion of that time. He likes his wooden play gym and we also have this sloth toy from Carters which he loves. I think it’s the face? But it was one of the first toys he reached for (I have it hanging on a hook over his change pad normally) and he always “talks” to it and smiles as it. It’s so cute! I have two play mats for him – I keep one on each level of the house, plus thicker blankets/quilts or the snuggle me for him to lay on or in. We also have a Mamaroo and the Baby Bjorn Bliss bouncer – sometimes he gets tired of lying down and wants to sit up more so these are good options. I also like the Mamaroo for naps if I am doing dishes or tidying up the main floor.
Likes & Dislikes
This month, James continues to like the boob, me (mama) and he has started to get excited for dada, especially if he’s talking! He also likes watching Maggie do things around him. He likes his sloth toy, his wooden play gym, and his sheep rattle from Ireland. Oh, he also likes sucking on his fist and going for walks in the stroller in his bear or Columbia suits. I think his favourite thing right now, other than me, is his Love to Dream swaddle. I call it his “sleepy suit” or his calm suit because he could be fussing and I pop him in to prepare for nap or bedtime, and he is instantly quiet.
James also likes taking photos – I’m serious!! He smiles for the camera on his own. He loves to talk and squeal with excitement which is the cutest thing ever. He also really likes sleeping!
Dislikes: the carseat, as of late. Some mornings he goes in ok, but others he cries until we step outside to get into the car. He likes movement – so stroller walks, using the Beluga Baby or Baby Bjorn carriers, or the car – but only when it’s moving. He also does not like being hungry or tired, or his sister getting too “in his face” too early in the morning. Beyond that- he likes most things and he’s a pretty chill guy.
James will be getting his 2 month shots tomorrow, so I will share my experience with that & provide some information on that first round in the same post!
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