Take Good Care of Yourself

You need energy and stamina to be a good parent, so do your best to be healthy. Sleep. Eat. Try to find time each day to relax and exercise, but that can be hard with a new baby.

The following exercises take only a few minutes and will help you feel refreshed.

• Lie flat on your back. Take a deep breath. Now, breathe out slowly. Repeat five times.
• Lie flat with your arms at your sides. Move your arms out to shoulder level, keeping elbows stiff. Raise your arms over your head and bring your hands together. Repeat five times.
• Lie flat and raise your head, touching your chin to your chest. Try not to move any other part of your body. Repeat a few times.

Eat healthy foods. For more information on eating healthy, call your local Extension office or go to www.myplate.gov.

Plan and take time for yourself. Find a friend or relative to watch your baby while you take time away. Do something that will refresh you and make you happy to be back home. Anything that makes you a happier, more enthusiastic person is bound to make you a better parent. Be kind to everyone, and take a “parenting break.”

What’s It Like to Be 2 Months Old?

How I Grow and Talk

• My head is still a little wobbly when I’m propped up.
• I hold my head up for a few minutes and turn it sideways, when I’m on my stomach.
• I cry with real tears now, but usually only enough to wet my eyes.
• I move my arms and legs and “bicycle” with my feet when I get excited.
• I hold onto things for a little while. Did you notice that my hands are open most of the time now?
• I gurgle, laugh, and smile when I’m happy.
• I like to try out cooing sounds.
• Make it easier for me to hear and learn the patterns of words. Talk slowly, raise the pitch of your voice, and say your words VERY clearly. When you repeat words and phrases, that helps me learn, too.

How I Respond

• If I am a quiet baby, I spend a lot of time just looking. If I am an active baby, I will spend more time moving, smiling or screaming depending on how I feel.
• I am fascinated by my own hands. First, I may just look at them. Then I may bring them to my mouth. This may have happened before, but now it is because I decided to move them.
• I blink at shadows made by my own hands.
• I follow you with my eyes when you move.
• I can follow moving objects with my eyes.
• I can see bright colors now.
• I smile at people.
• I quiet down when I suck my fingers, a bottle, or a pacifier.
• I perform just to get your attention. I love it when you get excited about what I do.
• I don’t like some noises, such as loud televisions and radios. I will tell you this by fussing. Turn it down, Mom and Dad!

How I Understand and Feel

• I need lots of cuddling and holding.
• I can have lots of feelings, including feeling happy, scared, or uncomfortable.
• I feel happy when I hear you tell me that I am beautiful and you love me.
• I feel happy and secure when you give me what I need, such as feeding me when I’m hungry, changing my diapers
• when I’m wet, or rocking me when I’m tired.
• I recognize different voices and people.
• I recognize a few familiar things, such as my bottle.
• I like to stare at people and things.

Some children do things earlier or later than described here. Most differences are normal. Focus on what your child can do and get excited about each new skill. If you notice that your child is lagging behind in one or more areas for several months, use this list to talk with your doctor about your child’s development.

Let’s Play. It Helps Me Learn!

These games will help your baby develop neck and eye muscles:

Listening Games

Talk to your baby. Call out when you are coming to your baby’s crib. They will learn to recognize your voice and look forward to seeing you.

Babies like simple games best. Look at your baby when you are about 10 inches away. Catch your baby’s eye and make a sound. Wait to see what they do. Make the sound again. If your baby likes the game, do it again and make different sounds.

Speak slowly using a high-pitched voice. Speak in short phrases, and change the tone of your voice. Invite your baby to respond by raising your eyebrows, changing your voice pitch, or saying something such as, “What do you think?”

Use different objects that make noise when you play with your baby. Babies like music boxes, bells, rattles, and squeak toys and even the crinkling of paper. Remember, though, babies like to play for only a minute or two at a time.

Help your baby learn about the world by telling them about the sounds they hear. Tell your baby what is happening when the telephone rings, when you drop something, when you turn on the water in the sink, or even when they burp. When you say, “Did you hear that?” in an excited tone of voice, your baby thinks you are having fun, too.

Learn your baby’s way of telling you that they are listening. They might smile, wiggle their body, or stop what they were doing. Your baby might also show that they are listening in ways that are difficult to see. For example, they might change their breathing pattern or move their hand.

Touching Games

Your baby likes your touch. Rub their body and give them a gentle massage after a bath. Give your baby textures to touch. They like the feel of soft fabric and different textures on their skin. Place them on a clean carpet, a terry cloth towel, or a smooth blanket. Touch their arms and hands with stuffed animals, rubber toys, and smooth and rough fabrics.

Watch Out!

Stay close to your baby and don’t leave them alone on a table or chair. You will be surprised at how fast they can turn and roll off. Active babies can move or tip infant carrier seats. Always use the safety belts that come with the seats.

Never place a carrier seat on soft, plush surfaces, which could make the carrier unstable and tip over.

Crying is a Call for Help!

Researchers believe that babies increase the amount of time they cry between birth and 2 months of age. That is why it’s so important to learn what the crying means and how to cope with it. When your baby is crying, use this checklist to help figure out what the cries mean:

Does your baby have wet or soiled diapers?
Check their diapers to see if it needs to be changed.

Are they hungry?
Offer them some milk and see if they are ready to eat. Be sure to burp your baby often to get out air bubbles.

Are they lonely?
Call their name to let them know you are coming. They may even stop crying before you get there. If your baby calms and stays calm after you pick them up, they missed you! Your baby’s need for closeness is very real.

Are they bored?
Give your baby a new view. Change their position. Hang something over the crib that they can see but not reach. Put them where they can keep an eye on you.

Are they tired?
Some babies get fussy before falling to sleep.

Are they too hot or too cold?
Touch your baby’s tummy. If they feel too hot or too cold, adjust their clothing. Try to keep the room an even temperature — neither too hot, nor too cold.

Are they uncomfortable?
Do they have diaper rash? Leave diapers off so air can help their skin heal. Is your baby’s clothing too tight? Is a pin pricking them? Are there sharp or scratchy edges on labels or zippers?

Is there too much going on around your baby?
Take them to a quiet place with dim lights. Hold them close and talk to them with your soothing voice. Rock your baby in a rocking chair.

Is your baby having trouble calming down?
Sing a gentle song over and over. Play soft, soothing music. Help them learn to comfort themself. Hold their hand in yours or help them find their hand to suck on.

Could Your Baby Have a Colic?

Colicky babies have tummy pains and loud, piercing cries. Sometimes, this will help:

Lay your baby across your knees.
Rub or pat their back.
Walk with your baby or use an infant swing.
Change bath time to evening.

Try a pacifier. Sucking helps relax a baby’s stomach. If you use a pacifier, use it safely. Replace pacifiers frequently because they can fall apart. To avoid strangulation, do not put a pacifier on a string or ribbon around your baby’s neck. Wash the pacifier if it falls on the floor.

Talk to your baby’s doctor for more ideas.

Feeding Time Is a Special Time to Build Love and Trust

Hold your baby so they can see your face when you feed them. Only feed your baby breast milk or fortified infant formula. Do not feed them solid food yet.

Parents once thought that feeding solid foods at bedtime would help their babies sleep through the night. Not true! Feeding solids before your baby is ready may trigger allergies and/or cause them to eat too much.

Your baby’s digestive system is not ready to handle foods other than breast milk or infant formula. Their tongue and swallowing skills won’t develop enough for solid foods until they are about 4 months old.

Night feedings don’t last forever. Babies will usually sleep through the middle of the night feeding by the time they weigh about 11 pounds.

Help Your Baby Learn to Roll From Side to Back 

When you have time to watch, find a rattle or noisy toy. Place your baby on their side. See if they will follow the noisy toy with their eyes and then roll to their back. If they don’t, help them by gently moving their shoulder or hip.

Rolling from back to side is difficult for a baby. When they do roll over, even with your help, be sure to praise them by talking to them and giving them loving hugs.

When reading this newsletter, remember: Every baby is different. Children may do things earlier or later than described here.