Between dozing off for 13 hours a day, eating and pooping for the rest of it, teaching and entertaining a kid’s budding mind is not an easy job. What must a parent like me and you do?
At 2-months old, your little bundles of joy are experiencing everything for the first time. From hunger to burps, they haven’t gone through anything, even slightly similar in the gestation period inside their mothers’ wombs.
For them, the most basic of emotions and experiences can be both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. They sleep and have milk most of the time, but the few hours between these two activities need to be utilized efficiently.
A friend always said to me that it is better to start early and teach them young. At 2-months-old, your babies are at such a tender age that introducing anything new could leave a lasting impact on their budding minds.
You can fill the hours between their sleep and feed with fun activities for 2-month-olds. I love to sit and watch my baby do silly stuff. He never fails to surprise me with the tricks he has learned by just watching the family and me.
What Is Going On In That Tiny Head?
From what I have observed, this is when a child begins to develop and show his/her personality traits. The curiosity for understanding whatever is happening around them is at its peak. In other words, this is the best time to introduce some productive two month baby activities.
From physical challenges to cognitive activities, there are tons of things to do with a two-month-old baby. You can introduce socialization and emotional play at this point. Having a variety ensures that your child doesn’t drop his/her attention.
The waking period between feeding and sleeping might be less, but this is also the time to stimulate the young mind, which is at its peak impressionable time. This allows you to guide your baby and initiate early development and growth.
The opening and closing of their fists with an intent to grab something is a clear indication of an attempt to capture new possibilities. In reality, your baby is developing coordination skills.
For the first few months, babies rely on your facial expressions, gestures, actions, and voice to develop understanding and initiate interactions. After the initial three months, I observed an attempt to respond to my actions by my baby by using cooing sounds.
As overwhelming as all this is, introducing your child to two-month-old baby activities can help in making the entire process more comfortable and manageable. It would allow you to have a little “me time” as well.
Going Hands-free — Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Growth
At two months old, it is the right time for your baby to be introduced to physical and cognitive challenges along with a little familiarization with emotions. Activities for two-month-olds can mix these three aspects, and you wouldn’t need any toys or tools for it.
1. Physical Development
Muscle development is essential to any human. Tummy time does this trick for your little ones. It is also one of the best things to do with a two-month-old baby. Tummy time helps in developing the muscles of your baby’s arms, legs, and shoulders.
Reach-and-grab activities help in developing coordination skills which are essential to motor development. Hanging toys are also great for your child’s muscle toning as they would reach out for them.
2. Cognitive Challenges
Interactions with the environment and the world are essential for developing curiosity and cognition. Try using a mirror with your child and see their reactions. Books can be a great source of learning at this time. Textures, shapes, and sounds are necessary for mental development.
3. Introduction To Emotions
Facial expressions and emotional growth can be started when your baby is around 2-month-old. Smiling and cooing are the first few things that they learn. All the happy emotions — smile, pleasure, delight, surprise, etc. give your child an introduction to the concept of good things.
Your expressions teach your kid a lot about how to react in situations. Cuddling and loving your baby demonstrates to them the concept of showing affection. Other emotions like crying, sadness, etc., tend to develop naturally with time.
Engaging Activities For Two-Month-Olds
I have always been particular about what my baby uses to play. Reason being that they would impact how they develop their mental and motor skills. The market is forever changing and is dedicatedly creating toys and games to engage our little balls of happiness into playtime that contributes to their growth.
After going through many products, I have come across a few that have proven to be life-savers for parents like me. That is, those who want their kids to learn and have fun at the same time. Here are a few activities for two-month-olds:-
1. Tiny Love Play Mat
American Pediatricians recommend this mat, stating that tummy time is essential for your little angel. It helps develop neck strength as babies tend to behave like planes by stretching their arms and legs in the air while lying on their tummies. Such tummy time mats are a great way to get them flying.
2. Charming Chirps Activity Gym
My little one never misses an opportunity of grasping anything that is in his vicinity. It is a common characteristic of all children. You can turn this fun and stimulating activity into a learning experience. Make use of activity gyms that have a mat with overhanging toys. It is an excellent way to develop your child’s reach-and-grab skills.
3. Bright Baby Touch Board Book
Yes, I know reading is still quite a way off for a baby. But books have proven to be a few of the best two-month baby activities. Textured books or those with sounds are fun and stimulating way to get your baby accustomed to different touches and sounds, and they can learn through them.
4. Explore With A Mirror
A baby’s eyesight is not fully developed at two months. But they are still capable of viewing things that are around 18-inches away from their faces. You can add a mirror to their tummy time activities for them to observe their face.
5. Animated Flappy Elephant
Playing with stuffed toys has no age or boundaries. Showing your baby a happy face is a great way to get them to respond with a smile. My son was a month old when I clicked him smiling for the first time. All I did was make weird faces and sounds and use his favorite stuffed toy dog, which was enough to crack him up.
Stuffed toys are a great way to develop facial expressions for different situations. You can also try peek-a-boo to get your baby to laugh.
Socialization
Interacting with your child is an essential part of developing social skills. I, for one, didn’t want my baby to be the shy type who gets scared when he sees strangers. A good way to start that is by introducing your baby to guests, relatives, and friends from the very beginning.
You must see that the situation remains calm and peaceful all the time. Loud noises and sudden alarms can be your enemies while developing social skills. Babies need to feel safe with the people around them. That way, they open up and become comfortable. If things get messy, you can massage your baby’s body to make them feel relaxed.
Holding hands and encouraging your baby to grab your finger is a great way to develop emotional bonding. Holding your hand would also make them feel secure. Encourage your baby to build the same kind of relationship with other members of your family too.
It’s A Wrap!
While at 2-months, your baby starts to show development in personality. It’s also usually the time where you begin to understand their likes and dislikes. Every cry and coo could mean something. As a parent, you must be able to interpret them.
Activities for a two-month-old are essential for developing all kinds of skills and necessary as your child needs to have fun. I’ve seen enough as a parent to know that these initial months are an integral part of your child’s later growth and development.
The short periods you get between their sleeping and feeding hours are the moments when you introduce creative two-month-old baby activities. These are essential for developing your baby’s physical, mental, emotional, social, and even creative aspects.
You can use equipment or go hands-free, but the point is to find the best things to do with a two-month-old baby so that they learn and grow while having fun. Trying different things has worked out well for me. Don’t forget to be careful, though. Watching out for every cry, squirm, or fuss is important. These are signs that your baby is ready for a break. Don’t overburden your child with such things. After all, their well-being and happiness are all that matter in the end.
More baby activities: Activities for 14-Month-Old | Activities for 5-Month-Old | Activities for 10-Month-Old | Activities for 9-Month-Old
