Things are probably starting to settle down this month. The visitors have stopped, your body is recovering from birth and your baby is hopefully a bit more settled and more predictable.
Now might be a good time to reread the seven tips on surviving your baby’s first year!
How is baby going?
This month your baby will find out that there is more to life than just eating and sleeping–they will probably cry less and want to play more too.
Sleep
By the end of the third month many babies are having longer stretches of sleep overnight–perhaps six hours straight or more. At this age your baby will probably need about 10 hours of sleep overnight (with feeds every 4-6 hours) and about five hours of sleep during the day.
Your baby might be settling into a more predictable routine with day sleeps–having about four naps between 1- 2.5 hours long. You might start to recognise that your baby is tired at predictable times during the day. But don’t forget to continue watching your baby for tired signs–babies are constantly changing and as they grow older they’ll drop to two naps and then one (and eventually none!). This transition will be much smoother if you learn to recognise your baby’s tired signs rather than insisting they sleep according to a strict routine.
Some babies will only sleep for one sleep cycle–about 40 minutes or so. This is called catnapping. You can try to investigate reasons for your baby waking (check the room temperature, make sure they’re having enough of a feed beforehand etc) and you can try some re-settling techniques. But try not to let it stress you out too much. They will grow out of it eventually.
Feed
If you are breastfeeding, you’ll also probably notice that your supply will also be ‘settling down’ by now. You probably don’t leak anymore and your breasts probably don’t feel as full. This doesn’t mean that you’re losing your supply of breast milk. Your body has sorted out how much milk is needed and is responding to that demand.
Play
This month your baby will discover their hands–they might spend ages watching them (and chewing on them) and seeing what they can do! Your baby will enjoy lying back and kicking their legs and, if you’ve been giving them heaps of tummy time, baby might be able stay on their belly to play for about 10-15 minutes at a time.
How are you going?
For your own peace of mind, don’t be tempted to compare your baby to others. All babies are different and all progress differently.
The comparison likely to cause you the most amount of grief will be to do with sleeping. If you’re still waking two or three times a night (which is perfectly normal) it might seem like every other baby in the world is already sleeping through. Remember that everyone’s definition of ‘sleeping through’ is different. Some people say five hours or missing a feed is ‘sleeping through’, some say their baby sleeps through even though they don’t put them to bed until late at night. Some people might actually lie about their baby’s sleeping habits and others, the lucky ones, might have a baby who sleeps from 7pm-7am every night (but even this could change when their baby gets more active, who knows?).
The important thing is to not compare–you’ll only put unnecessary pressure on yourself, and your baby, to live up to unrealistic expectations.
3 things to do when your baby is 2 months old
- Start planning a christening or naming ceremony.
- Ask questions about sleep patterns on the forum
- Read our how-to guide on modern cloth nappies if you’re thinking of making the switch.
Please note: All babies are different, these are generic guides and aren’t a substitute for professional medical advice. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to contact your health care provider.