Month 2: Your baby in its first 8 weeks

Month 2: Baby development milestones at 8 weeks

Movement: In the second month, your baby’s motor development continues consistently. Some of his reflexes , especially the crawling and grasping reflexes, are slowly regressing. The little fist opens wider and wider and your baby picks up the first objects. Conscious letting go comes later. Your baby’s movements will slowly become “rounder”, which means that it will no longer move its limbs so jerkily, but the sequences of movements will slowly become more fluid.Senses: Your baby’s senses also continue to develop in the 2nd month. Your baby can see better and better and even recognizes the first shapes, colors and patterns. You can support your baby’s development by showing him colored objects that he can already follow with his eyes. By the age of eight months, your baby will be able to distinguish colors better and better, especially when there are strong contrasts. By the way: Red is the color that your baby can recognize first.

There are also changes in your baby’s hearing in the 2nd month. The amniotic fluid, which is still in the middle ear in the first few days after birth, is slowly absorbed by the tissue and your baby hears better and better. However, the hearing threshold, i.e. the limit above which your baby can perceive noises, is still significantly higher than that of adults, which is why your baby can sleep undisturbed even with loud noises. We have put together detailed information on the development of hearing in babies for you in the article “When your baby can hear” Communication: In the 2nd month your baby can give you his first conscious smile, which for many parents is one of the most beautiful and distinctive milestones in baby development. It also reacts actively to your voice, which is familiar to it and can calm it down quickly in appropriate situations. In the second month, your baby tries in different ways to consciously make contact with its surroundings for the first time.Sleeping: Your baby does not sleep through the night and needs to be fed one or more times. During the day, your baby sleeps less and less in the 2nd month and the waking phases slowly become longer. Find out more about your baby’s sleep behavior in our article “How children’s sleep develops” .

Month 2: Baby-related appointments

• U3 investigation
• end of maternity leave
• Register for a PEKiP course
• Register baby swimming

Month 2: Tips for 8-week-old babies

head gneiss

From the 2nd month, a yellowish layer of scales can form on your baby’s head. Head gneiss may not look pretty, but it does not pose a health risk for the baby. Head gneiss is caused by an overactive sebaceous gland, which is not optimally regulated after birth. The dandruff usually disappears on its own after a few weeks. You can also try to gently remove the plaque.

Preparations for baptism

If you are planning to have your baby baptized while still infancy, now is a good time to at least start thinking about it. When and where should the celebration take place? Who would be the right godfather? What formalities should be expected when planning and preparing for a baptism? You can find answers to all these questions in our special on baptism .

Pumping breast milk

If you are still breastfeeding but want to return to work after maternity leave or just want to do something without your baby, it makes sense to think about how you want to organize the baby’s meals in the future. A good practice is pumping and storing breast milk for when you are away from home. In our article “How to pump breast milk correctly” you will find out what you can pay attention to when pumping. In the experience report “I’ll pump it up” you can also read how Nora from the MomaSquad team managed to combine breastfeeding and work.

baby massage

A gentle baby massage is a wonderful experience, even for a newborn. However, you still need to be a bit careful with some body parts, for example until your baby’s navel is fully healed. In our special baby massage you can read how you can relax your baby with a gentle massage.

bathing baby

From the 2nd month, when the navel has healed, you can start bathing your baby . Be very careful at the beginning and observe exactly how your baby reacts to the foreign element. Careful preparation will also make bathing the baby stress-free for you. You can find everything you need to consider when bathing and washing your baby in our “Baby Bathing Checklist” .